A Visit to the Dentist with Gilmar Smith

Words and Images by Gilmar Smith

We take play-pretend very seriously in my home! We have a collection of costumes, and if we don't have props, we borrow them. We then complete the experience with pictures for us to remember our adventures forever. Of the photography I post online lately, 98% of it is created in the comfort of my home with my favorite models.

To me, being creative means creating anywhere you are with whatever is available to you. During this pandemic, I've missed my photoshoots with clients in studio or location, but I have also enjoyed creating at home with my kids.

My inspiration is always my kids' imagination. This time, my six-year-old daughter wanted to be a dentist, so we came out with a great idea to photograph her being a dentist. She also got to learn a lot about her teeth during the process.

Here's my set up for this picture:

I set my Nikon Z7 with a Nikkor Micro 105mm lens on my Platypod. I used a Spiffy Gear Lumee light to light up the inside of the teeth model, and a Spiffy Gear Spekular light to light up the whole set.

With the same lens at the same spot, I took a picture of my daughter. I was initially aiming for a blue background, but after putting the layers together, I decided to change the background to a stock image of a doctor's office.

As you can see, everything was shot in my dining room. It took me longer to set up the seamless paper as background than taking all of the pictures. And ironically, I didn't use the background after all!

 Here's our concept that came to life:

 Whether my daughter decides to become a dentist or not when she grows up, she has a picture from the time she wanted to be one!

 You can check out more of Gilmar's work on Instagram here.