LIPS. HOW TO REMOVE THE MACRO
There is a certain charm in human lips. The movement of the mouth, tongue, and facial micro-facial express an amazing palette of feelings, emotions, tell stories about its owner. We see how a person feels joy, guess when he is sad, disappointed, preoccupied or rejoiced. All this gamut is transmitted through the lips, which can be touching and aggressive, playful and angry.
Photographer from Miami (USA) Jason Bassett decided to approach the process of lip study thoroughly and created a photo project called “Tulips”. At the disposal of the photographer was a Sony Alpha A7 camera, a Sony FE 90 mm f / 2.8 Macro G OSS lens, which Jason rented, an inexpensive on-camera flash and a reflector.
How did Jason Bassett realize a creative idea? Let’s find out the details. By Jason Bassett Macro Series “Lips”
Creativity and Stagnation
Creative people periodically encounter in their profession such an unpleasant phenomenon as stagnation, when you have to step back so that you have the opportunity to do something new and move forward, no matter how paradoxical it may sound. It was at such a moment that the idea came to me to create something simple, new and at the same time interesting in terms of scale and implementation. I wanted to feel fresh and catch the thrill in the process of translating the plan into reality.
Why a series about lips?
I thought about kisses. I recalled how my lips were whispering. I thought about how they move on the face or skin of the hands. My dream was to open the veil of secrecy into this tiny world. I often have to “read people” and watch them through micro-expressions of faces. This is a big part of my work, which is sensual in nature.
Some of my old works can be called bold or even heroic. The last collection was filled with rare, romantically impulsive ideas, which, perhaps, cannot be repeated. I wanted to mix three ideas into one, try something that I had never done before.
Thus the idea of creating a series of macro lips was born.
Feeling
I wanted the audience, looking at the photos, to feel how something looks super tasty or impeccably beautiful, sometimes – especially intimate. The lips in the macro image were necessary to tell a story about everything from form to function, to awaken the viewer’s own associations and turn on fantasy. I’m happy if someone finds my series beautiful, I’m just as pleased if someone thinks it is completely “left”.
As far as I know, my macro series “Lips” was the only one at the time of creation. None of the photographers have ever carried out such a project.
Casting
An important and very interesting moment in preparation for the shooting was casting. Nude has always been my main passion, I know how important it is for the comfort of holding a photo shoot and putting the idea into practice a preliminary acquaintance and selection of models.
I needed the skin around the mouth of the model to have a natural texture, and the lips themselves would be beautiful in shape. And although lips were the key for this particular project, nevertheless, the skin remained also an important factor.
How to choose an item for macro
I asked the models to help with the project. It was necessary that everyone choose those things that could hold in her mouth. These items were supposed to be personal, part of their real life. Another condition was the presence of texture and color.
Lighting
The entire series was shot either in the open air in the shade, or indoors. When we were shooting on the street, I used a reflector, which was held by an assistant. Well, in the room, a camera flash was used. That’s all the lighting equipment that was used in the photo project.
Technical side
I had to re-read a mountain of literature in order to understand how to choose the depth of field for macro lips. Tormented for a long time, I gave up reading. I just decided to try and already in the process of work determine what I will do with the DOF and what focal point to use. And I fell in love with my project when I started creating images.
Output
If you are a creative, adventurous person, trying to rethink your creativity and discover something new, look for ideas for projects around you. You do not need to purchase expensive equipment. It is quite possible to rent a camera or a necessary lens for an affordable price. Moreover, you can always photograph your ideas with what is at hand – from the compact to the smartphone.
by Jason Bassett Lips Macro Series
You do not need studio time, permission to shoot, or even a group of people to help. With all this you can cope on your own! Believe me! You will succeed, the main thing is to start.
