Is that really Prince, the pop star?

No, it’s not, but…

The images in today’s blog were inspired by Prince, but you probably will see that right away. And Prince, the pop star, isn’t alive anymore. Read more about the Prince look-alike photoshoot

These images were shot as one of the sets of an online workshop with our model Felisa.
When I hear “Prince,” immediately some images will jump into my mind, one of the most famous, of course, being Purple Rain.
But when you try to copy something as close as possible to the original during a workshop, the chance you will fail is highly likely.
So what I normally will try to do is take a few examples and try to mix them into something “unique” but still with the “vibes” of the original.

So, how do we start, with a pop star look-alike shoot?

As you know, I love guitars and also collect some.
Although that means I can always select a cool guitar for a photoshoot, it doesn’t mean I have every guitar for everyone.
Prince was well-known for his unique guitars and awesome designs, not something I have lying around.

A white Stratocaster however, is so iconic, and there are actually some images online with Prince playing Strats, I decided that was the safest bet.

For the first setup, I’m using a Geekoto medium striplight on our model in a horizontal position and aimed slightly down.
This way, I can get a nice gradient on the wall and beautiful light on the model. It’s one of my favorite setups, and because the strip is horizontal, you also get enough light on the model from the front without losing that “high contrast” look.

But……
It’s not bad, but we wanted more.
And what is always cool to bring in when you want more…. right

Smoke and gels

As soon as you start to add smoke, there is a lot you have to think about.
First of course, you want to make sure that the whole “smoke screen” is even and nicely fills up the scene.
But when you want to see smoke, it really helps if you light it from the back or sides.
If you light it from the front, it will reflect back, and you end up with blown-out images.
When you light it from the back, you can get some really nice effects.
And because it’s a rock star, we also needed some color gels.

With the gels, you can choose to leave them out of the frame, which prevents the hotspot in the center, and gives a great, deep, saturated color.
But with a rock star, I decided to leave them in the frame, mimicking stage lights.

Now it’s a matter of moving around the model and getting the shots.

For the gels, I’m using our Geekoto GT200’s with the Rogue magnetic system and gels.

A different mood for Prince

When you visit one of my workshops, you will find out that in most sets I’m not only moving around the model and choosing different angles, but also experimenting a lot with the balance between the strobes.

With the Geekoto remote control, I mostly set up my strobes as  follows
A: Main light
B: Background light
C: Colored Lights
D: Second colored lights

This way, you can quickly change the balance between the groups.
In most cases, I’m using a max of 3 strobes, so it’s an easy way to quickly set everything up and change on the fly.

In the following images, I’m only using the gelled lights.
And of course, taste is very personal, but I always love this effect.

Conclusion of the Prince look-alike photo shoot.

Lighting is always important in a set, but always try to experiment with different angles to shoot under, but also with the balance between the strobes.
Especially when working with colored lights, it’s not always the best way to shoot something with the “correct” exposure or “perfect” face light. Sometimes leaving the face light away is actually perfect.

And if you don’t like the results…..
DEL and empty trash, and now you know what you don’t like. In most cases, you might be surprised I think. 😀

More about using color gels and smoke in this blog: A special tribute, with Nadine 

Or this video about a getting a witch right in camera with leds and strobes