Tag Archive for: tricks

The way we tell stories and how to light them to get the right mood

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Storytelling with photography

 

It’s no secret I love guitars. I don’t label myself as a real collector but I do add guitars to my collection when I find something that’s unique or a good investment :D. And of course, I like to take pictures of my guitars. This blog is about storytelling with photography.

Vintage and stories

As a photographer, I love to tell stories.
And as a musician, I love vintage gear. I think the main reason I love vintage gear so much is the story behind it. A well-played guitar with some damage through an old tube amp… I don’t know… you just play differently.

I saw the brand Vintage a few years ago and really liked what they were doing, but never added one of their instruments to my collection. However, when they started to work with Joe Doe it became interesting.

Limited editions for the masses

Joe Doe builds guitars in a very limited quantity. And where other luthiers might build a copy of a Strat or Les Paul. He builds guitars that already have a backstory (made up). And that….. combined with great playing and sounding instruments is a very nice combination.

While looking at Marktplaats/Ebay I found a “lucky buck” in like new condition so I decided that would be my first Vintage guitar. (the brand is Vintage).

Now this is not a review of the guitar, but it’s a whole experience.
You get the guitar with the backstory, but also in this case a hard case with loads of “case candy” which all connects to the “made up” story. I can’t express how much fun this is and immediately connects you to the instrument 😀

The backstory

For the Lucky Buck, this is what I got from their Facebook page.
“Leslie ‘Lucky Buck’ Coal topped the Billboard Country Music charts in 1952 with his heartbreak-inspired single, “Whiskey for Breakfast”. Flushed with sudden success, Coal signed numerous endorsement deals, the most lucrative of which was a contract to become a regular fixture on the WHB national radio show Giddy Up Y’all!.”

And of course, when you buy a guitar you have to use it in a shoot right?
Yes of course 😀

My story of storytelling with photography

Now there are always different sides to a story.
For this workshop I thought it would be a great exercise for myself and the attendees to use one prop, one model, one theme but tell two totally different stories, and how lighting and styling can completely change the narrative.

For me, the story goes as follows (following the original).
Leslie topped the billboard chart and had it all, but…. lost it all and was forced to play in small bars. Almost like living rooms, holding her head down so she could imagine still being on the big stages playing the guitar they made for her when everything was going great.

Years later a rapper finds the music, uses her hooks, and immediately propels Leslie back into the spotlights and the huge stages. So she needed photos for magazines. And this is of course a totally different Leslie. Heads up and fun Leslie, she made it “again”….

The setups

For the first setup, I wanted to create a very small stage idea.
One artist with a guitar and mic.

We used our brick wall from ClickBackdrops as background, and a wood floor to mimic an old western bar feel.
I’m using the small Geekoto 26″ softbox with a grid as my main light (one of my favorite light shapers) on the model (Felisa) and making sure the face is covered in shadow.
For some extra mood, we added a standing lamp with continuous lighting.
But that would make a very dark image.
So I added one Geekoto GT250 with our magnetic rogue grid to add some glare on the guitar en mic and just enough to give a slight outline to the face.

With that setup, a lot of areas were just a bit too dark/ So it was time for the final ingredient, a little bit of smoke.
Smoke doesn’t just add to the “smokey” atmosphere fitting the scene. But smoke is also a kind of “secret” weapon you can use as a diffuser and reflector. Add too much and it looks terrible. Add too little and it doesn’t look right. But add just enough and you get a sort of haze that’s great for light beams, glowing flares. But also to just light up areas where light doesn’t normally hit.

For the back, we are using larger smoke machines. But we recently started using smaller smoke machines for details and for smoke that actually sticks to the floor. The handheld smoke machines are great for location work but as you can see in the full-body shot. The attachment for making the smoke stick to the floor works like a charm. With the larger machines we can never get results like this. And the fun part is that they are very cheap and available in two sizes. I would highly recommend adding one of them to your kit bag, smoke really adds a lot.
This is the larger one, and the smaller one.

Setting this up is tricky

The main light has to be exactly right to light the model’s body and part of the guitar, but not the face. But also cover the front of the microphone and add a nice flare. This means you have to play a bit with the angle of the microphone, guitar, and position of the model. This does limit the poses the model can use, but in this case, we only need one or two shots.

The accent light is the hardest.
It looks maybe natural but every position and angle is experimented with and changed.
Angle the guitar slightly forward and there is no light hitting the frets and no glare on the maple neck. Angle it too much and the whole fretboard and headstock are white. But do it right and the light hits it beautifully.

Same with the microphone, it’s placed exactly in the light beam of the accent light. The sides of that light beam just barely light the face.
When it all comes together you get images like this…..

Story telling with photography

So now that we did the story of the bar it’s time for……

Better times

For me, David Lachapelle is a huge influence so for this shot I wanted to do something that has a “feel” of his work. Now we don’t have the budget or team he does, but I hope you get a little bit of that feel.

For the background, I’m using light blue with plexiglass on the floor for some soft reflections.
Because for this set I wanted something much more fun and focussing on the feeling of joy we used a small rocking horse and just let Felisa go wild.

The main light is a Geekoto GT400 with the 48″ softbox without a grid to get a nice and even light source.
You can also use an umbrella for this, as long as you have a broad light source in the front. Also, place it far enough from the model so you get a nice and even fall-off on the backdrop, we want the front slightly lighter than the back (due to the background light). And by placing the light far enough you use the inverse square law to get the fall off you like. Over time you will know exactly where to place it. But always experiment with what the light does, even if you find something you like right away.

Because just the main light looks really flat we want more depth in the image.
If you can’t use shadows to create depth you can use the opposite, highlights.
So for this setup I’m using two striplights with grids on the side.
If you aim them slightly up (or use grids) you prevent the annoying shadows that will run towards the camera and look unnatural.

For the background, I’m using a Geekoto GT250 with the Rogue magnetic grid.
If you like the center to be smaller (or if you have to place the light farther away) you can always stack our grids.

So let’s take a look at the more fun shots.

Story telling with photography Story telling with photography

Conclusion: Storytelling with photography

As photographers we are storytellers, we freeze unique moments in time that never come back.
BUT… as photographers, we can also create our own reality out of “nothing”. This will not only create fun photoshoots but also help you as a commercial photographer to be able to be creative on set when a client wants something more than just a headshot.

During the workshops, I love to challenge myself and the attendees. And by using a strong storytelling concept I always keep the workshops fresh and interesting. And I can add a lot of techniques to the educational part of the workshop.

So the next time you do a free work shoot, pick one prop and try to tell at least 2 totally different stories with it. Trust me, you will have fun, the models will too.

You can order the gear I use via our website frankdoorhof.com/shop
You also find my instructional videos there, including the brand new “Did you know… Adobe Lightroom“.

If you have any questions or suggestions let us know.

You can find Vintage guitars here.
(we are not affiliated with them and I bought the guitar myself).

Want to hear some of my music?
Check out Frank Doorhof on your favorite streaming service.

A set built with isolation blankets for… zero

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A set built with isolation blankets?
Why not?

 

Today in the blog some images we shot with our model Trista during a recent workshop.
We recently had the studio roof replaced and of course, that also meant that we have some stuff left, including some isolation blankets.
The moment we saw them we knew we had to do something with them.
We have already built sets with rescue blankets (gold/silver) but these were a lot larger. And in the end, in all honesty, it just didn’t work in this set. But I think they would be awesome as a background for portraits, so I think you will see them again in the future.

Let first, start with the initial setup. We used our movable walls and taped the isolation blankets to it.

a set built with isolation blankets, why not?

As you can see the set is far from perfect, but somehow it also works.
Here I’m using the mirror to mirror the legs and the accent lights, I talk a lot about walking around the model to get a different kind of contrast, here you can clearly see what the angle does on the legs, this is not photoshoped 😀

Of course after that I oped for more close ups, mainly because I didn’t like the set for full bodies.

This I liked a bit better, but I also tried one from the back.
And to be honest I’m still in doubt between the two which one I like most.

move around your model in the set built with isolation blankets

Angles, angles and again angles….

And as usual, always try different angles.
I can’t tell you guys enough how much impact the shooting angle can have, not only in lighting but also with the total way the image looks.
Lower angles will often give a “hero” feel, where higher angles sometimes give a really cool effect.

Adding some color….
Or a lot

After the “standard” setup I opted for a lot more red in the scene.

Now be warned, these images are far from the run of the mill images, but sometimes I just love to go to the extreme sides.
In this case I opened the aperture a lot (to the point of overexposing) just maintaining the highlights in the skin, I didn’t want the skin to overexpose, this often looks awful in color shots, the only thing you could do is convert it to black and white where we are often a bit more forgiving for overexposure. But best is to keep it just below overexpose on the skin, you can always go to black and white later if you want.

Im adding a Rogue omnidirectional dome here with a magenta gel, and although I’m still using the mainlight the red really overpowers everything giving it a totally different vibe.

adding red to a set built with isolation blankets

As you can see by just adding some color you can change the look of our set built with isolation blankets completely. Just make sure the model covers up for certain angles.

Feel free to reach out with questions.
A like and share on social media is highly appreciated.

 

Check out the short about the rescue blankets 

 

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Some colourful lights in the set

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Adding continuous lighting is always fun

In todays blog post some images we shot during a workshop with out model Trista.
I’m using a mix of strobes and continuous lighting here.

Due to the reflective floor (plexiglas) and the mirror the angles under which you can shoot are slightly limited.
I loved this angle because it adds a bit to the story telling part of the shot.

Hope you like the results.
The set it build with isolation blankets we had left from our new roof instalment.
A good set doesn’t have to be expensive 😀

Over time you will collect things that you can always combine during photoshoot. Some people will decorate their whole house with little sets, in our case we just collect a lot of “junk” at flea markets, attics etc. we are always interested in things we can someday use. The only problem is room.

Always try to see possibilities, like in this set we used the isolation blankets. There were just laying around so why not use them.
I’m pretty sure you have a lot of stuff in your home that would make awesome set pieces.

Mixing strobes with available light for awesome model photography results with attitude and mood

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Mixing strobes with available light

This blog post is about the workshop:  mixing strobes with available light. Why is it difficult? Or is that just the impression? An explanation and of course, some results with our wonderful model, friend, and stylist Nadine Stephan.

The problem of mixing strobes and available/ continuous lighting

For loads of photographers mixing available (or continuous) light and strobes can be a real challenge. Still in essence it’s incredibly simple.

We have to remember our famous triangle of ISO, Shutterspeed, and Aperture.
When combining flash with continuous lighting we always have to remember that the flash is a pulse and the continuous lightning is cumulative (meaning it adds up over time).

 

Our flash is also a lot more powerful than, for example, LED lights. This means we start with the strobe on the lowest possible setting. This is one of the reasons I always advise buying strobes that can be adjusted in a wide range and are not too powerful. We don’t need 1000W in a studio environment. But 200-400W is actually the sweet spot. Outside you can use the same strobes on HSS and literally kill the sunlight without any problem. In our studio for these setups, we use our Geekoto GT400 strobes and GT200/GT250.

ISO and aperture are important when mixing light sources

If we know the output of the strobe we have to of course also look at the lens we are using. It makes no sense to set the strobe to f1.4 when you’re shooting with a f2.8 lens. However, don’t adjust your strobes yet….. remember that we need as much light from the continuous light as possible. So if the strobe is not outputting enough,  just raise your ISO till you read f2.8 (if that’s your widest aperture).

Now that we know the ISO and the aperture we forget about those two.

Meaning you are not changing those anymore. Everything from here on is done with the shutter speed.
A faster shutter speed means the lights will be dimmer. Slower shutter speeds will make the lights appear brighter.
You can now exactly setup the shot exactly the way you want by experimenting with your shutter speed.

 

Some things to remember when mixing strobes with available (continuous) lights

 

Always start with an image without strobes and your intended continuous light to see what’s going on. In a perfect setup the image would be 100% black. Now add the continuous lighting first to see how it looks. And finally add the strobe (this is after we already metered everything and is more of a test to make sure there is no extra light, we don’t want in the shot).

When you can’t get your strobes low enough, you can always experiment with other modifiers. For example, a striplight with a grid will “eat” much more light than a beauty dish or open reflector. And if that’s still not working you can always think about adding Neutral Density  (ND) filters to your strobe (not the camera, because that won’t benefit you, due to the continuous light you have to mix).

Do always remember to turn off ALL the lights in your studio INCLUDING the model lights of course 😀
If you don’t, it won’t always be bad, but you have to realize that they will influence your image.

 

Some results from the workshop

During my workshops, we always try to do 3-5 sets. And during this workshop we managed 4 amazing setups. But because only 3 were done with mixing strobes and continuous lighting I’m just showing you these in this blogpost.

Model and Styling: Nadine

Set 1

Mixing strobes with availabe light

The model is lit by the strobe

Mixing strobes with availabe light

the lights blink in different colors

Mixing strobes with available light

different angle

For the first set, we used some Christmas lights on an umbrella.
I’m using a small beauty dish with a grid as my main light source. I included it in some images for some added effect.

Set 2

In this set we had to push the ISO a bit further because there were fewer lights and the whole set was pretty dark.
Here I’m using our Rogue snoot on a Geekoto GT200 and our magnetic dome from Rogue with a red gel on a Geekoto GT250 for some added effect.
The red gel is placed away from the model and by moving the camera position slightly forward and backward I have total control over the amount of red entering the set. This can give some great “art” looking effects without using Photoshop. In fact, all the images in this blogpost are largely straight out of the camera.

Mixing strobes with availabe light

We even used a red color gel from the side

Set 3

For this set I’m using the same Rogue Snoot but on a slightly wider setting.
This snoot can be used in 4 different ways (and if you add the diffusion option 8 :D)
And our intern is holding a Nanlite Pavo tube on red, from the right.

Mixing strobes with available light

Using a red and green led light (used for running in the dark). A blue color gel on the snoot. And a big red LED tune from the right.

 

Mixing strobes with available light is not difficult

I hope this blog post helps you a bit when you have to mix light sources yourself. It’s not hard at all but you do have to realize that you are working with higher ISOs. On modern cameras that’s not a real problem. But in some cases, you will need some noise reduction.

Also, take into account that with slower shutter speeds the model has to be completely still. The flash will freeze the face but if she/he moves it will register as a weird shadow line, and the rest of the image will be soft. As you can see in some images you can use this creatively but you have to be aware that it can happen (to use it).

For more info on our products please visit
Geekoto.nl for our hybrid strobes and soft boxes that collapse very small
ClickBackdrops.nl for our awesome backgrounds and floors
IQwire.nl for our 5 and 10mtr tether cables
Rogueflash.nl for our Rogue products