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Transform your photo shoots: using the SmokeNINJA to add smoke bubbles to model photography

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I love testing new gear, and especially smoke machines!

But most of all, I love testing gear that triggers creativity.
During a recent event, I saw a new portable smoke machine called the SmokeNINJA that did all the tricks like haze, smoke, dry ice, etc.  And this one also did something I did not see yet…. smoke bubbles. So let me tell you how to transform your photoshoots by using the smokeNINJA to add bubbles.

I immediately saw an image with a model turning around, hitting the smoke bubbles, and seeing them hit the model.
Now this is, of course, easy in my mind (or AI). But doing it in real life is a totally different story, as you can imagine.But as Pippi Longstocking never said “I never did it, so I think I can”, we started to work during a recent workshop.

Model photography, adding smoke

The first problem we ran into was that we only had one machine. And for the ideas I had, I quickly found out that one would probably be a little bit underpowered. But as long as you use the same angle and lighting, you can always combine different images in Photoshop. Especially with smoke, this is pretty easy to do.

Now I did set myself one very important limit.
I did not want to add anything with AI that had to do with the smoke. All of the effects had to be done with the SmokeNINJA.
In some images, we used a larger smoke machine for some haze. The haze helps to spread out the lights in the back, which I use to backlight the smoke.
The haze could also be done with the SmokeNINJA before you switch to the bubbles; the larger machine was just faster in this setting.

For our American friends, use this link to buy the SmokeNINJA from B&H

Timing is everything, a challenge

To make this work, there are a few things that are important.
Of course, the flash duration to make sure you freeze the motion (or add a slight feel of motion).
But when working with smoke and bubbles and a turning model, timing is insanely difficult.
Not just for me, but also for Annewiek and Nina, who operated the smoke machines.
Because the model turns, there is motion in the air that interacts with the bubbles and the smoke. This makes timing for the right amount of bubbles vs exploding bubbles at the right moment in the turn,… let me put it lightly, “A challenge”.
This is why we decided to focus on the bubbles exploding on her dress and body when Lorena was turning around. And shoot some of the bubbles during a slower motion, and combine these photos.

To my surprise, the machine was able to deliver a lot of bubbles on the medium setting. And this meant that I used 1 extra photo to fill in everything that I missed in the photo with the motion. So if you think that this is a great effect, you can do it with one machine and one or maybe two extra shots.

The results

During the workshops, I’m always limited in time. But the bubbles stayed in the air for a nice long period, making it easier to shoot than I thought.
This image was edited from one shot. I did use BorixFx for a film look and to smooth the lens flares. But all the smoke effects are one shot and the smokeNINJA. And this is the fun part, you can get a lot of different effects from the bubbles by adding just a little bit of motion.

But of course, we want more.
So let’s try a close-up.

Timing for this one was a lot harder, but I think this one was close enough.

Transform your photo shoots: using the SmokeNINJA to add smoke bubbles to model photography

Backlights and motion

One of my favorite setups is working with strong backlights.
Especially when you work with smoke and objects that are reflective, you can get some great results.
And with the SmokeNINJA we are of course combining both, so I had to try some images with a strong backlight.
Before I did the close-up up I tried a few images, a bit more zoomed out, and this was also great to create some haze.


I think this might be one of my favorite images from this set.

smoke bubbles

One of the big advantages of shooting tethered in the studio is that you can check your images on a large screen.
If you have never shot tethered, a quick explanation.

Shooting tethered

Especially when working with smoke effects and motion, it’s vital that you can check your image on a larger screen than your camera.
Most modern cameras support a tethering option via the USB port or WiFi.
Personally, I prefer the wired solution because you never run into wifi connection problems. You can transfer the full RAW files, charge your camera, use live view, etc.

If you want to test out tethering, you can use the cable that was delivered with your camera.
The moment you want to use longer cables or/and better quality, make sure to buy dedicated tether cables.
In my work, I’m using the IQwire 10G Formula cables, which are available in 5-10-15 meters.
We are the distributor for IQwire in the Benelux so feel free to reach out with any questions about tethering.

Cascable Studio 7

To make the connection, you also need software.
For some cameras, you can find tethering software delivered with your camera, or you can use a third-party solution.
On the software side  I’m using a mix of Adobe Lightroom and Cascable.
For dedicated tethering, I love Cascable because it runs on my iPad and shows me the full raw files on the iPad and a connected studio screen.
This makes the whole setup very portable and gives me the same workflow in the studio and on location.
In the latest updates of Cascable the workflow to interact with Lightroom has become much faster and easier. Which speeds up my workflow, and that is always a good thing. Cascable now also runs on the desktop, which also makes my workflow with Lightroom almost seamless.

Details

When you see an image larger, some details jump out more. And in this case, it was a bit hidden in the shadow, but when bumping up the shadows, it was clearly visible. It almost looked like a planet in the universe, lit by the sun and and that’s where the idea started to develop. Queen of the universe.

What if we added some extra lighting effects and some motion? Or a lower angle and create a sort of superhero shot?
For the final result, I’m using Boris FX for the star effect.
All the smoke effects and bubbles were taken from 2 images: the main image and one image for some extra bubbles.
I just love the patterns they create and how they seem to explode on the dress and body. I felt the urge to just keep shooting and experimenting, but I also had to give the attendees a chance :D.

smoke bubbles

Add some color

Color evokes emotion, so what would be cooler than adding some color to the back of our model?
We started with the red gel from the bottom up, but this didn’t give us the results we wanted.
Because the haze was getting thicker, I opted for a higher position, and instead of going for a spot effect, I’m using the thicker haze to spread out the red color and focus more on the smoke bubbles and patterns in the smoke.
The effect, even without Photoshop was already very surreal.

Transform your photo shoots: using the SmokeNINJA to add smoke bubbles to model photography

Conclusion

As a musician, I love getting new gear.
Sometimes it’s just great, and that’s it, you use it as a new tool. And don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that.
But sometimes you get something that isn’t just a tool, but it triggers your creativity. Before you know it, hours fly by, and you continue to find new uses for it.

For me, the SmokeNINJA triggers this feeling.
This was the first time I worked with Lorena, and during a workshop, there is always a time limit. But even taking that into account, we got so many different looks from the SmokeNINJA, you might not even realize that this was only one of 4 sets during this workshop. The SmokeNINJA made it super easy to create cool effects with different kinds of size smoke bubbles. And that, with just a slight adjustment to the light and angle, created totally different images.

Can’t wait to try the SmokeNINJAa for a longer period and see what it can do during different setups.

 

The video’s about “How did I shoot this one?” will soon be on our YouTube channel, subscribe here 

 

The light shaper that surprised me

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Sometimes you don’t see it right away

Today a video with two different light sources for a Rembrandt like lighting setup,

When I normally setup a Rembrandt lighting setup I’m using a softbox with a grid from slightly behind the model aimed forward, and an accent on the opposite side for a nice accent on the jawline and hair. This works great, but on the background I never got the control I wanted. I tried a larger softbox and that worked like a charm but it was not the effect I wanted. When using the light very close to the model, to get a rapid nightfall off, when walking around your model a normal softbox will give you a part of your background that is dark or is fading into dark.

The lantern

When I first saw the lantern from Geekoto I thought it would be great for newborn photography, products and if you needed to light a whole room.
The translucent material on the side makes it the perfect softbox for those situations.

Until I started to think about the Rembrandt lighting I’m using.
The lantern has a translucent side so this one I can place really close to the model for a super soft light and rapid light fall off, but still have light hitting my background. And you can of course even feather the softbox for 100% control.

In the video I show you the 2 different results from the “same” idea lighting wise.

 

Product photography with a glamorous edge

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Product photography doesn’t have to be boring

One of the first things I often hear when talking about product photography is that it’s boring.
And although I agree to some point, there is so much more that can be done with some creativity. So this blog is about product photography with a glamorous edge.

As an all-around studio, we shoot almost everything from weddings, products, pets, families, etc.
And I have to be honest there is one kind of product photography I also don’t really find challenging or gives me the right satisfaction.

White seamless, or black background for your product photography

Sometimes you just have to. Simply put, because those images are essential.
A client wants to be able to see the product from every side. And in my opinion, this is a very important series.

A few things I always teach people that are essential for every photoshoot, but especially for products.

why and how to use a lightmeterclick here for the video

Other essential gear, also in all your photography 

Light meter 


The first thing I have to explain is why the light meter is so incredibly important.
When we look at how colors work in the digital domain, it’s vital to understand that within the colorspace, each color has its own coordinates.
These are often referred to as x,y, and Y.
Hue, Saturation, and Luminance.
Now it’s important to understand that a color can have many luminances, saturations, and hues.
So it’s too easy to just say we need Y to be….

For the Luminance part, the use of a light meter is essential. You cannot do this any other way, that’s just as fast and accurate.

ColorChecker


The next step, without any doubt, is the ColorChecker.
I’ve been using the Calibrite (X-rite) system for years. And it works for both photography and video like a charm.
Make sure you first meter the light and then shoot the colorchecker as flat as possible. Also, make sure if you use accent lights, etc. they are all off. Just shoot the Colorchecker with the main light.

After this, it’s very easy to create the perfect white balance and profile for your camera/lens/setup.
For color-critical work, it’s vital to shoot the colorchecker (and re-meter) EVERYTIME you change something in the set. Also, when you change backdrops, props, etc. They all can influence the color.

Shoot tethered

I can’t repeat this enough. I’m a big advocate of shooting tethered.
In short, what is tethering? In essence, it just means you connect your camera to a display. So, the images come in right away while you shoot them. This way you can check them close-up.
I cannot stress enough how much this helps in your workflow and accuracy.

Personally, I love shooting into an iPad (now also on the desktop) app called Cascable. I can HIGHLY recommend everyone checking it out. It’s my go-to solution.
Of course, you also need something to connect your camera; you can choose wireless, but this is often way too slow for RAW and also not always as stable as needed.
I’ve been using IQwire for quite some time now. We just released our brand new Formula 10G red solution, which is insanely cool and fast. Of course,  still available in 5-10-15 meters. Where, for me personally, the 10 mtr version is the sweetspot.

“BS, I do it all without, you’re old-fashioned!”

You don’t want to know how often I hear this.
Also, you don’t want to know how many professionals mail me when they run into problems with clients because they can’t get the colors exactly right.
Using a light meter and ColorChecker is vital for correct colors. This has zero to do with old-fashioned or whatever; it’s the same as using a level or ruler when building a table/house.

“Can’t I use the histogram?”

Sorry, no, you cannot, and you should NEVER trust your histogram.
Think about it. When you look at the histogram, what does it tell you exactly?

Exactly, just the distribution of the tones in the image.
In other words, a black dog in a dark room will render a line all the way on the left side of the histogram. And maybe some spots somewhere at the right (for the eyes).
While a snowman in a snowstorm most probably just give you a spike on the right side of the histogram.
All very nice and 100% correct, but…. it doesn’t tell you if the color red is accurate.
So NEVER use the histogram. And realize it doesn’t give you any information about the RAW file.

 

In fact, a small tip, in between.
Go into your camera settings and find picture styles, now change the contrast to the lowest setting and brightness all the way up.
Although you’re shooting RAW (who doesn’t :D). It will give you a much better representation of the dynamic range of the RAW. Instead of showing the blinking skies as soon as there is a little bit of dynamic range in a scene.

What does happen?

Let’s say you have been working for years with the histogram and don’t use a light meter or ColorChecker. The problem is easy to explain.
A few years ago Annewiek bought a sweater and scarf from the same website.
They looked great together. But when the package arrived, it went back straight away. The sweater was a totally different color red and the scarf was more purple than red.
Checking with the site, they fitted together great, in real life? A disaster.
As a photographer, you might never hear this from your customer (if the company is large enough). But you are liable for a lot of waste in shipping and destroying capital/goods.
So, if you’re serious about photography? Don’t feel bad about using a light meter and a ColorChecker; they really speed up your workflow and make customers trust your work.

That being said

Let’s get to the fun part.
When shooting the real product shoot, I’m following all the rules.
But….
When it comes to the next part, it becomes more fun. Here comes the part about product photography with a glamorous edge.

Feeling/mood/fun… or I WANT THAT NOW!

When I know I want a product, I’m searching for it. And, mostly look at the white/black background images. To make sure it has all the details I need, looks nice, etc.
But when I’m just surfing the web, I would probably never find that product when it’s just white/black backgrounds.
So we need something else.

I always call these “the character shots.”
The reason is pretty simple: with this part of the product shoot, we are going to have fun.
And believe it or not, this is the most difficult part.
Products can’t be coached, take different poses, smile, etc… or can they?

Jay Maisel

When I first met Jay Maisel, one of the things that always stuck with me was his hammering on “gesture”.
It took me a while to figure this out. But in essence (what I think he meant) is very basic.
Find the angle/mood/zoom/lighting that gives something a character.

I’ve been using this as a challenge for guidance programs.
Shoot the same building or area for a full week, but… and that’s the hard part, EVERY image should show me a different character.
Without giving away too much… you can think about angles, backlighting, at night/during day, during the rain etc….

And this is exactly what we are going to do with our products today.

Digital Classroom: product photography with a glamorous edge

Normally, during the Digital Classroom, it’s all about model photography, retouching, etc.
But sometimes we have special episodes on street photography, workflow, and product photography.
This time we talk about products, in case you have not yet guessed it. At the end of the blog post, I’ll post the whole episode, but let’s go through it very quickly.

First setup, a guitar

In this episode, I started with a guitar I designed a few years ago. I absolutely love the results.
The problem is that the coating is very shiny. So, perfect to explain the angle of incidence is the angle of reflection.
But as mentioned before, when we are shooting products in a more fun way, we need to do something extra.

I started in the episode with a white background.
But by adding the red cloth, it already became much more interesting.
Shot with a Geekoto GT400 and the Geekoto Lantern.

Product photography with a glamorous edge

For me personally, this is still part of the product photography, but just adding some flair and context.
By using a wider aperture, I have already started to play with the Depth of Field, enhanced by the angles.
This is a great way to show the whole product or part, but still guide the viewer towards the area you want.

But let’s up the ante 😀 and let’s show product photography with a glamorous edge…

In the next shot, I’m not paying attention to color accuracy anymore. It’s all about feel and style.
In this case, always keep in mind that I’m shooting this during a live stream without any preparations.  I always just go with the flow.

A glamorous edge

For the next shot, I’m using a vintage amp as a prop to lean the guitar against.
I’ve chosen this amp because it’s not immediately recognizable as a Fender, Marshall, Carvin, etc.
The reason is that some people will immediately make connections between brands. And that can actually hurt the sales.
A metal head will probably be triggered by a Marshall logo. While a Jazz player will probably be more excited by a Fender amp. And of course, everything in between and opposite (guitar players are flexible with gear).

Of course, we needed some accents and smoke.
I’m using a mix of a larger smoke machine for the haze in the back and a smaller device for the “cold ice” effect on the bottom.

Geekoto GT200/250 as strobes
The Rogue Frank Doorhof Flashbender in striplight configuration as the main light
And the Rogue Magnetic system for the colors and grids

product photography with a glamorous edge

Isn’t this glamorous? With the smoke and red and blue lights?

In essence, everything is visible. Also, the guitar, even the fact it’s headless. But the color has changed in this shot.
This is the kind of shot that WILL trigger me when browsing, and probably I will most likely click on this one. Instead of a standard shot. Even if it’s just to check what this is. It triggers something. And don’t get me wrong.

This is the kind of shot you really HAVE to discuss with your client.
It can very easily be totally wrong for what the client wants. But in my experience, as soon as you start to “freak out” in the studio with sets and styling the client will start to interact and give you valuable advice to get the results you both love. Nobody knows the product and target group better than the client. But don’t be afraid to also steer your client into areas you know will work. It’s always a cooperation.

For the next product, we chose the….

Carvin Legacy Drive

As a huge Steve Vai fan, I had to get this one. It’s an awesome tube-driven pre-amp that will get you very close to that “sweet”/”soft” Vai solo tone but, also the gritty rhythm.
For this shot, I wanted to have some flares on the products. Show off the dials and keep the color close to the original.
In the video, you can see we are using some materials to actually lift up the pedal so it’s easier to fit into the set.

My K&F concept black mist filter works like a charm for shots like this.

The setup is actually not that different. We just moved the main light closer to the product.
And to make it even easier to move around, I place the Geekoto mainlight with the FlashBender on a Platypod to be able to place the FlashBender everywhere I want.
In the video, you will see me angle the FlashBender to combine the feathering effect and direct light to get the right mix on the pedal and the background.
After that, it was smoke and shoot till you get it.
And don’t feel bad about combining 1-2 shots into one killer final result.
In this case, I did not need it, but for the final setup, I did combine two images in one shot 😀

Product photography with a glamorous edge Product photography with a glamorous edge

And then the final product shot. For this one, we did something different. But with the same lighting setup. Although now I changed the FlashBender for the collapsable snoot from Rogue

Positive Grid Spark Mini VAI

Yep, there is that name again, Steve Vai. To keep it in the theme, I brought another product to the studio for our product photography with a glamorous edge.
Positive Grid has been making great software and so-called modeling amps (emulations) for years.
In fact, I use some of their software on my iPad and desktop.

The Spark series is very popular for travellers or just playing on the coach. It’s very flexible, can function as a recording tool, and has …. well it has a lot, too much to mention here.
And because it emulates to many different amps and pedals, I thought it would be fun to use a mirror, very glamorous right?
Seeing it’s not the original gear, but an image of that gear.

Of course, we wanted something nice, and a while ago we got this smaller mirror with a huge silver side.
I have not yet found a place for it in a shoot, but this was perfect.
So we placed the Spark on the mirror.  I’m using the same gels on the silver and trying to get just enough in the mirror. The snoot just focuses on the Spark.
The nice thing about the Rogue Snoot is that you can use it in 3 different positions. You can use it without the diffusion panel, which gives a rectangular look on a speedlight-based strobe, and a nice round effect with a hot center on a round flash tube. Or a perfect round with the panel. It’s insanely flexible and should be in anyone’s backpack or studio setup when you need focused light.

So let’s take a look at the final setup.

product photography with a glamorous edge Product photography with a glamorous edge

 

Some images I shot from a slightly higher angle to also, show some of the buttons, and some are slightly lower.
In these kinds of shots, you don’t have to show all the details, remember these are the “WTF is that, let’s click” images.

Conclusion: product photography with a glamorous edge

Great that you made it to the end. I was planning on making several posts about this, but decided to just do it in one.
I hope you guys also enjoy something else from us. Feel free to share the video, like, comment, and of course, subscribe.

We update this blog several times a week. So, keep checking back!. There is always new material, or older material you have not yet read, or forgot.
In other words, just visit 😀

And as promised, the full video.

 

Backdrops are vital

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Just some images

This is how I started this blogpost, just a post with no tips, no techniques just sharing some images.
But somehow that doesn’t work with me, so here is another tip.
Today it’s all about backdrops.

Backdrops are vital

I quickly started with custom paint on our walls in our first studio. I never understood why someone would waste so much space in a studio by keeping the walls all white. First of all it reflects and it just isn’t inspiring (well at least not for me), having walls with details, structure etc. gives you ideas and it just works much better as a backdrop.
Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love(d) seamless paper, and still sometimes use it, but having a “real” backdrop to work with often complements the shoot a lot more than paper.
Besides custom paints we also still use moveable walls in our studio with all kinds of wallpaper, always loads of fun to use and build small sets with.

Now with Ai a lot of people ask me why I not just add a backdrop in Photoshop…
Well it’s actually very simple.
First of all it’s a lot more work, selecting has become super simple and almost perfect but it’s still not as real as a shot you did not cut out.
Also the whole interaction with light, lens flares, edge transfer, focus/circle of confusion etc. are very hard to emulate in Photoshop if even possible. On a set with a proper background it’s a matter of pressing the shutter and you’re done. If you shoot your images with flat lighting it’s actually pretty easy to do, but when you start adding contrast lighting, flares and color gels it becomes harder and harder without it looking fake, or taking hours…so I just prefer my own moto “Why fake it when you can create it?” 😀

When we started with the distribution for ClickBackdrops I totally fell in love with their “old masters” backgrounds, very classical backdrops with great gradients. But also the more extreme backdrops are awesome for shoots. And the nice thing about ClickBackdrops is that the backdrops are designed by photographers for photographers (I also have a signature lineup with them).

But one of the backdrops I HIGHLY recommend getting is the “Soft Gray master with floor” which you can see in the images today.
This is a wonderful medium dark gray backdrop with a beautiful pattern the included floor makes it great for location but also for fashion shoots and the gray color makes it very suitable to not only play with color gels but also with tinting in Lightroom or Photoshop.

So today some images from our model Claudia on and against the backdrop.
As you probably know I love to add some motion to my shots so when Claudia showed me the outfit I just knew we had to add some extra oomph to the shots but keep the lighting relatively simple.

Also want to visit a workshop and learn all about lighting, styling, set building on a budget, coaching the model and a lot more?
Visit fotografie-workshops.nl for the Dutch workshops.
If you don’t understand Dutch, don’t worry… if you let us know a few weeks in advance we can switch the workshops to English.
Or, of course book a 1:1 workshop in our studio or even online.