Niah Aldrich (@niahrosephoto) is a Sony photographer with a focus on portraiture and bold colors. She is very passionate about capturing special moments, bringing concepts to life, and making her subjects look and feel their very best on and off camera. Niah will be partnering with Sony Alpha Universe Community Forums to participate in a Live Ask Me Anything on January 8 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. She will be answering any and all questions on photography, how to use vibrant colors and ways to interact with clients.

Product Preview – In This Article You'll Find:
–Sony Alpha 7 IV
–Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master

We were drawn in by the creativity and vintage feel of this Instagram Reel that Aldrich had posted from a recent shoot. We wanted to learn about the story behind the images, so we sat down with her to get the scoop. Continue reading to learn more from Aldrich as she shares the details of the shoot in her own words.

Collaboration & Community

I am a full time photographer, and studio owner based in Kansas City, Missouri. I specialize in bold and vibrant portraiture in and outside of the studio. When I am not shooting I am typically operating my photo studio, which provides a space for the local photographers and creatives. My hope for the future is to provide more workshops and community events here in the KC area. You’ll often find me traveling for photoshoots opportunities and networking with other talented creatives in different cities.

This was shot in my home studio located in downtown Kansas City. This was a collaboration with the model, makeup artist and the vintage bag featured within the photo set. Ive always wanted to do an all pink vintage “Legally Blonde” shoot and finding this bag was the perfect excuse to execute my vision. Everything you see within the set was completely sourced and styled by me. I spent months thrifting and online shopping to get all of the individual pieces together. I like to be overly prepared, and probably could have done another 10 or so looks with everything I found! I even went as far as purchasing a vintage vanity and up cycling it with pink paint, and pearls for this set. Even the necklace was handmade using pearls and a Chanel brooch. This was definitely one of my favorite shoots, and I loved being apart of every detail. I think it all really came together in the end.

Photo by Niah Aldrich. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/800-sec., f/2, ISO 640

First Photoshoot With A New Camera

I shot these images with the Sony Alpha 7 IV and the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. This was my first photoshoot that I captured with the Sony Alpha 7 IV. The updated color science, new menu system, faster low light and focusing capabilities, as well as the megapixel jump to 33mp from my previous 24.2mp Sony Alpha 7 III has been game changing for me. I primarily shoot in the studio in low light situations, and am very color oriented in my editing so this camera has has been well worth the upgrade for me. 

For my lens choice I paired camera with the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master to feature more of the model, and the environment as it is a wider lens. Since I was also shooting inside the low f-stop was helpful in the lowlight, and the shallow depth of field gave just enough separation between the model, and background.

Photo by Niah Aldrich. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/1250-sec., f/1.4, ISO 400

Lighting, Setup & Posing

This was shot in my studio using mostly natural light coming in from giant 8x8 windows left of the model. I used the white side of a V flat on the opposite side of the model to fill in shadows on her face, and a small LED light was used to bounce light onto the model during the mirror shots. The background was created using curtains hung from a backdrop pole mounted on light stands. A hot pink seamless paper backdrop was set up in from of the curtains in order to maintain the color scheme within the reflection of the mirror. Since I was sandwiched between the curtains, and the pink paper backdrop I didn’t have a lot of room to move around, and also had to avoid myself in the mirror when framing shots. 

With all of this in mind I chose to shoot with the Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. This lens is fast, sharp, and wide enough to be close but still capture the model, and environment. It is also great in low light, and allows me to shoot at a low aperture letting lots of light in while maintaining a fast shutter speed for optimum sharpness, and lower ISO to avoid heavy grain. Shooting wide open at f/1.4 the aperture creates separation from model and background for an almost dream like effect while keeping focus on model.

Photo by Niah Aldrich. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/800-sec., f/1.4, ISO 640

I knew going in that I wanted to do a composite image of two photos blended together. I first nailed down the composition, and pose that I wanted while using Sony’s eye auto focus technology to make sure she was in focus. I then explained to the model to hold her pose, and to only move her head looking into the mirror. This time I focused on her eyes in the mirror reflection. These two images were later stacked in photoshop, and blended together to create this all eyes on me effect. My camera settings ranged from 1/800-sec. at f/1.4, ISO 640 to 1/1000-sec. at f/1.4, ISO 400 as the lighting conditions and model position changed.

Editing & Compositing

For the editing process I wanted to go with a vintage and pastel vibe. This was to compliment the overall vintage styling of the clothing and props. For these images I used Adobe Lightroom to make my selections, and to give a quick starting base. Experimenting with various tabs like the color mixer/calibration/color grading and utilizing my personalized color presets significantly guides me toward achieving the desired direction I want to go. I then open images up in Adobe Photoshop were I retouch my photos, fix background distractions, and tweak colors even more with non destructive adjustment layers (hue/saturation/selective color/ color balance etc.) before, I then sharpen, add a tiny bit of grain for the vintage vibe, and flatten the images for posting.

Photo by Niah Aldrich. Sony Alpha 7 IV. Sony 35mm f/1.4 G Master. 1/800-sec., f/1.4, ISO 640

For the mirror composite images, I merged two photos by duplicating the second image into the main photo I was working on. Using an inverted layer mask, I carefully painted with a white brush onto the mirror, seamlessly integrating the second image to create the impression that she's looking at you, doubling the visual impact.

Learn more about the gear Niah Aldrich uses for portrait photography in her What's In My Bag article, see more of her work on Instagram @niahrosephoto.

Do you have more questions for Niah? Join us in the Alpha Universe Forums on January 8 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PST for her Live Ask Me Anything! Can’t make it live? Never fear, you can submit questions ahead of time HERE.