Inspired by the less popular portraits of Platon, featuring relaxed poses, closed eyes and often full-length portraits I decided to experiment with moody atmosphere and quiet moments. Calm and less tense portraits often feature closed eyes. The subject looks like he is deep thinking and even dreaming. The viewer watching the portraits wonders what the subject is thinking about. Other things can give hints about that, like a smile or the general pose. In the following pictures the models are posing relaxed and peacefully.
Concentrating on the eyes I achieved a contemplative atmosphere also making the viewer not look directly on camera. Calm picture feature the subject not looking at something precise, but their gaze lost in space.
I've also experimented with props like the headphones in the following photos to suggest a certain type of feeling and a precise story. Stefano seated and with his eyes closed looks completely captured in the music he is listening to.
The background has an important role too. White background contributes to more positive emotions. Black background gives a sadder look to the whole composition, especially with harsh lateral lighting that creates dramatic shadows. The use of a black background and direct, diffused lighting that completely illuminates the model's face creates calm and quietness.
Regarding the light setup for the high key photographs with the white background I used a studio light with a diffusor that illuminates the subject frontally to eliminate the shadows and I tried to use a light behind the model directed to the background to give colour uniformity to it. For the black background I used a light with a soft box that illuminated the subject laterally to create some shadows and adding a dramatic look to the pictures.
