What do all of the award-winning images in WPPI‘s First Half, Second Half and The Annual competitions have in common? They are creatively innovative, are often thought-provoking, and encourage photographers to push boundaries. I recently asked three 2020 winners of WPPI’s First Half competition—comprised of entries from amazing talent within the Rangefinder and WPPI communities—to share the specifics on how each of them got the shot.

[Read: How WPPI’s Photo Competitions Inspire Creativity]

Forough Yavari is a Brisbane, Australia-based photographer who specializes in several genres but is most known for her contemporary portraiture. She is a Double Master of WPPI and her image “I Have A Dream” won 1^st place in the Portrait: Individual category.

Arlene Evans: What inspired you to create this portrait? 
Forough Yavari: I took this shot during a fashion session around a month before we entered lock-down. We were talking about her experiences as a model and her dreams in fashion industry led to discussing racism, poverty and some of the experiences she has had in her journey. This portrait is one of my favourites simply because of her expression and the silky black and white tonal. 

AE: What equipment did you use to capture the image?
FY: I used the Nikon Z7 with Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S. My camera settings were 1/200 Sec, F/10, ISO 100. For lighting, I used an Octabox 150 with diffuser on Broncolor Siros L 800. 

AE: How did you decide on the title? 
FY: Working on this image coincided with the protests in USA and other parts of the world supporting human rights equity. The title is a tribute to the speech with same name by Martin Luther King Jr. in which he called for (an) end to racism. 

[WPPI’s Second Half Competition: How 3 Judges Approach Submissions]

Myra Baldwin Thiessen, a Fine Art and Wedding Portrait photographer and oil painter based in Tampa, Florida, won 1^st place in the Creative Division of First Half, under the Fashion + Beauty + Fine Art Nude category. I asked her to provide more details on her winning image, “Snake Queen.” 

AE: What was your inspiration for creating this image? 
MBT: Model Ariana Doeg is my muse and we collaborate on creative projects occasionally. When Ariana mentioned that she had pet snakes, we both thought it would be exciting to photograph her with her snake and create something artistic. As she is good with snakes, I thought of the “snake charmer” concept, did a little bit of research and came up with the final look. Her intense gaze and expression contribute to the mystic of a snake charmer.  

I made the turban to add to the mystique. The arch-shaped background is designed to balance the shape of the turban and to give an aura of guru/superhuman, hinting at a cape. Her right arm is positioned horizontally to exude confidence and visually acts as a foundation for the image. In contrast, her left arm is posed curvy to represent her feminism and also the curves of the snake. 

AE: How did you light your model? 
MBT: A beauty dish with a grid was used as a key light. Two gridded strip boxes were used as rim lights to help with details in the turban and to separate the subject from the background. They were also used to bounce light to the background. 

AE: Anything else you’d like to share with our audience? 

MBT: I enjoy being creative in my personal projects. It has helped me grow as an artist. Competitions inspire me to constantly explore new ideas as a photographer. The feedback I get from jurors has been a major contributor to my growth. 

AE: I have to ask, is the snake real? 
MBT: Yes! It’s a real snake!

 As a Double Master of WPPI, Cliff Mautner has participated in many of WPPI’s competition. His image “Flower Girl with Letter from Groom” won 1^st place in the Bridal Party/Family and Friends category. He is primarily a wedding photographer and a well-known educator and is based in Haddonfield, New Jersey. 

AE: Did you use only a natural light source to capture the image? 
CM: Yes. This was captured with only the window light. The direction here is one of the most important elements of the frame. The direction of the light hitting the baffled ceiling creates texture and dimension. Any light coming from my camera or another direction would wash out that texture. 

AE: What lens did you use? Where were you standing? 
CM: The image was captured with my Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8G and it was shot at 24mm in order to obtain the widest field of view. I was standing about 15 to 20 feet from the subjects. 

AE: Did you need to do any post processing? 
CM: I seldom do a ton of post processing to any of my images; however, there is a basic Lightroom workflow we implement, and my brilliant studio manager processes all of the images. Not much needed to be done here except for basic contrast adjustment and perhaps some burning and/or dodging. Heavily photoshopped work is not part of what I do. 

AE: Any other information you’d like to share with other photographers? 
CM: The most important elements in this image are the light and the subjects’ interaction. I set the stage for moments to take place, but I don’t stage the moment. This little flower girl had a note for the bride. I simply asked her to stand in the light so I could juxtapose the highlight on the little girl’s face with the darker background in order to make that highlight the brightest part of the frame. The gesture of the bride taking the note creates the decisive moment here. All I did was compose it and expose it. The rest was up to the client! 

Thanks to Forough Yavari, Myra Baldwin Theissen and Cliff Mautner for sharing their creative insights. We can all learn from each other and in doing so, be inspired to create our best work.  

See the full list of WPPI 2020 First Half winners here.

Arlene Evans is the content director of the Photo Group, which includes Rangefinder, WPPI and PHOTOPLUS+. Previously, she was head of the photography channel at CreativeLive, and before that Director of WPPI. Email her at arlene.evans@emeraldx.com.