Tag Archive for: technique

Modelling is also acting, well actually a lot of acting

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It’s all in the expression and poses and… a lot more

Over the years I’ve photographed many models in various locations and situations.
They range from trade shows on a booth measuring 2×3 mtrs to awesome castles. Modeling is also acting. a model should empathize in the shoot.

One thing I learned is that you can shoot in the most difficult or awesome locations, the model determines how the results will end up.
When I look for models the first thing of course, I look at is how the model looks. I don’t believe in size zero and love to shoot “real” people instead of Barbie dolls.
And that immediately brings us to the most important part.

Acting on 1/2000 of a second

When shooting a film we have several seconds, minutes, or hours to tell a story.
However with photography it’s 1/2000 of a second, well not exactly but you know what I mean right 😀

So one of the most important things for me when looking for models is actually expression, poses, and moving freely/naturally within the light setup.
And trust me this is much more difficult than you might think.
One of the tricks I use is to tell the model she/he should always be able to see the main light even if it’s just in the corner of her/his eyes. This way you will almost always have catchlights in the eyes, which in my opinion are really important. This doesn’t mean the images are not good when there are no catchlights, but in most cases, we want them in the eyes.

During a recent workshop with did some different expressions with our model Claudia.
As you can see these are totally different from just a pretty face on a picture, these really tell a story.

modeling is acting

Modeling is acting and storytelling.

 

modelling is also acting

What is she thinking about?

It’s not just expression, it’s acting

Of course, it’s not just the expression of your model.
Styling and the whole setting, including your light choice will help to cement your story into the images.
So always experiment with the whole setting.
It doesn’t make any sense to have makeup that is running with a smiling model against a white background doing jumps. But it can work wonders in a moody setting where the model is looking sad (see examples).

Now, of course, there is a time and place for these kinds of shots, and I will not tell you it always works.
Sometimes you need a model that looks …. well like she’s not really there. Some fashion brands love that look. In my opinion, the model in that setting is more a way to demonstrate the clothing and should not take away any attention to the clothing. I like the “lifestyle” photography more where we use the clothing/accessories in settings that give a “feeling” instead of just presenting. But as mentioned before this is 100% up to the client. However, it’s incredibly handy if you can deliver both. And in a lot of cases, this means I will ask my clients if I’m allowed to use our “own” models.

It happened too often that I end up on a trade show or location workshop and have a beautiful model but am bored after the first shoot.
And we have had situations where even a model in jeans and a tank top blew me away and didn’t need anything else.

So the next time you scout your models, maybe go for the ones that are also able to act 😀 Because modeling is also acting!

modelling is acting

 

Check out this video about storytelling

 

Model Claudia uses seamless paper as a dress 

 

A pure white background and floor, plus accents on your model with just three umbrellas

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A white background, floor, and accent on your model with just 3 umbrellas?

Seems impossible… it’s not

Shooting with a white background and floor is far from my favorite setup, but sometimes you have to 😀
When I started with photography the white background was hot. And used all the time (I was always more of a light grey fan). So of course I had to learn how to shoot it.

The first problem I ran into was getting the background completely white.
This is easily solved by moving the model forward and just blasting the background. But when cameras became better and the headroom larger it became more and more problematic due the the enormous amount of light reflecting back from the background. So how to get that pure white background?

Special modifiers to get a white background

The first thing I tried was of course lighting the background with open reflectors, or softboxes. And although it worked ok it never was 100%.
So enter the special background reflectors.
The idea behind these is that they “focus” the light on the background and spread it out evenly.

a modifier which makes it easier to get a white background.

By the way, it’s more easier if you have two of those.

And although it worked a lot better than a standard reflector it’s far from perfect.

The solution(s). How I made a white background and floor

Floor

So let’s not make the blog post too long and immediately jump to the solution.
Let’s start with the floor.

Without a doubt, this one was the most difficult to crack.
You can use extra strobes on the floor. But that also meant the light fall off on the model would look unnatural with loads of light on the feet.
You can use Photoshop of course. But that would mean the model just floats in the air, so you can start adding shadows again. Long story short this is not doable when you need to deliver 50 images to a client. You simply can’t edit every single image in detail unless you have a very large budget.

The solution is actually super simple and gives an awesome effect.
Just put some transparent plexiglass on the floor.
The plexiglass will reflect the light and give you an instant perfect white floor and as a bonus a great reflection.
The added bonus when using transparent plexiglass is that you can also use it on other color backgrounds and get some stunning reflection effects. But for today let’s keep it on white.

Now that we have the floor covered (pun intended) we have the background to light.

Background

For this, the solution is actually much simpler and cheaper than you might think.

white background, white floor and accent on your model

 

Here you can see the setup we used for the shots with Claudia from the previous blog post.

Umbrellas for a white background and floor

As you can see I’m using two white Rogue umbrellas, on our Geekoto GT400 strobes, at the back. And these are more important than you might think at first sight.
The placement of those two is vital for the end result and also gives you a lot of flexibility.

The first task for the umbrellas in the back is of course lighting the background and floor. So they are placed behind the model aimed at the background with the shoot-through part. However, a white umbrella also reflects so we have a light source that’s pretty unique. It lights both what’s in front but also what’s in the back, and that’s actually the whole secret or trick in this setup.

By choosing the right angle of the back umbrellas it’s possible to light both the background and also give a very accent light on the model.
In loads of setups, you can see 2 strobes on the background and 2 strobes as accent plus your mainlight which means you need 5 strobes for one setup.
By using umbrellas you can bring this back to just 3 strobes, and also the costs are considerably lower than using background reflectors and for example striplights as accents.

For example, we sell the Rogue fiberglass umbrellas in a nice travel kit edition with a black umbrella plus sleeve (here used as main light) and one white umbrella in a travel kit for € 116,00 the extra white umbrella retails for € 23,00

Now if you don’t like the accent lights you can always place two large flags between your model and the umbrellas and take away the accent lights.

And how about just 2 lights?

You might wonder, can we also do this (getting a white background and floor) with 2 strobes and 2 umbrellas?
That’s the nice thing about umbrellas.
The disadvantage is that the light spreads around very easily. But that’s also the advantage if you know how to control it 😀

Now when you use one umbrella on the back the accent light will of course just be on one side. But when you look at the end result it’s absolutely a setup that you can use.

Conclusion of white backgrounds

White backgrounds can always be tricky due to the amount of light that spreads everywhere.
But by using the right light modifiers and placing them correctly in the scene a lot can be done for a very low budget.
And let’s be honest. These images are straight out of the camera with just a little boost in contrast, as you can see the background is almost pure white and the only thing you have to take out are the seams of the plexiglass, which in most cases can be done in seconds.

So the next time you need a pure white background, why choose the expensive and difficult route?
Just use three or two umbrellas and some plexiglass and deliver images almost straight out of the camera.

check out the video about the Rogue Umbrella’s

 

Or this short, also with model Claudia about the Umbrella 

Having fun with poses. This will get you more dynamic photos and much more fun during the shoot

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We all want stunning images

We all want images that jump off the screen! But how do we get free of the “forced” poses? Today I talk about breaking the forced poses and getting more dynamic photos. Like most people when I started with photography I was using the so-called “posing” books. One thing I learned very quickly was that although some worked. It always ended up looking forced, or just plain awkward. And let’s be honest, every person is different so having a posing book in hindsight does sound a bit weird.

Finding the perfect lines in the body of your model

One thing that I learned after the posing books was finding the lines in a pose.
Sometimes it’s a nice flowing S-curve in a pose, and sometimes I love working with triangles.
Now in all honesty I didn’t really look for triangles. It just happened that all the shots I  liked had some triangles in the poses.

Letting go, go with the flow in your shoot

When I started shooting more and more models and also did assignments for brands it became very clear that posing a model wasn’t a thing I liked. Luckily at that moment, I worked with some models on a weekly (and sometimes several times a week) that were always in for experimentation. Also during that period, I watched several videos on the work of LaChapelle, Avedon, Newton, etc. and the thing that really caught my eye was that they most of the time didn’t really pose the model to perfection but also just let the model go.

The moment I let go was the moment my photography changed from “stiff poses” to much more free-looking and natural poses.

The trick is actually incredibly simple.
You pose the model for 50% of what you want, angle, leaning against something, etc.
And after that you…. well just let go and shoot.

So let’s take a look at what happens.

Some examples where I let go and just shoot

During a recent workshop with Claudia, we did exactly that.
I chose the most simple background setup and lighting so the model had to do all the work.
The nice thing about this approach is that you will always get fresh looks. Instead of always seeing the same poses. But it also really loosens up the model and the mood in the studio. Put on some music and just let the model literally flow through the poses and keep shooting.

So let’s take a look at some of the results from a few minutes.

How do you get more dynamic photos? Go with the flow.  How do you get more dynamic photos? Shoot and find angles and curves in your model's body.

Now it might not immediately catch your eyes, but when you work this way you will find that not only the poses look much more natural and “flowing” but also the expressions of your model will be much more relaxed. and that is the start of more dynamic photos.

And of course, don’t forget some close-ups 😀

don't forget te close-ups How do you get more dynamic photos? Go with the flow. Let go. Shoot and find angles and curves in your model's body.

Conclusion on how to get more dynamic photos

Of course, photography is very personal, and what works for one won’t work for everyone.
However, over the years I’ve found out that getting the model at ease and relaxed really boosts your photoshoot and gives much better results than just pushing a model into a pose.

So what is your next move to get more dynamic photos?

 

Claudia is an amazing multivalent! check out the blog where I used seamless paper as a dress

Fashion shoot? use this is a great backdrop for more impact

 

Check out this video about using a reflector

Working creatively with seamless paper in a totally different way

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Being creative with left-over seamless paper

What are seamless paper backdrops again?

Yes, most of the time we use our Click Backdrops. In practically all situations a Click Backdrop is better than seamless. Even white! this article is about working creatively with seamless Paper left-overs

But we started with Seamless paper backdrops so we have much of it. Seamless paper backdrops are large non-reflective rolls of paper that fit on a stand behind your subject. They can be plain or colored, and give a smooth, professional look to your photographs. Seamless paper is often used in portraits, headshots, or baby photography, as the colors can be changed to suit your subject. As you understand very boring and plain.

No, don’t throw it out… yet!

Annewiek must have heard this a million times… yes I have a problem throwing stuff out. Especially seamless (paper)
I somehow always feel you can still use it for something, and when that moment is there it’s better to have it… right?

I am not a huge fan of seamless paper. Over time it becomes unusable due to tears and dirt. And you have to throw it out and get a new roll. But for a nice and long backdrop, it’s still one of the most used backdrops. But what do you do when you can’t use the paper anymore but still have a lot left?

Well…. we can always use it in a shoot 😀

Working Creatively with Seamless Paper

Make a skirt out of seamless paper (or pretend it is a skirt)

working creatively with seamless

In this case, it was the idea of one of the attendees of the workshop. He had some yellow paper left and asked me if it would make a nice prop.
Claudia our model had bright red hair that week (yeah it varies) so that fitted perfectly in this setup.

The combination of yellow and red makes a great contrast which is balanced by the white clothing/hat and the blue background.

Of course, you can use the paper for many different things. We could have built a dress out of it. Used it as a backdrop with loads of wrinkles and tears. Or maybe on the floor with the model lying on or under it, in essence, the sky is the limit. So the next time….

Always reuse… and recycle your seamless paper

We all know recycling is important, but when you think you can use something for a photoshoot… maybe hang on to it just a little bit longer 😀

So what is your next idea about working creatively with seamless paper?

 

Behind the scenes during a Zebra photoshoot  and how to extend your Zebra backdrop with AI 

 

Using isolation blankets as a backdrop