Tag Archive for: tip

Tip : Hiding backgrounds

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While working on location you will sometimes find awesome backgrounds, and sometimes…. well less interesting (and that’s putting it mildly).
Now not in all locations it’s possible to use smoke or change the background, for example for the simple reason everything else is cool and interesting. So how do we solve this.

A very simple trick (and easy to do) is to use a very strong backlight, mimicking the sun, a window… or just a very strong backlight (whatever you want). This way we overpower the background and fill it with light but also “draw” more detail in (in this case) the staircase leading up to the light.

Setting this light up can be tricky, make sure you feather it so you don’t blow out detail, and if that’s not possible, maybe aim it more up so it blows out the ceiling but not the rest, and just crop that part of in your composition, it isn’t a matter of just “throwing” a light source somewhere and blast it with light, it does take some planning. But when it works it actually never really disappointed me.

 

For much more tips, techniques etc. check out my book “Mastering the model shoot” or our instructional videos (also available via this site).

Tip : don’t be afraid to be different

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We can all shoot a model against a seamless background, that’s not really hard.
We can all add a little bit of styling into the mix, but often it stops there.
One of the tips I love to give to people is “be a little bit more daring, add some humor or a twist to your shots”

As you can see in this image with Sheena.
She walked on set in this amazing outfit and told me “It’s even on the back” well…. that triggered me to take this shot.
You don’t see the face of the model so for some it’s not a modelshot, but for me a photograph is not about the model… it’s about a story, it’s about a feeling, and the model for me is just a means to an end (so to say), and in this case I think Sheena did great.

I didn’t just want to shoot the shirt in a “standard” fashion so I asked her to pull it down and give some tension to it.
Also composition wise I didn’t want her slam bam in the middle so I placed her a bit more to the side.
So for your next shoot…. experiment and tell a story, or just add a touch of humor 😀
There is plenty of room for the “normal” model shots 😀

 

For much more tips, techniques etc. check out my book “Mastering the model shoot” or our instructional videos (also available via this site).

Tip : working with curtains

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Sometimes you just wonder… “what to use as a backdrop”.
You’ve already used your seamless.
You’ve already used your walls.
You’ve already used……………………….

Remember that there is always something you can use as a backdrop, but it becomes interesting when a model can use it also in her posing, or to hide something. That’s why curtains can be absolutely awesome, you can mount them on a background system, or (like in this case) just use the curtains that are there.

This was shot during a demo day for Sony on the SS Rotterdam, and the curtains were actually part of the room we were in.
As you can see Nadine uses them to pose, hide and also I think they look great with her clothing, making something that in essence is pretty simple, really stand out. That’s also part of todays tip, don’t forget the styling, mixing things is cool but always keep an eye out that they fit together.

 

For much more tips, techniques etc. check out my book “Mastering the model shoot” or our instructional videos (also available via this site).

TIP : don’t fear the sun

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A lot of people are somehow afraid to shoot straight into the sun….
Well I agree that there is a lot of talk online that it can fry your sensor but in all honesty if that was really true….well my sensors would have all been fried, just be smart and don’t look at the sun too long and keep the exposure time to your sensor limited, because… well it is a lot of light that is aimed at your sensor via a lens so don’t keep it on a tripod for an hour (just saying).

As soon as you overcome that “fear” of shooting into the sun a lot of cool options open up.
The shot you see in the opening post was done during a workshop with my DxO one connected to my iPhone, I choose a low angle because of the background (our studio).

So you do you meter something like this.
Here it’s important to understand the dynamic range of your camera a bit.
Especially knowing how much you can get back from both the highlights and shadows.
Always make sure you get enough detail in your models face, so don’t underexpose too much, but also don’t expose correctly for the model… and there are 2 reasons for this.

 

  1. If you expose your model correctly the background will be almost pure white due to the high brightness of the sun/sky. Also the model will look glued on the background, so always make sure the model is slightly underexposed which will make the shot look much more natural. This same tips also goes for sunsets, always make sure you underexpose your model slightly when using strobes (and light from the side) this way the model looks more natural in the scene.
  2. If you underexpose your model to the “max” of your dynamic range you can still raise the shadows/midtones in your RAW convertor enough to get the detail/exposure on your model that you want, the extra advantage is that with the highlights slider you can lower the brightness of the sky a lot more simply because it’s still in your dynamic range.

 

Planning a shot and knowing the limits of your gear is incredibly important when you like to be on the edge of lighting.
In most cases I’ll shoot as perfect as possible in camera, but when you know there is a lot of backlighting and you don’t use a reflector or strobe (like in this case) it’s always good to know these limits because now you know how much you can underexpose to “save” as much as possible from the sky, and actually almost mimic the use of a reflector or strobe.

Now don’t be afraid of noise/grain in you’ll probably shoot these kind of shots on ISO100 and often you will open up a max of 2-3 stops so in essence you’re shooting on 400-800 max for the model and with modern day cameras that is no problem at all.

So the next time you’re shooting on location try a few shots with just this technique (so no strobes or reflectors) you’ll see what your camera can do, plus it will help you in situations where you have no choice….

 

Want more in depth tips and techniques?
Check out my book “Mastering the model shoot” or one of the many instructional videos via this site (see the menu on the left).