Tag Archive for: strobes

Backdrops are vital

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Just some images

This is how I started this blogpost, just a post with no tips, no techniques just sharing some images.
But somehow that doesn’t work with me, so here is another tip.
Today it’s all about backdrops.

Backdrops are vital

I quickly started with custom paint on our walls in our first studio. I never understood why someone would waste so much space in a studio by keeping the walls all white. First of all it reflects and it just isn’t inspiring (well at least not for me), having walls with details, structure etc. gives you ideas and it just works much better as a backdrop.
Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love(d) seamless paper, and still sometimes use it, but having a “real” backdrop to work with often complements the shoot a lot more than paper.
Besides custom paints we also still use moveable walls in our studio with all kinds of wallpaper, always loads of fun to use and build small sets with.

Now with Ai a lot of people ask me why I not just add a backdrop in Photoshop…
Well it’s actually very simple.
First of all it’s a lot more work, selecting has become super simple and almost perfect but it’s still not as real as a shot you did not cut out.
Also the whole interaction with light, lens flares, edge transfer, focus/circle of confusion etc. are very hard to emulate in Photoshop if even possible. On a set with a proper background it’s a matter of pressing the shutter and you’re done. If you shoot your images with flat lighting it’s actually pretty easy to do, but when you start adding contrast lighting, flares and color gels it becomes harder and harder without it looking fake, or taking hours…so I just prefer my own moto “Why fake it when you can create it?” 😀

When we started with the distribution for ClickBackdrops I totally fell in love with their “old masters” backgrounds, very classical backdrops with great gradients. But also the more extreme backdrops are awesome for shoots. And the nice thing about ClickBackdrops is that the backdrops are designed by photographers for photographers (I also have a signature lineup with them).

But one of the backdrops I HIGHLY recommend getting is the “Soft Gray master with floor” which you can see in the images today.
This is a wonderful medium dark gray backdrop with a beautiful pattern the included floor makes it great for location but also for fashion shoots and the gray color makes it very suitable to not only play with color gels but also with tinting in Lightroom or Photoshop.

So today some images from our model Claudia on and against the backdrop.
As you probably know I love to add some motion to my shots so when Claudia showed me the outfit I just knew we had to add some extra oomph to the shots but keep the lighting relatively simple.

Also want to visit a workshop and learn all about lighting, styling, set building on a budget, coaching the model and a lot more?
Visit fotografie-workshops.nl for the Dutch workshops.
If you don’t understand Dutch, don’t worry… if you let us know a few weeks in advance we can switch the workshops to English.
Or, of course book a 1:1 workshop in our studio or even online.

A special tribute

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One of the things I love about workshops…..

is that I can always work on ideas during a class that I also would have loved to shoot myself.
Of course the input of the attendees is vital for the creative process, and it most definitely made great shots much better.

As a guitar player myself there are some guitars that are real icons. When you see them you immediately know who played it.
Think about the red special from Brian May, the heavily damaged strat from Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Jem from Steve Vai etc.
But one might be the most recognizable of all…. the Frankenstein.

For people that are going like “Who?”
The Frankenstein is Eddie Van Halen’s famous guitar.

For this workshop I could use a copy of the Frankenstein guitar, so I wanted to create a set with loads of reds, but also mimic stage lights in the back. There was a period with parachute frantics and of course we wanted the element of “a tribute” in the poses.

We used fish wire to create the “wings” (ideas develop during the process) and let Nadine experiment with different poses. Some more looking down being sad, and some as a real hero pose holding up the guitar, in the end that’s the one I liked the most.

To mimic the stage lights I’m using a smoke machine to create a nice haze in the background that will show the two strobes with snoots as a beam of light. The K&F Concept filter I’m using smoothens the light nicely and gives some great lensflares without softening the image.

In the front I’m using “fresher” smoke, that still has some structure.
The bottom part is lit with two strobes with red gels give a nice even light spread on the bottom and you can control the amount of light on the left and right easily this way if needed in a different setup.

On the model I’m using a striplight with a grid to get the light on the face of Nadine and the guitar.
It does limit the freedom of movement, but the results are worth it I think 😀

And we also did some without the guitar.

If you also want to attend a workshop, visit fotografie-workshops.nl for more info on the Dutch workshops.
If you don’t speak Dutch, let us know a few weeks in advance and we can switch the workshop to English.
And of course we are also offering 1:1 workshops online.

One of the best tips ever

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And also one of the most simple ones

And the moment I tell you, you probably go like “yes of course….. but I sometimes forget indeed”
Today I’m sharing one of the best tips, and it’s mostly about keeping your customers, or getting more.

Over the years I’ve done a lot of sessions, assignments and events, and if I learned one thing it’s that you always have to be prepared for everything and also take into account that people change (a lot and always). So what do I mean with this?

In most cases when you are hired there is a certain plan.
This can be for example “shoot a model screaming with a Tommy gun shot from a slightly lower angle”
And of course an image like this is exactly what the client asked.

When working very focussed it often means you are totally locked in to the image your client describes.
And when you get it and the client goes like “WOW LOVE THIS” it’s so easy to call it a day and write your invoice. but…..

But what if a few days later he/she realizes that a screaming model with a gun might be a bit too aggressive or simply not exactly the vibe fitting the campaign.
Of course you can rehire the photographer, model, build the same set and do it again. But you can easily prevent this but being pro-active in your session. And sometimes that means going against your client, who is happy with the shot and would prefer to just pack up and go home. For me it sometimes means that I just tell the client that whatever I do now is free of charge.

For example when the client orders a series on a white background I also always add some images against black and a few where I show the product with some props, smoke etc.

In most cases the client still uses the images he/she ordered, but we always get a very positive response and in a lot of cases they are using the other images also in another context and we hear a lot from customers they hire us back because we are always delivering the assignment but also some extra options. Plus often the client is so focussed on that look they don’t even know how it would look with another color, or for example within a set. This is one of the problems we all know… being to focussed and missing the bigger picture.

So back to our screaming model.
It’s of course very easy during the shoot to also shoot some images where the model doesn’t scream, or maybe even has a totally different pose, or shoot it from a lower/higher angle.

And this doesn’t just go for expressions, sets etc.
Also think about the layout.
Personally I love shooting in landscape mode. The negative space (I would love to call it positive space) gives your model so much more room to draw the viewer in and for you as photographer to play with composition. But often a client “demands” a portrait setting. Also in this case shoot some images in landscape because they might not use it for this campaign but it could be used for something else, and again if your client can use your images more than he/she expected the chance you get hired back grows.

When I started with photography for clients one of my first assignments was for a clothing brand and the assignment was very clear. Written down with all the specs.
And we did exactly that and the client was happy. But a few weeks later I got the question “We want a nice billboard in the shopping centre, can you crop one of your images so it fits”
And…. that was not possible for the image they wanted. Now a days it would probably be possible with generative fill but at that time it was just a no-go, also because it was shot on a 10MP camera so cropping too much would not make it good enough for a billboard in a shopping mall. End result, they hired a local photographer to do that one shot… and I never heard back.

If I would have shot a few images against their plans I would have probably kept the client.
Fast forward to a few days ago.
I was asked to shoot a team photo in front an office for an official letter, in this case it has to be landscape for the simple reason otherwise it would not look nice in a letter. But I also shot one set in portrait mode, because this was due a corporation between two companies the landscape image is great for the official letter, but the portrait mode can be used on the website where it’s easier to incorporate and when the session was done I asked them for one more shot. sitting on the ground and have everyone looking down at the camera. Totally not fitting the official photo, but I am pretty sure that that last shot will be one of their favorite for more casual use.

So even when a client has a 100% vision and urges you to not shoot anything else because this is it. Always try to shoot some extra material, and if the client is up for it just show what you can do more and I promise you, you will get more clients and keep them longer.

 

WOW that’s just awesome photography!

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It happens if you look for it

As you know, I love to play with light. Although I love to use plugins for film looks and sometimes enhance a lens flare here and there, my intent is to always get it right in camera.
By the way, if you want some of the best tinting and special effects software, make sure to check out BorisFX, it’s the best I’ve ever worked with.

Anyway, today I want to share this image from Claudia

get it right in camera

This was shot at the end of one of the sets.
In the images, Claudia was lying on the couch, and the light was pretty close to her.
On my camera, I’m using the K&F concept black diffusion filter. And that gives great lens flares when they are hit with some light.
To get the effect, I asked Claudia to look up. And by shooting it from a slightly lower angle, I could just get the perfect lens flare.
This shot was not planned but it grew quickly into one of my favorites from the set. So, get it right in camera.

So when shooting a set, walk around your model for different angles. But also try some different poses and “freak out” with your lighting. You already got the shot! So, take it a step further. If it doesn’t work, you at least know it doesn’t. But if it does, you can use it in your next shoot to up your confidence and coolness 😀

Want to learn a lot more about lighting?
Check out our tutorials, books, and of course,e you can find videos on Skillshare, KelbyOne, among others.
Or visit one of the Dutch workshops at fotografie-workshops.nl
And if that’s not your thing, maybe book a 1:1 online 😀

See more results of this shoot on Facebook