Tag Archive for: lighting tips

A horror clown in our studio (in color)

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Storytelling with a horror clown (in color)

For me, storytelling is always a vital part of my photography.
Even when I photograph a CEO or artist I always try to dive into the person/product/company to get something that really fits their company/person perfectly.

And sometimes you just go all out.

The fun with workshops

Teaching workshops is one of the things I love the most. Working with a group towards a result and in between explaining all the techniques, and ideas, work with styling, poses, and of course props. The images you are going to see today might not be something you shoot every day, but… and that’s the thing a lot of people miss.

If you can walk 10 km with ease, it’s no problem to walk 2-3 km.
This might sound a bit weird, but this works for many things.
If you can shoot super creative situations, and know how to handle your lighting, poses, and how to coach your model to do the most bizarre, weird, or awesome stuff it becomes MUCH easier to coach a CEO or to shoot a super creative image for a product.

Storytelling

In today’s blog post the results from one set with our model Felisa.
And although you don’t recognize her, the choice of model is vital for these kinds of shots.
One might say, she is just wearing a clown suit and props, so what’s difficult?

When you take away the expression in the face, it’s all about body language, and believe it or not this can be incredibly difficult for a model, and photographer to pull off.

I think she did great.

So let’s take a look at some images first, and then I explain a bit more.

storytelling

let you model try to grab the camera and it looks really scary

storytelling

The idea of this shoot with the horror clown (in color)

I don’t really like to repeat myself, but sometimes ideas are just so much fun and open for changes that you can repeat them with a fresh outcome.
Many years ago I was invited to introduce a new Phase One 101MP camera in a studio in New York.

Let me first say I love New York so the prospect of shooting in a studio there is always exciting.
The problem was that I “had” to use a gray seamless background for some images and that day I didn’t feel like using that so I decided to just place the model behind it, cut a hole, and let the model just stick her head through and later hold the camera. Great shots and loads of fun.

A few years later I did a similar thing during a trade show in the UK. Both were more fashion and fun-related.
For this workshop, we wanted to do something completely different, and as a horror fan, the idea quickly popped into my head that it would be awesome to shoot it with a killer clown.

Getting props to tell the story

I already did something with a big knife in the past so this time we wanted to do something a bit more “big”.
A hammer is fun, but what about a chainsaw, with a little bit of a hint to my all-time favorite actor and character Bruce Campbell/Ash.

Of course, we needed some backlighting and smoke.
So I used a Geekoto GT400 in the back with a large reflector and red gel.
The reason I’m using a large reflector is because I needed a lot of light due to the seamless paper. If you would use a gelled softbox it would not emit enough light to pull this off.

In the front we experimented with a softbox and a striplight with a grid, you can probably spot which is which 😀

So let’s take a look at the rest of the images.

If you also want to visit one of my workshops and learn all about light and storytelling? Check www.frankdoorhof.com or www.photography-workshops.eu
We will be in The Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK this year for events and workshops.

storytelling another angle storytelling with a horror clown (in color)

 

Read the blog about the Outside Fashion Shot for Sunglasses with model and stylist Nadine

This blog is about Working creatively with seamless paper 

This is the blog about a recent workshop: storytelling to set the mood 

 

Using two or three umbrellas for a perfect white background a video tutorial

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The white background

Is often one of those backgrounds we all use once in a while, and some have even build a complete career around it.
When I started out with my learning process I was lucky enough to find out about Dean Collins so I started using a lightmeter almost immediately which makes setting up a white background (and everything else) a lot easier and faster. But still I ran into a lot of problems.

Over the years I’ve tried different ways to shoot this setup.
At one point I was using two strobes on the background, two strip lights as accents and one main light.
The problem always was the floor. The accent lights would give double shadows, this by the way was solved by angling the strip lights slightly up and using grids, but that didn’t solve my other problem, the floor itself.

The miracle of plexiglas

When using the standard setup the main issue was always the floor.
The background would be nice and white, the model was perfectly lit, the accents were nice, but the floor….
You can do it in Photoshop but then you have to edit every single shot, plus it looks the model is floating, so I added some shadows.. and realised it must be possible to do it faster and easier.

Enter, Plexiglas.
By placing transparant plexiglas on the floor you can redirect the light and create a perfect white background which seamlessly blends in with the background, it’s a simple trick of reflections. And the cool thing… you can also use transparant plexiglas on other colors, it’s always giving an awesome reflection.

I’ve talked about this extensively in this blogpost, but today I also show you in the video how I use three and even two umbrellas to create the perfect white background for a full body model including accents… yeah it’s really possible and super easy (and cheap).

Gear used :
3x Geekoto GT400
1x Rogue travel kit with the black umbrella and sleeve (main light) and the white umbrella.
1x Rogue white umbrella.

The nice thing about the Rogue umbrellas is that they are made of Fibreglass which makes them very durable and super easy/light to setup.

In this video I show you how the setup works.

 

 

The way we tell stories and how to light them to get the right mood

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Storytelling with photography

 

It’s no secret I love guitars. I don’t label myself as a real collector but I do add guitars to my collection when I find something that’s unique or a good investment :D. And of course, I like to take pictures of my guitars. This blog is about storytelling with photography.

Vintage and stories

As a photographer, I love to tell stories.
And as a musician, I love vintage gear. I think the main reason I love vintage gear so much is the story behind it. A well-played guitar with some damage through an old tube amp… I don’t know… you just play differently.

I saw the brand Vintage a few years ago and really liked what they were doing, but never added one of their instruments to my collection. However, when they started to work with Joe Doe it became interesting.

Limited editions for the masses

Joe Doe builds guitars in a very limited quantity. And where other luthiers might build a copy of a Strat or Les Paul. He builds guitars that already have a backstory (made up). And that….. combined with great playing and sounding instruments is a very nice combination.

While looking at Marktplaats/Ebay I found a “lucky buck” in like new condition so I decided that would be my first Vintage guitar. (the brand is Vintage).

Now this is not a review of the guitar, but it’s a whole experience.
You get the guitar with the backstory, but also in this case a hard case with loads of “case candy” which all connects to the “made up” story. I can’t express how much fun this is and immediately connects you to the instrument 😀

The backstory

For the Lucky Buck, this is what I got from their Facebook page.
“Leslie ‘Lucky Buck’ Coal topped the Billboard Country Music charts in 1952 with his heartbreak-inspired single, “Whiskey for Breakfast”. Flushed with sudden success, Coal signed numerous endorsement deals, the most lucrative of which was a contract to become a regular fixture on the WHB national radio show Giddy Up Y’all!.”

And of course, when you buy a guitar you have to use it in a shoot right?
Yes of course 😀

My story of storytelling with photography

Now there are always different sides to a story.
For this workshop I thought it would be a great exercise for myself and the attendees to use one prop, one model, one theme but tell two totally different stories, and how lighting and styling can completely change the narrative.

For me, the story goes as follows (following the original).
Leslie topped the billboard chart and had it all, but…. lost it all and was forced to play in small bars. Almost like living rooms, holding her head down so she could imagine still being on the big stages playing the guitar they made for her when everything was going great.

Years later a rapper finds the music, uses her hooks, and immediately propels Leslie back into the spotlights and the huge stages. So she needed photos for magazines. And this is of course a totally different Leslie. Heads up and fun Leslie, she made it “again”….

The setups

For the first setup, I wanted to create a very small stage idea.
One artist with a guitar and mic.

We used our brick wall from ClickBackdrops as background, and a wood floor to mimic an old western bar feel.
I’m using the small Geekoto 26″ softbox with a grid as my main light (one of my favorite light shapers) on the model (Felisa) and making sure the face is covered in shadow.
For some extra mood, we added a standing lamp with continuous lighting.
But that would make a very dark image.
So I added one Geekoto GT250 with our magnetic rogue grid to add some glare on the guitar en mic and just enough to give a slight outline to the face.

With that setup, a lot of areas were just a bit too dark/ So it was time for the final ingredient, a little bit of smoke.
Smoke doesn’t just add to the “smokey” atmosphere fitting the scene. But smoke is also a kind of “secret” weapon you can use as a diffuser and reflector. Add too much and it looks terrible. Add too little and it doesn’t look right. But add just enough and you get a sort of haze that’s great for light beams, glowing flares. But also to just light up areas where light doesn’t normally hit.

For the back, we are using larger smoke machines. But we recently started using smaller smoke machines for details and for smoke that actually sticks to the floor. The handheld smoke machines are great for location work but as you can see in the full-body shot. The attachment for making the smoke stick to the floor works like a charm. With the larger machines we can never get results like this. And the fun part is that they are very cheap and available in two sizes. I would highly recommend adding one of them to your kit bag, smoke really adds a lot.
This is the larger one, and the smaller one.

Setting this up is tricky

The main light has to be exactly right to light the model’s body and part of the guitar, but not the face. But also cover the front of the microphone and add a nice flare. This means you have to play a bit with the angle of the microphone, guitar, and position of the model. This does limit the poses the model can use, but in this case, we only need one or two shots.

The accent light is the hardest.
It looks maybe natural but every position and angle is experimented with and changed.
Angle the guitar slightly forward and there is no light hitting the frets and no glare on the maple neck. Angle it too much and the whole fretboard and headstock are white. But do it right and the light hits it beautifully.

Same with the microphone, it’s placed exactly in the light beam of the accent light. The sides of that light beam just barely light the face.
When it all comes together you get images like this…..

Story telling with photography

So now that we did the story of the bar it’s time for……

Better times

For me, David Lachapelle is a huge influence so for this shot I wanted to do something that has a “feel” of his work. Now we don’t have the budget or team he does, but I hope you get a little bit of that feel.

For the background, I’m using light blue with plexiglass on the floor for some soft reflections.
Because for this set I wanted something much more fun and focussing on the feeling of joy we used a small rocking horse and just let Felisa go wild.

The main light is a Geekoto GT400 with the 48″ softbox without a grid to get a nice and even light source.
You can also use an umbrella for this, as long as you have a broad light source in the front. Also, place it far enough from the model so you get a nice and even fall-off on the backdrop, we want the front slightly lighter than the back (due to the background light). And by placing the light far enough you use the inverse square law to get the fall off you like. Over time you will know exactly where to place it. But always experiment with what the light does, even if you find something you like right away.

Because just the main light looks really flat we want more depth in the image.
If you can’t use shadows to create depth you can use the opposite, highlights.
So for this setup I’m using two striplights with grids on the side.
If you aim them slightly up (or use grids) you prevent the annoying shadows that will run towards the camera and look unnatural.

For the background, I’m using a Geekoto GT250 with the Rogue magnetic grid.
If you like the center to be smaller (or if you have to place the light farther away) you can always stack our grids.

So let’s take a look at the more fun shots.

Story telling with photography Story telling with photography

Conclusion: Storytelling with photography

As photographers we are storytellers, we freeze unique moments in time that never come back.
BUT… as photographers, we can also create our own reality out of “nothing”. This will not only create fun photoshoots but also help you as a commercial photographer to be able to be creative on set when a client wants something more than just a headshot.

During the workshops, I love to challenge myself and the attendees. And by using a strong storytelling concept I always keep the workshops fresh and interesting. And I can add a lot of techniques to the educational part of the workshop.

So the next time you do a free work shoot, pick one prop and try to tell at least 2 totally different stories with it. Trust me, you will have fun, the models will too.

You can order the gear I use via our website frankdoorhof.com/shop
You also find my instructional videos there, including the brand new “Did you know… Adobe Lightroom“.

If you have any questions or suggestions let us know.

You can find Vintage guitars here.
(we are not affiliated with them and I bought the guitar myself).

Want to hear some of my music?
Check out Frank Doorhof on your favorite streaming service.

Use light in different ways for awesome portraits and more

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One of the things we probably all start with are books with lighting diagrams.
Now don’t get me wrong, they are awesome to get a general idea of the lighting setup.
However I strongly believe you should be able to “read the light” by just following the shadows, it’s often not really important to know which light sources are used, as long as you can recreate the look.

We can shoot images with a beauty dish that can very close to a small softbox for example, but when we start to use Fresnell’s you can very quickly see the difference between a reflector and the Fresnell, this is something that you will quickly pickup when you start to look at the shadows and the different way the shadows change.

But then it becomes really interesting when you add the angle into play.
Of course we all know that changing the angle from higher to lower can have a huge impact in your end result, but for me the real game changer was when I started to move around my model. Just a slight movement to left or right can make an image look totally different.

Let’s take a look at some of the images I took of Nadine during a recent workshop.

I’m using our Geekoto GT400 here with the Geekoto small softbox and grid
On the other side I’m using GT400 and the Nanlite striplight with grid.

One of the things I love about a striplight is that you can use it in a lot of different situations where you need to light a large area but don’t want any spill light.
In this case I’m using the striplight angled, this way I lights both my model and the background. By changing the angle of the striplight slightly I can balance the light on the background and the model. A very powerful technique.

By moving just a little but you can create some more powerful portraits.

But sometimes you need a little bit more intensity?
Make it black and white, add some grain and contrast….. “instant art” and yes this one was in focus 😀
(inside joke).

But let’s take one more step to the side and also include the striplight.
Now this one won’t be the shot you like or even want to try, but sometimes clients want something a bit different. And it’s just one step more to the side. Always try it.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
We really appreciate a share on social media.