Tag Archive for: light

Finding angles… maximizing the scene

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During workshops I always teach the attendees to maximize the scene by using different angles.
In this example, which was shot during the workshop in Castle Dussen, I walked around the model to get different angles from the set, different lighting effects, and even used the lens flare from the sun coming through the window to create totally different looks from the same set within seconds.

 

It’s a very simple technique that can really benefit you in situations where you are pressed for time and need to deliver a lot of different looks to your clients. But of course you should not only do it in those situations but always try to maximize your scene, and seeing the fact that’s it’s very easy to do…… don’t forget to do it 😀

 

By moving around you are not only creating different lighting effects (I always call this contrast control) but you are also showing different angles from your set/location, so do be careful that what you include in the shot should be there, if you see some cables it’s better to remove them before you take the shot than later in Photoshop.

 

Here are my samples.
Model : Nadine
MUA : Christa

 

 

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Between two walls and different lights

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In these shots you can see our model Anna Matthea between two walls……. you say what?

 

In our studio we use different kind of backgrounds, mostly the studio walls are painted in special structures and colors to function as backgrounds, but we also have several “movable” walls. In this shot we used two of these walls in a very steep angle and let Anna Matthea pose between them.

 

Lighting setup was very simple…. just a single 100W lightbulb, nothing more.

Anna Matthea February 14 2015 0366

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Using some simple props to make it work

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Sometimes the most simple solutions can be actually the best, well at least make a shoot a lot more interesting. During the workshop with Anna Matthea we were working with this snakeskin background and I wanted to make it a bit more interesting. Because we are building some sets we had these baseboards laying around so I thought it would be nice to use them as leading lines in this shot.

 

The connection to the background was very simple, use some ductape (I still agree that if all ductape in the world would disappear the world would collapse).

Anna Matthea February 14 2015 0810

I used one gridded strobe on the model from the left (image left) and one red gelled strobe from the right (image right), by including the strobe in the image I got a little bit of lens flare which I loved. Because I balanced my color (manually) around a middle point between red and neutral I got this beautiful blue hue in the skin of the model.

 

To make the shot more interesting I choose a lower angle to shoot from and let the model move her hair around to create some extra “slam” to the image.
As one of the students found out, it indeed looks a bit like an 80’s rock album cover.
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The bigger fight

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TIP:
yesterday I heard a very good motto:
“It’s not how big the man is in a fight, it’s how big the fight is inside the man”

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This is without a doubt a motto for almost everything but especially photography, often I hear people say “I can never do that”, or “I don’t have the gear for that”, but most of all “You shoot everything correct, I don’t”

 
Well let me first make a confession…. I shoot just as much junk as all of you, only I probably don’t show it, for me photography is a matter of going on till I get the shot.

 
Yesterday we did a session in Emmeloord I call “Fashion in Emmeloord” well ok not very creative, the model was surprised we were done in 10 minutes per locations, I told her very simply that if I get the shot I’m after I will continue for a few frames and then try a different angle or composition and continue to the next, there is no need to push through. I will use a maximum of 1-2 shots per location for my own portfolio so why shoot 10 killer shots while I can switch location.

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