Missing Model Idea

 

I was looking at a photographer’s portfolio the other day, and I came across a page where the photographer had paired up two images that went together. I think it was a close up of a model’s hair, and a shot of some trees. So the hair was messy and kinda had the same shape as the trees a little bit… you’ve probably seen that kind of thing before. Two images that kinda sorta go together because they both have blue in them, or they both are a little bit about loneliness or some other common theme.

Anyways, seeing that made me think of shooting images with the intention of pairing them up. And my first thought was this sketch. Shoot a model in profile against a simple background, and then use that image to arrange environmental elements into the same shape, leaving the space where the model’s head was empty.  Put the two images together and you wind up with a piece about how when someone goes away there is almost an empty space where they were before. Something is missing from the frame, even though it’s not obvious at first what it is.

It’s a decent idea, I’ll probably put it together sometime this summer. So look forward to that.

 

Missing Model Idea

Documentary on Costume design for Bram Stoker's Dracula

I found this documentary about the costume work done in Bram Stoker’s Dracula the other day, and it really reminded me just how crazy the costumes were in that movie. The only thing I could remember beforehand was how good Gary Oldman was, and how terrible Keanu Reeves was in it.

Costuming and Makeup is an area where I really struggle as a photographer. Mostly because I don’t know anything about either of them. When I’ve done shoots that have a makeup artist involved, or someone keeping an eye on the fashion, things all seem to go so much easier in general. I should definitely try and grow in that area though…. I think of making pictures as a long chain of things that you do. Kinda like this:

Idea – Concept – Gathering materials – Lighting Test – Makeup – Clothing – Shoot the model – Review files – Edit / Retouch Final Image

That’s my usual chain of events for a photoshoot. And the cool thing about examining it this way is that if you want really exceptional images, you should work on improving each step of the process. I usually tend to put most of my time and effort into Ideas, Lighting Tests, the Shoot, and Retouching. So that’s where I’m strongest. But I’m really weak in Materials, Makeup, and Clothing. If I wanted to make my pictures better then that’s where I should focus my efforts.

I used to rate myself on a scale from one to ten on all these different categories…. Lighting, Retouching, Model Directing, Concepts, Ideas…… and then I’d choose the one that had the lowest rating and say “Okay, this is what I’m going to focus on for the next couple of weeks”. If it was retouching then I’d watch a lot of retouching tutorials and practice on old images. If it was Lighting then I’d spend more time practicing setting up lights and work with modifiers. Somehow makeup and clothing never made it onto that list. So they’re still a huge weakness for me, and one that I should work on fixing.

Documentary on Costume design for Bram Stoker's Dracula

Joe McNally Video mixing ambient and flash

In this video Joe McNally sketches out how he solved the problem of exposing for a subject and a city at the same time, which is no easy feat. Keeping the subject sharp and leaving the shutter open long enough to let the city show up can be a technical challenge, which he solves using a speedlight for the subject and a longer exposure for the city. Great results! I love that wide lens effect… it really pulls you right into the scene.

Joe McNally Video mixing ambient and flash

New Work - Strobe and Continuous with Shel

I wanted to do a shot of Shel here where I was using a mix of strobes and continuous light. When you are going to make a picture this way, light control is the name of the game. Anything lit up with the strobes will be sharp and well defined, anything lit up with the continuous lights will be glowy and have motion trails all over the place. The idea here was to have her sit still while her necklace was lighting up the area. So there’s a gridded stripbox on her face, and a gridded light on the background for separation. Then there’s two continuous lights (LED bulbs, but with a warm color temp), one on either side of her, wrapped in cinefoil to keep the light on the necklace and nowhere else. A long shutter exposure, and a pop from the strobes, and there it is. The trickiest part really was in figuring out the camera movement that would give me the desired results. In the end we wound up using a combination of my shaking and moving the camera, and Shel swaying back and forth in her chair. There was a lot of trial and error, but in the end it really worked out well. I think there’s a lot of directions this technique could go. Lots of possibilities.

 

New Work - Strobe and Continuous with Shel

Marc Hauser Video

Marc Hauser is quite a legend. The Chicago native has been putting out amazing pictures for decades. I first came across this video of him years ago, and liked his simple, enthusiastic approach to photography and creating imagery. There is a lot of great advice in here, and he has an incredible level of excitement for photography that you don’t always see. Good stuff.

 

Marc Hauser Video