Challenges Photographing Transgender

Challenges can be intriguing, fun or indeed stressful.  My challenge was fun, intriguing and stretched my creativity and photography skills. Why you ask? I had the fortune to do a photo shoot for a transgender, a T girl.

Known as Natasha,  she required some images for a website she is having developed and also for personal use. Natasha has set herself a mission to help people understand and except the community of transgender. Natasha  readily helps the "new" transgender's with dressing, introducing them to like minded people and taking them to acceptable places.

Like any individual having a portrait shoot there are always areas of their body that they prefer not to be photographed, Natasha was no different. While dressed in female clothes she wasn't happy with her biceps and she also has a masculine tattoo on her right arm that she preferred not to be obvious in all the shots.

I used Emily, a new up and coming make-up artist, to professionally apply the make-up for the different shots, from subtle make-up through to a statement make over. Here alone the challenges started ensuring that the foundation looked as natural as possible although more than the normal amount is required as the male skin has a much courser texture than the female skin. Attention to detail with regards to the eyes is critical. Having well made up eyes takes the attention away from such as stubble shadows, even when clean shaven there is always that hint of a shadow.

The purpose of the shoot was to provide a selection of images that would show the male gender in a selection of outfits fitting for a variety of occasions from day clothes to theatrical. 

I used the infinitive cove to create an uncluttered shot with no distractions that could be derived from joins such as skirting boards or walls to floor.  To create a softer look I steered away from lighting the background as I would normally and added a soft light to create the grey effect. The second shot I wanted with a white background therefore I lit the infinity cove to read f/32, several stops different to the  metered exposure of Natasha which was f/11.   I chose to use the octagon soft box as the key light to create an even softer look.

I decided to use the black background to offer a contrast and selected not to use low key techniques on the actual subject but to keep an even and soft light.  Using the Bowens lights I used a striplight soft box for the full length shot. To prevent the spill of light onto the background I used black flags close to the subject.  Moving Natasha away from the backdrop prevented the key light falling onto the background.

We then took a selection of photos showing just how glamourous a transgender can really look

It was fun and rewarding photographing Natasha, a great sport.


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www.ellejestudio.co.uk