Frank Doorhof

Sharon in a small space

January 21, 2016/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

One of the workshops I teach is actually called “Small spaces”
Loads of photographers “complain” about their studio being too small, and of course this is possible, but in my opinion there is always an interesting shot to get.

You might not be able to make a model jump (although that could be funny, and painful) but there is always a option. So this workshop is all about working in tight spaces and this means smaller modifiers (often just a beauty dish) with grids to make sure the light hits only the places you want it to, and of course we have to adjust the models poses a bit.
Remember also that tight/small spaces can actually be incredibly cool if you let your model pose with them, for example lean in between two walls, make her look “locked up” etc. when you come to think about it shooting in small spaces can be much more interesting than shooting in wide open spaces 😀

Today some images from this workshop with Sharon.

As you can see sometimes you have to think outside the box… but in the case of small spaces it can help to think inside the box 😀

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.

Zoom in

January 20, 2016/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

There’s always this discussion about using zoom lenses vs primes.
LOADS of photographers will tell you that primes are much better… and well I agree they are.
But still I’m a zoom lens person.
I know primes are sharper and often a bit faster (or a lot faster, meaning wider aperture) but to be honest in the studio I always shoot between f4-f22 so most of my lenses are razor sharp in that area, but even if they would be slightly less sharp then my primes I still prefer the variety of looks I can get from my zooms.

Always remember that shooting an image on 50mm and walking towards your model or moving away will be different that shooting from the same location with a 24-70, with the zoom lens you are much faster and if you want a close up you actually compress the scene much more than when walking towards the model with a 50mm (for example).

In a photoshoot I would like to have to most options possible and I love to switch fast so for me a zoom is always a good thing. Combine this by walking around your model during the shoot and you can not only get different looks from your composition/compression but also by the light, because if you shoot under aimed lights (like in the studio) the difference can be incredible.

Do you remember the light snake images ?

Here we used the same set and I zoomed in a lot more to use the set in a completely different way, but also included some of the red strobe in the back for a completely different look.

And a few more with different styling and without the red spot.

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.

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.

About input and working together

January 18, 2016/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

Today some more images with the light snake like we discussed in the previous blogpost.

This time we have added a small set and did a bit more with the styling of the model.
These images were shot during a workshop about smoke and props, in this workshop we show the attendees on how to control smoke, and believe it or not it’s almost a science, but also on how to work with very simple and budget friendly props to create something cool.

One of things I always try to teach is that you’re much stronger if you’re listing to your team or anyone in the room. There is a saying “you’re as strong as the weakest link” and that might be so for certain areas but I strongly believe that if you combine everything together even the weakest link adds to the total amount.

What I see a lot on sets is that the photographer takes control…(read this with a low voice) it’s HIS set and everyone should listen, if someone has input HE will determine if it’s right…. (switch back to normal voice) now that might work for some people, or at least they think, in reality they are missing out a lot.

During workshops and shoots I always listen to everyone, I want all the input I can get, some ideas I will not investigate further because I simply know they are not fitting the shot I want/need but most of the time you will find that if you create the atmosphere in which people DARE to have input your session will FLY and your creativity will blossom.

In this set I just started simple and together with the students we started to think about what we could do with the light-snake, and see what happened.

as you can see it’s just a very simple change of the light snake and it actually changes the whole shot, the light snake goes from a position in the back where you could actually ask “why” to a major role into the shot. Now this was shot during a workshop so my time is always limited to shoot but imaging going further with this and connecting the back part for example to the mask….. just thinking out loud 😀

So next time you shoot, make sure to listen to your team and value their input, they REALLY can make you better, often people compliment me with the diversity of my portfolio, and I always honestly tell them that it’s because I always work with very creative people and value their input, this way you can always improve and change, even if you work with a steady team there is always a new element like an internet, an attendee or even just a simple visitor that can add to your shots..

Good luck.

If you like tips like this and want even more check out my book “Mastering the model shoot” or get one of our instructional videos from this site.

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Sharon in a small space

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Zoom in

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working with smoke

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About input and working together

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