Tag Archive for: clickbackdrops

Building a cool set with Click Backdrops in your own studio or living room

A background from Click Backdrops helps the story

When I started with model photography studio work was… well studio work.
It was mostly seamless paper and some nice fabrics or canvas backgrounds.
Personally, I love working this way, but I have to be honest my heart always beats faster when I find a cool location to shoot. I was happy to find out that sets are very easy to create with Click Backdrops.

So why not bring locations or sets to your studio?

As you probably know we use ClickBackDrops in our studio, we actually started with my signature series and ended up being the distributor for the Netherlands.
Of course, you can just use the backgrounds as… well backgrounds.
And although that already looks great, you can do so much more.

I already showed you guys some of the shots we took during the clicklive event in the UK where we built a complete set with 3 backgrounds and a floor part.

on click live 2024 we used one of the easy to create sets. The wooden floor, brick wall and factory windows

Click Live 2024 Portfolio pod. Wooden floor, brick walls on both sides, and a factory windows backdrop on the back

easy to create sets

So I thought let’s create something in our studio again a quick and easy to create set with Click Backdrops

During a recent workshop with Claudia, I used two backgrounds and a floor part to create a quick set.
At the moment I was calibrating a projector for a customer that came into a huge flight case so that was the perfect prop to create something cool. When Claudia entered the set I immediately got some huge Freddie Mercury and David Bowie vibes so I tried to get a little bit of that “rock/70’s” style into the shot.

great example of one of our easy to create sets. The parts don't really match, but it worked out fine easy to create sets

As you can see it’s super easy to use two backgrounds and a floor part to create a small set.
Add some props and you’re ready for the shoot.
Now as you can see these backgrounds are not really meant to be shot together, but they still work very nicely I think.

Are you curious about more easy-to-create sets? Visit one of our workshops!

They are in Dutch, but if you book a few weeks in advance we can switch them to English.
Visit fotografie-workshops.nl for more info and booking your workshop.
Want to buy the gear I use?
Visit frankdoorhof.com/shop

ClickLive event 2024 Results from Day 3 with our amazing model Tion

Results Day 3 with Tion

In the previous blog we showed you the behind the scene video we shot during the ClickLive event.
Today in the blog some of the results from Tion

Shot with the Geekoto GT400 and the new Geekoto Lantern and striplight.
On the blue tinted images I’m using a GT200 with the Rogue magnetic system and a blue gel.

This was the third day and the backgrounds were not mounted 100% anymore, but I still love the results from these sessions.
Also many thanks to Tion who did his best with loads of different outfits and never too tired to pose for me or the attendees. This day was a bit more quiet on the show so I had some more time to shoot, so sorry for the many images 😀

For the first series I’m using the new Geekoto Lantern and striplight on the Geekoto GT400

It’s always a challenge to shoot images during a trade show, but with a set like this and a great model it becomes a lot more easy.
Do you want to build a set similar to this?
Check out our professional quality backdrops at www.clickbackdrops.nl

Here I placed the striplight close to the wall for some nice side lighting.
I always love this setup and with Tion it worked extremely well.

Finally I added a Geekoto GT200 with the Rogue magnetic system and a blue gel in the back, and use the Geekoto striplight as mainlight for some final more moody shots.

 

 

ClickLive trade show workshops results Day 1 and 2 with Macy

Results from day 1 with Macy

In the previous blog we showed you the behind the scene video we shot during the ClickLive event.
Today in the blog some of the results from Macy.

The cool thing about the ClickLive event were the more than 10 portfolio pods which were all unique and build only with ClickBackdrops. Next to our booth we sponsored the portfolio booth with our Geekoto strobes and a fitting theme for me.

A great way to introduce our brand new collapsable striplight and awesome new lantern softbox.
Of course the booth was setup for the visitors, but I also took some shots myself 🙂

Do remember this is a portfolio booth and the model probably doesn’t play guitar.

Check out our professional quality backdrops at www.clickbackdrops.nl

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick portraits on location and to show how easy it is we have a cute labradoodle

Quick Portraits on location

Quick portraits on location are always a challenge. You have to think fast, find a location, set up your lighting and often only have a few minutes with your client. Today we are going to take a look at how we set up a location session and what I use.

Make it easier on yourself

There is always a way to make it harder, but let us focus on the things that can make everything go as smoothly as possible. The first thing is, of course, preparation.

I love to mess around with lighting in the studio but often also have more than enough time. On location, I often have to set up and hit the ground running. This is why we talk with our clients about what they want for most on-location sessions. This means that when I arrive on location I already know where to place my lights, do a quick light meter check, and can start immediately.

Now you might wonder… “Didn’t you forget something?”
Yeah, I know what you think.

The background for a quick portraits on location

Of course, when we talk to our client before the shoot we also show different kinds of backdrops so the client can choose which one fits their look and brand. Because I’m using strobes I know that ambient light in most cases won’t cause any problems. However, don’t ever forget to take a ColorChecker image during the shoot. On location, you can have the most weird situations that can mess up your color that at first, you won’t notice because you’re using flash.

Now in the past, I’ve used solutions that worked pretty well but were always just a bit too short, narrow, or too large so they didn’t fit in my car forcing me to take the van (I prefer to drive electric of course :D)

Recently ClickBackdrops released the Clicki backdrop system and it’s become my favourite backdrop for quick on-location shoots. It’s wide enough to fit one person for wide (landscape-style) portraits. And with a little bit of AI in Photoshop I can easily shoot 3/4 shots in landscape mode because the subject doesn’t overlap anywhere. Somehow I prefer to shoot in landscape orientation which makes the width vital for me.

The Clicki fits with ease in my car (Hyundai Ioniq EV) and only needs a stand to be assembled on location in under a minute.
Of course, I also need to bring strobes.

Strobes

When we talk about speed I also have to be able to move fast and setup fast. So bringing heavy strobes or battery packs is out of the question.
For location work, I’m using the Geekoto GT200 and GT250 

The main advantage is that I can easily adjust the angle of the strobes via the pistol grip. So I can use almost any studio stand, which not only saves space but also makes setting up much easier and faster. The Geekoto also supports both ETTL and HSS. Combined with a 200/250W power output and 450-500 shots per battery makes it a very versatile setup that can easily suppress sunlight outside. And you can use the thicker more saturated colorgels for some really gorgeous color effects.

And the final piece of the puzzle…

What Light shapers to use for a quick portrait on location

Of course, I’m not using the strobes bare.
Although that can be a nice effect, it’s often not what the client wants to see.
So we need something to modify the light.

If it needs to be compact I love the Rogue products. Especially the new magnetic system is awesome for creative use on location (and in the studio) and of course the “famous” Frank Doorhof Flashbender :D. But for this setup, I’m using the Geekoto 26″ softbox. The main advantage of this system is that it just folds up very small but it also has a detachable speedring which makes it super easy to carry with you.

Enough talk, let’s take a look at the setup.

a quick portrait on location. this is how I did it

As you can see we just placed the Clicki behind the table. So the dog didn’t have to move and the whole setup was done in seconds (everything was set up, I just had to slide it there). Because we mark the floor when doing the meter readings, it’s a setup that makes it possible to almost immediately start shooting and thanks to the size of the Clicki you can also shoot from a few different angles.

So let’s see the results. It’s never perfect with these kind of one-minute sessions but the owner loved them. And for the trimmer, it’s just an extra service or something they can charge for.

So now you know what I use for quick portraits on location. If you have questions, find me on social media and let me know.

Quick portrait of a lovely labradoodle on location quick portrait on location of a dog a quick portrait on location

 

see the introduction of the Clicki Backdrop on Photodays in Brussel (2023)