This is Lisa in her lab. When she isn't posing for me she studies carbohydrate chemistry and directed protein evolution en route to a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry. Here, she is dressed up (she usually is anyway) wearing her lab coat propped up on her lab bench. In the test tube is phenalphthalein dissolved in ethanol and in the erylenmyer flask there is 0.1M NaOH (for you scientifically inclined). Phenalphthalein is an indicator, changing from colorless to pink when added to a base (pH 8.2-10). The purpose for the indicator, other than to add a little interesting effect, was to try and match her dress. The erylenmyer flasks to the top right are just various concentrations of Coomassie Brilliant Blue, a protein stain. Also, for some reason, when people think "science" they think of flasks with different colored solutions (99% of the solutions I work with are colorless).
Note: Lisa is not wearing any of the appropriate safety gear (goggles, gloves), she's pouring liquid into base, and her legs are exposed. this was taken at night when no one else was around and 0.1M NaOH isn't that bad. Also, the school doesn't really care about us grad students.
Simple lighting in a really tight space: one Sb24 on a shoot through to the right (her left) and a second close to the left side of her head (her right). Processing in Lightroom and resized in photoshop.
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I feel that your concept would have been more effective if she actually was paying attention to what chemicals she is mixing. It is her facial expression and body language that makes her not look like a scientist I think, not really her dress. Also the lighting is a bit harsh it seems to me.
As a scientist, lacks authenticity w/o goggles, but still a nice photo. Do you see the distortion which makes her legs/knees/arm/foreground hand look much too large relative to her head? I can't decide if my mind is playing tricks with me. Could happen though when using the 18-55 in a tight space... Maybe it was intentional?
I don't like how she's not paying attention to what she's doing, because yeah she may look good in the photograph for the modle part, but scientist would be wearing goggles and paying attention
I get the humor here. I totally understand that this is satire. That bing said, I think you would be more successful playing it staright here. Either get a model doing what models do or find an actual scientist. As far as shot goes, creative and colorful. The white lab coat is blown out and it is affecting the skin tone of your model, causing the face to appear pale and the eyes sort of disappear into the hair.
It is a nicely done portrait, but IMO, an environmental portrait should tell us something about the personality of the subject. In this, all we know is that she is a model, but that the environment is a facade, so we don't really know her.
As a scientist this picture offers me hope, thank you.
Really nice shot, I like the fact the white lab coat and in her skin are a little to bright making the picture extra sharp.
I feel I ought to like this shot more than I do, the framing and the balance of subject and environment are perfect, but from her clothing to her searching the distance expression, she looks about as detached from the environment of a chemestry lab as it is possible. This would be a fine entry for a fashion challenge, but in this one the integration of portrait and environment are the key element.
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