You Don’t Need a Great Studio Space to Shoot Great Portraits
My name is Philippe Echaroux, and I’m a French celebrity photographer and an ambassador for Hasselblad and Elinchrom. I recently had to do a portrait shoot at a large studio in Paris, but for this shoot I decided to have a bit of fun.
I decided to set up a makeshift studio in the small stairwell right next to the studio doors and elevator.
The space was so cramped that we had to pay attention to people exiting the elevator, since a misstep out of the elevator could easily have knocked over my light.
For this shoot, I used my Hasselblad H5D-50c with the HC 100mm f/2.2 lens and my best friend, the Elinchrom ELB 400 portable flash. I put up a black panel onto the wall with some glue stick to minimize the white reflection from the surface. For the background behind each subjects head, I used a small shirt from a woman in the studio.
My style of shooting portraits is all about being quick. All the photos in this post were shot in less than 2 minutes. Time was of the essence because people were passing through the area all the time.
In the end, it was a fun challenge for both me and the subjects I photographed. It’s good to sometimes step out of your comfort zone, right?
About the author: Philippe Echaroux is a French celebrity photographer. You can find more of his work on his website, Instagram, and Facebook.
