Tag Archive for: glamour

Results from the glamour Workshop with Claudia

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In todays blog post some of the results from the workshop Glamour with Claudia.

For set 1 we used the triflection system with a large soft box and two extra strips as accents, to give the slight blue hue I used a gelled strobe from the back.

For the next set we used the Westcott Lindsay Adler gobo projector to project a line over the model.

After this setup we switched over the awesome Botanical backdrop from ClickPropsBackDrops for the next images, the first set was done with just a strip light, later we used the same setup with a large soft box and the Triflection system to open up the shadows, an awesome setup I think for fashion shots, it really gives the images a sort of 3D pop.

And the ones with the triflection

And of course I couldn’t resist to do one with a bit different look.

For the final set we used a plastic mirror and the Arrow background from Clickpropsbackdrops, this combined with the mirror gave an awesome almost surreal look to the set and made it look a lot bigger than it actually was 🙂

I’m using the Lindsay Adler gobo projector to project the lines, one snoot aimed via the mirror for the models face and one blue gelled strobe aimed straight at the mirror to get the blue mood in the shots.

I hope you guys enjoyed the results from the workshop.
If you also want to follow a workshop, visit our workshop site at www.fotografie-workshops.nl (also available for 1:1 workshops in English)

For the amazing Clickpropsbackdrops visit the Dutch site at www.clickpropsbackdrops.nl or the international site at clickprops.co.uk

New instructional video “A guide to Capture One 9 Pro”

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We just released a brand new instructional video, and this is a LONG one.
With over 190 minutes of information it’s actually one of the longest we ever released, and the best thing… for a limited time only it’s priced at only 10.00 euros.

 

Often people forget the importance of the RAW developer and how much of a difference it can make on your final images, let alone what you can do in the RAW convertor as retouching. As soon as you open up Photoshop you are not working in the RAW convertor anymore so it’s vital to do as much as possible before that.

For years Capture One has been on the top of the list of best RAW convertors and not without a reason (of course), Capture One has many retouching and developing options that for some people will even make it possible to do the complete workflow within Capture One. 
 But that’s not all, in studio or location setups many photographers love to shoot tethered, and this is were Capture One in my opinion really shines as being rock solid and incredibly versatile.

When you first open up Capture One everything can look a bit…. frightening, especially when you are used to the industry standard Lightroom, but in all honestly the layout and options are actually very easy to learn if you get a little bit of help, and that’s where this video comes in.

In over 3 hours (190 minutes) I walk you through the way that I use Capture One.
You will find chapters on the tools, tethered shooting, retouching samples and workflow.
All videos are kept as short as possible and are very easy to understand.

Topics include :

BW modes, integration with Lightroom/Photoshop and plugins, exporting recipes, styles/looks, synchronizing, using local adjustments and layers, advanced color adjustments, advanced and simple skin retouching, masking possibilities, folder structures, overlays, watermarks, customizing the look and layout, HDR from one image, making images pop, using processing in batch, all the tools you need to know explained, auto masking tips, skin tone smoothing, tricks with the skin tone smoothing for skies, removing spots and dust, using healing for removing hair and blemishes, using capture pilot in a tethered workflow, RAW developing explained, lens correction, adding grain for a great look and evening out retouches, noise reduction, stacking effects in layers and styles, sorting and rating in the browser, creating your personal layout and much much more….

If you want to get the best out of Capture One in your workflow and setup a great integration with Lightroom this is without a doubt the best way to start. All videos are high resolution captures and the standard video is 4K so you can see all the settings and details the best way possible. The video is available now via www.frankdoorhof.com/videos

I’m 100% sure you are gonna love this one.

 

Ultimate weekend Emmeloord Feb 26/27th

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It’s almost time for the new Ultimate weekend workshop again….
This is without a doubt the most intense workshop I teach, 2 jam packed day filled with information on model photography.. I literally teach you everything I know about working with models, lighting, retouching, workflow, social media, business etc. plus we have an amazing diner at night with the whole group in a local restaurant.

 

At the moment we have 3 seats left so if you want to learn everything you always wanted to know about model photography…. read this.

 

Ultimate weekend day 2 2401

“Put the magic in your lighting” 

This is without any doubt one of my most popular and most intense workshops…
The ultimate workshop weekend in our studio in Emmeloord
(the Netherlands)
Language for this workshop will be ENGLISH

 

Join us in our studio in Emmeloord for a very intense workshop weekend in which you will get all the answers you always wanted about model photography, business, retouching, workflow etc. In 2 full days (and evening) we go through every part of a successful photoshoot.
Styling will be in cooperation with Nadine Stephan and Sinister.

 

This whole weekend is 100% flexible in topics, styling, storytelling etc.
Each day we start with a Q&A which will be the base on which I build the rest of the day. This means that every attendee will learn exactly what he/she wants and there will be no questions left unanswered. This is a unique style of teaching that has proven to be incredibly successful for the attendees and a challenge for me as an instructor 😀

 

Day 1:
Full studio day from 10:00-21:00

Topics will cover at least :
Metering, workflow, color management, coaching the model, building a complete set and styling it, vintage portraiture, glamour photography, high-end fashion, styling ideas, working with clients, adding movement, using smoke, adding gels, going from ok to WOW and much much more.

 

Evening 1:
A nice diner and chats about everything (and photography)
Hang with our team during a nice diner and after this we continue in the studio with a retouching workshop.

 

Day 2:
The location day from 10:00-17:00
Working on location has a whole different range of challenges and we will discuss them during this day.
We start again with a Q&A after which we use different locations near our studio ranging from edgy to nature. We will be using flash, natural light, reflectors etc. In the studio we will mimic locations with constant lighting and alternative light sources will be used and discussed. 

 

Day 2 afternoon:
Retouching part
Learn how to control your workflow, retouch techniques for Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, DxO and the use of plugins.
Business tips

 

 

 

Register now for just 699.00 (euro)

This includes the diner, lunches etc.
No hotel and flights are covered, but we will offer a good location close to our studio and transport to and from the hotel to our studio.
Group size is very limited and the language of the workshop will be English.

This is the most complete workshop you will find anywhere.

 




Some samples from previous workshops, this is the kind of material you will be shooting too…..

Manon 46 - November 22 2014_DxO editSharon Jan 24 2015 27584Anna Matthea February 14 2015 0452Chantal November 21 2014 0168Manon 101 - November 22 2014_DxO-retouchManon 119 - November 22 2014-EditManon 134 - November 22 2014_DxO retouchSharon Mei 31 2014 (83 of 101)-EditLenaa Januari 25 2014 B (4 of 4)

How to shoot a model that’s lying down

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This must be one of the most asked questions during workshops and especially the glamour workshops.
“How to shoot a model that’s lying down on the floor?”

 

Now at first this might seem simple.
Just lay her on the floor (watch out where you walk) and shoot her.
But in reality it’s often not that easy, for example what to do with the light, what to do with the background, what to do with her legs, pose, eyes etc. there are actually many things that can go wrong (including tripping over her).

 

In this shot we used a speed light to light the model from above.
As a modifier I used the Rogue grid which is awesome to really pin point the light to our model Ingrid.
One of the things I love to do with these kind of shots is make the light fall off, this also immediately takes care of the background which in most cases in studio work is not that interesting. Make sure the background is dark (no shiny objects like stands in the back) and just change the grid (or the distance of the strobe) so that the light fall off is nice and covers her face and just a bit of her lower legs in the pose you like.

 

Remember that you narrow the beam of your light with :
The distance of the strobe relative to the model (further away will make the beam wider)
The thickness of the grid (the thicker the grid the narrower the beam)

 

Now the light fall off you can determine two ways.
1. the hard way and long way.
Just shoot, and look, change, shoot, and look, change etc.

 

2. the easy way and looks pretty darn professional (meaning it looks like you actually know what you’re doing).
Use a a light meter and make sure the difference in light between the face and the part you still want SOME details in is app 4 stops apart, meaning if the face meters f11 the fall off should meter app f2.8. However in most cases we shoot this kind of stuff on f2.8 to get a really nice shallow depth of field (later more on this) so to make metering a bit more easy you can cheat a bit by setting your light meter to meter on ISO1600 while you shoot on ISO100 this way the meter will not show you the dreaded EU reading (Extreme Underexposed… yeah I know it means something different).

 

So as soon as we have the light fall off correct it’s important to talk about lenses.
We want a shallow depth of field so this often means we are shooting this kind of shots with a LONG lens, anything about 100mm works fine, but a 200mm will give you a really narrow depth of field but makes focussing very tricky.
As soon as we have the lens sorted, it’s now about angle.
So where do we sit, stand or ……
In my opinion the best angle depends on the model, the pose and personal taste, but I love to shoot from an angle where I actually sit on the floor or on the lowest possible position of my studio stool (which is pretty low). But this REALLY depends on your taste and the pose you choose.

 

So now it’s about pose.
In my case I always like to see the legs a bit more up, model is lying on her back looking towards the light slightly (to get a nice nose shadow) or totally away from it (more mysterious) and I most of the time will start with one leg at a 45 degree angle and one just playing around it, not on the floor, not at 45 degree but just “puzzle” a bit, this is very personal and often the most difficult part. One final tip on this is to count down and make the model put tension on her body on the moment you click.

 

What about the eyes?
Good question…
In some cases it can be downright CREEPY if she keeps her eyes open, so in that case close them… yep it’s as easy as that, it’s not rocket science. If you want a bit more “sexy” close the eyes and let her hands just slightly move around her neck area but beware that you don’t go to far with this because a nice and relative sexy shot can VERY quickly become a very erotic shot which might not be what you’re after. Also make sure you focus on the CLOSEST eye.

 

So the next time you shoot a model lying on the floor I hope these tips help out.
Make sure to show your results at our facebook group with the name “Mastering the model shoot” and check out my book with the same name for much more information on photographing model, or get one of our instructional videos from the site.

 

Ingrid January 7 2016 0021 BW

Ingrid January 7 2016 0059