The timeless appeal of flowers in art has captured the hearts and minds of artists and observers alike for centuries. This enduring allure has inspired artists, such as myself, to seek innovative ways of incorporating floral elements into our work. For this particular project, I collaborated with talented florist Irina Schulzenko, who specializes in wearable flowers, to merge my love for portraiture with the beauty of botanicals. By transforming my young client, Yelizaveta, into a mystical fairy, we aimed to craft an enchanting portrait that not only captured her essence but would also serve as a stunning piece of art on her walls.
Understanding the story behind each portrait helps create a depth of meaning that resonates with both the subject and the viewer. In this case, Yelizaveta aspired to embody a graceful forest fairy with the power to bring life to her surroundings. Bearing the weight of a tantalizing secret, her mystical aura needed to exude warmth and tantalize viewers with intrigue. To achieve this, we settled on using floral colors that evoked warmth, like light brown, orange, and yellow. Careful attention was given to the types of flowers used for this portrait. Each flower had to not only add to the composition aesthetically but also hold vibrant color and versatility for various arrangements. We opted for a combination of small branches, roses, orchids, and daisies that provided us with an abundance of options in terms of shape, size, and texture. The warm hues of these blossoms blended seamlessly with one another, offering a sense of cohesion throughout the portrait.
Floral portrait sessions require a unique combination of creative vision, attention to detail, perfect lighting, and of course, patience. As a photographer, I had to carefully plan my shoot, select the appropriate flowers, and arrange them in a visually appealing manner. I had to work closely with my subject, ensuring she feels comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera while holding delicate and often heavy flower arrangements. Having a reliable lighting setup like the Elinchrom FIVE helps me to focus on these crucial aspects without worrying about quality of light, power interruptions or inconsistent lighting.
For this floral portrait project my goal was to achieve a beautiful soft light to highlight my subject’s best features as well as texture and tones of our delicate flowers, and bring the floral portraits to life. To achieve the perfect soft lighting I used the Elinchrom FIVE with the Litemotiv Octa Softbox 190cm as my main light. The Elinchrom FIVE is a powerful light source. Its high-capacity battery ensures that my shoot remains uninterrupted, and its USB-C charging capabilities allow me to continue shooting while charging the battery, regardless of its power level. This feature is particularly handy in time-consuming floral portrait sessions where every minute counts and maintaining consistency in lighting is crucial.
To add more depth and dimension to my portraits, I had two rim lights to separate my subject from the background. The Rotalux Strip Softboxes 50x130cm, when used with Elinchrom lights, created a subtle yet effective lighting effect that highlighted the contours of my subject’s body as well as the branches and floral arrangements and added a three-dimensional quality to my images. The softness of the main light complements the strip softboxes, balancing the overall illumination and producing a harmonious result.
Creating the perfect soft lighting for floral portrait sessions can be a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. By using the Elinchrom FIVE with various Elinchrom modifiers, I could achieve beautiful results during my session. With a reliable and powerful lighting setup, I could focus on the artistic aspects of my work and bring my floral portrait vision to life.
Yuliya Panchenko grew up in Baku, Azerbaijan and moved to the United States in 2010 to pursue her career as an artist. For over 8 years, Yuliya has established herself as a professional photographer and influenced hundreds of other photographers with her unique elegant and sensual black and white style of imagery. Yuliya has mastered the art of highlights & shadows and posing for boudoir photography and gained popularity as an educator on YouTube. In 2021, she founded “Believe in Boudoir”, which later became the largest and most complete boudoir & nude photography educational platform with over 40 courses. Yuliya is an ambassador for Elinchrom.