I took some very rough and ready test shots to try and gauge what exposure I would need for the three shots I have in mind.

The image features above is a test of the final picture that I am trying to create with a washed-out, high-key, look.

Things I need to think about

• Composition
• Light direction
• Light modification
• Focal length
• Backgound colour
• Camera position

In the image above I did not think too much about compostion but I realise that this will be important.

I think the most important element to concentrate on is lighting, combined with the colour of the background. I have also realised that I will need to de-focus the second image as I do not think I will be able to achieve the out of focus look that I am aiming for solely relying on depth of field.

I need to think more about camera position, which may in part be impacted by where I place the light source, and I think I will increase the focal length in each image to give the impression of the world my mother inhabited getting smaller.

One final though is do I need to go to the trouble of trying to get the lighting right when taking the picture or would it be simpler to adjust the lighting in post-processing. The image below is a standard shot quickly process with a high-key effect in Color Efex 4 Pro.