Tag Archive for: Backstage

WOW that’s just awesome photography!

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It happens if you look for it

As you know, I love to play with light. Although I love to use plugins for film looks and sometimes enhance a lens flare here and there, my intent is to always get it right in camera.
By the way, if you want some of the best tinting and special effects software, make sure to check out BorisFX, it’s the best I’ve ever worked with.

Anyway, today I want to share this image from Claudia

This was shot at the end of one of the sets.
In the images Claudia was lying on the couch and the light was pretty close to her.
On my camera I’m using the K&F concept black diffusion filters which give great lens flares when they are hit with some light.
To get the effect I asked Claudia to look up and by shooting it from a slightly lower angle I could just get the perfect lens flare.
This shot was not planned but it grew quickly into one of my favorites from the set.

So when shooting a set, walk around your model for different angles, but also try some different poses and “freak out” with your lighting, you already got the shot so take it step further, if it doesn’t work you at least know it doesn’t, but if it does you can use it in a next shoot to up your confidence and coolness 😀

Want to learn a lot more about lighting?
Check out our tutorials, books and of course you can find videos on Skillshare, KelbyOne among others.
Or visit one of the Dutch workshops at fotografie-workshops.nl
And if that’s not your thing, maybe book a 1:1 online 😀

 

You did not expect that did you….

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Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t

But you should always try it.
Shoot from different angles, but also during warm ups, and always treat the shots as if they are real shots.
In most cases these images are great for behind the scenes fun, memories etc. but sometimes you end up with something really special.

Somehow I just love this shot from Claudia I shot while explaining the lighting setup.
For me it tells a story.

During the workshops I always tell people to walk around the model for shots from different angles, it’s always “surprising” how cool some of the angles can be when you see them. But sometimes you don’t expect it to look cool. Like in the next shot where I was actually explaining that probably due to the way the model was posing the shot from that angle would look really awkward, but somehow the shadows fell right, the pose works and I ended totally loving the shot.

So ALWAYS take images from different angles, even if you don’t think it’s going to work 😀
you might surprise yourself and your model/client.

The awesome low light setup for glamour

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Today part II in my favorite glamour lighting setups

In the previous article we talked about a more flat light setup, today we are going the opposite direction. As mentioned my favorite photographers were often working with high contrast and low key setups. So today I want to share one of the most awesome setups for glamour in my opinion. And you don’t need a lot.

For the main light it works best when you use a striplight, it can be done with a small softbox and grid, but if you want that nice “beam” of light effect a striplight works best.
In this setup I’m using the Geekoto 48″ striplight. I started with the smaller 36″ version but to get the light the way I wanted from feet to head I ended up using one step longer. The nice thing about these two Geekoto strips is that they are both the same width, so you can really mix and match them in setups without losing focus on the model.

The same effect can also be done with the Rogue “Frank Doorhof” Flashbender in stripligh configuration. Meaning you can always use this setup on location or in the studio with just one strobe and a very portable light source.

The trick is to place the light behind the model aimed slightly forward, now change the height for the area the light will hit, higher means the area lit will be wider, placing the light closer means the beam of light will get narrower. The angle and the depth of the grid determines the light hitting the background. If you have the perfect setup but need more or less light on the background and you can’t solve it with angles or grids… keep everything the same but just move the model and the light backward (more light on the background) or forward (less).

The effect is great and really nice for body scapes and moody shots.

Shot during a recent workshop with Claudia.

And of course always include some extra images where you walk around your model.
Sometimes it works, sometimes not and sometimes it will surprise you… but that’s a story for the next blog post.

 

 

 

Black and white or color or let’s do both

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Some things I never do, Black and White and color!

We all have said something like this when it comes to our work. Model photography in black and white and color. One of the things I hardly use myself is selective coloring, and yeah, sometimes it looks great. But somehow in my work, it’s always a matter of keeping all colors and even enhancing them or converting them into black and white. But sometimes…

Amazing costumes ask for amazing light

During an online 1:1 workshop we got some amazing costumes and for the final set, our model Linda was wearing an awesome red hat and vintage outfit. I immediately felt an old-fashioned movie star vibe.
So, for this I wanted a spot effect on our model to make it look like a theater spot. You can use a fresnel for this like the great Nanlite Fresnel but if you want total control?  The Lindsay Adler Westcott optical spot is much better because now you can control the sharpness of the effect with the focus of the lens. And for this shot, I wanted it razor sharp.

Black and White and color.

Now that I had the shots, I just loved the black and white version. But the color one was also great due to the reds. (I just love red)

I like the image in color

I like the image in color

Black and white and color

But i also like it in Black and White

As you know, I love comics and movies, and when I was doubting between the color and BW version, I had this idea of “sin city”
And that would mean selective coloring…… but in this case, I think it is more than just an effect; it really made the image jump out. So I bumped the contrast a bit and mixed the two together.

Black and white and color

The result: black and white and color

Remember that nobody tells you you can only have one version of an image 😀

During the workshops, we always try to do 3-4 totally different sets, and this is just one 😀
Also, want to visit a workshop?
Visit fotografie-workshops.nl for more information. The workshops are in Dutch, but if you let us know a few weeks in advance,e we can switch to English.
Don’t want to travel?
It’s also possible to book a full day 1:1 online workshop, see here for more info.