Ultimate weekend Emmeloord Feb 26/27th

January 21, 2016/in blog, News etc/by Frank Doorhof

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.

“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.

working with smoke

January 19, 2016/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

One of the most interesting workshops is without a doubt “working with smoke”
It all might seem very simple, just pump some smoke and you’re done… but in reality it’s almost a science, I could literally write pages about it (I might do that one day).
In essence you have to remember that smoke acts like a diffuser and reflector at the same time, so backlighting smoke can be awesome and front lighting a disaster, however if you set up your lights perfectly before you add smoke it could very well be that all falls down when you add the smoke due to the fact that smoke also acts as a diffuser, so it could be way to bright OR way too dark….

Now if you’re smart (and I know you guys are) you can use smoke also to light up your model in areas where normally it would a bit too dark, for example put two strips behind the model and you will end up with a very dark front, however add a bit of smoke in the front and the light will bounce of the smoke and actually light the dress…… easy right? well not that easy but in essence it is, now you have to start to learn how to add the smoke.

With smoke we always work with 2 smoke machines if we can, just layering in the smoke using patterns that will fit the scene, and this has to be very fast because smoke will always move around, so often I’ll ask my assistants to first blow smoke in the front of the model (in these kind of shots) and then behind them and move up very fast. This way you can create some pretty interesting effects.
To show total control over your smoke you can even create two walls of smoke 😀
To light up the face of the model a bit more I used a small snoot with grid.

If you like these kind of tips make sure to check out my book “Mastering the model shoot” or get one of the instructional videos from this website.

Small spaces are limiting? … nah

January 7, 2016/in Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

One of the most heard excuses is “my space is too small for a good shot”.
Well you might not be able to shoot a model in front of a white seamless, or fit in a whole family, or make a model jump (although that could be funny… for the photographer, not the model,….. nah don’t do it), but in essence EVERY location has potential as long as you use it to the max.

In this case we used a small staircase that is located at the back end of our studio and leads up to the “stage”. Our building is actually and old “church” and this was where the preacher was standing, it’s a tight space but for me it’s always fun to shoot there.

As you can see in the following shots I used some smoke to give the scene a bit more of an edge, but I also used my lighting to the max by moving around my model. Now always remember that smoke acts as both a diffuser and reflector so the more smoke you get… well let me put it this way, it’s always different. Also remember that as soon as the smoke gets in between the model and the front light source “all bets are off” smoke will start to act as a reflector and it will be one big white out.

We used one Elinchrom beauty dish with grid from the front and one gridded (and later open) reflector from the back with a blue gel.
Styling and model : Nadine

For the next one I left in a bit more red.

But you don’t always have to use the same pose of course…..
Why not shoot one from the back for example.

And while you’re at it. Why not move around your model and get a completely different look?

As you can see with the same light setup and the same very tight space you can create something really cool… just think outside the box… or in these kind of cases probably inside the box 😀

Good luck.

New Ultimate weekend in Emmeloord February 26/27 2016

December 19, 2015/in blog, News etc, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

This is without a doubt one of the most intense workshops I teach, and probably the only one like this on the market.
In 2 jam-packed days you will learn anything you want to know about model photography with a small group of attendees in our own studio in Emmeloord.

Topics range from :
Shooting on location and in the studio, working with sets you can build yourself, styling the model/sets, finding the right angles, adding motion, working with smoke, tips and tricks for lenses and gear to spice up the shoot, duo and single model shoots, building complex lighting sets or keeping it simple, mixing light sources, advanced and easy metering, calibrated workflow and much much more.

And that’s just the shoot part… 😀
I also discuss the complete workflow after the shoot including many tips for Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One and plugins (or without), and new this time is a complete run-through of integrating mobile devices in your workflow for traveling photographers (or coach retouchers)

But it doesn’t stop there….
You will also get loads of business tips to build your brand PLUS every day starts with an intense Q&A in which the attendees can ask whatever they want and get the answers during the Q&A or everything is incorporated into the workshop.

As you can see this is a very complete workshop so we were not able to jam this all into 2 normal days… that’s why the ultimate weekend actually runs a lot longer.

Day 1 :
10:00-21:00 including a nice diner with our team in a local restaurant (according to some this alone is worth the admittance :D)

Day 2 :
10:00-16:00 (17:00)

For more information and bookings check : https://frankdoorhof.com/web/tours/ultimateweekend/
If you already did an ultimate weekend we have a very special “Illumine” discount, contact us for this.

some of the previous results