#Studiolife

It took me some time to get it happening, but finally the studio is up and running.   There are three shooting areas.  One for natural light, one for table top and still life work and a full length section.  No cyclorama.... the space isn't big enough for that, but there is a full kitchen for food prep, a models change room with one whole wall of props and another of clothing and a small but functional bathroom.  There are a few more things I would like to do to make it perfect..... but it is pretty damn good as is.    I would consider swapping out the tripod backdrop stands for ceiling mounted and rehoming a couple of large pieces of furniture to allow for more diverse lighting placement.   

I currently shoot with 4 Canon Speedlights and have all manner of modifiers from Honl gels to big arse soft boxes.   I use Pocketwizards (TT1 and TT5) to trigger and they all perform seamlessly and wirelessly... but still I would like a nice pair of Elinchrom BRX 500's.  Well a pair isn't enough, I'd need 3.  The downside to that purchase, and the only thing holding me back, is cords.  Power cables. They will be nothing but trouble for me in the studio.  There is a terrible story from way back in 2009. About getting tangled at an outdoor shoot and only the swift response of a naked model capturing my brand new 5D2 from certain death as the cable twisted around my leg dragged it off a plinth onto rocks below.  But lets not go there.  It still sends shivers!!  Hence my aversion to cables.  Many years have passed, but I'm still scarred by that near tragedy!

I know Godox AD400's or the new 600's are an alternative to the BRX500's, but I really have an Elinchrom mindset.  I have only used them twice, but the build quality impressed me to the somewhat obsessional stage.   The one thing they have over what already exists for me is.... a modelling light.  Shooting tethered is a reasonable alternative, but.... it's still not Elinchrom.  I tether to a MacBook Pro and I do use a Tether tool I picked up from Kayell in Sydney recently.  The Tether tool gives me some security when I feel clumsy around cords (hence my one and only Elinchrom issue). 

So far the Speedlights have not left me wanting.   I have to say output control via the PW's and portability are totally winning points.  I can't fault the gear I have..... but the desire for the big E is strong.  Maybe it's just the choice noise they make when the fire and recharge!

So below are few pics I took last Sunday.

Paper backdrop,  mostly softboxes and one attempt at Clamshell..... we did venture outdoors at the very death, but it was still too early in the afternoon to really achieve my desired outcomes.

The subject, Miss A, was a real trooper.  She gave me "sinister" when I need it!  She sat well, followed instructions and looked dead set stunning in the vintage gown...that I 'nearly' didn't buy!! She was recommended to me by a friend as a potential sitter and was accompanied by family. I'm so lucky to have met her and hope to shoot her again one day.

I was ably assisted with lighting by the aforementioned naked model as she is an accomplished photographer in her own right and for some reason volunteered to be my VAL for the day.  I very much enjoy her friendship. Shooting with her is a real joy.

So below are just five of the images of the day.  There were quite a few more and all required minimal editing, primarily cropping out a tiny sliver of softbox!  

The studio in the making was knows as Duna Studios.  Duna - Doona "well keep you covered", but we do need a new name.   So far StudioNao is atop the list.  If anything grabs you, send a message and I'll add it to the short list!

Lights, lights and more lights

As you may have guessed I am a little bit obsessed with photography.  My interest was always macro, the world of tiny stuff, bits of things, not the whole, but then in got hooked on the 100 Strangers Project and I wanted to shoot people, people and more people.   While I was shooting strangers I was also shooting friends and I wanted to shoot more and more people .... with artificial light.

I have scads of equipment, lots, heaps and I even know how to use some of it!!!   My lenses are an even split between primes and zooms.  If I am shooting people I like primes, but for other stuff I usually have a zoom on.  As for lighting I have 4 flash heads, 2 soft boxes, 4 brollies and pocket wizards to trigger all this stuff, but after shooting a model earlier in the week I seriously want to move further up the food chain to strobes.  I know the gear I have can easily replicate the work I did with the strobes, but the one sole advantage the strobes have over my gear is a modelling light.  The modelling light provides me a better idea of what the final image will look like.  It shows where the shadows will fall and how two lights blend or don't blend as the case may be.

This sole advantage is the reason why I am seriously considering offloading all my lighting gear and donating a kidney to pay for some lights that give me shadows!!!  I know it is not really logical or valid or reasonable.... but it is not all about logic.  It's about wants, not needs!

Below are some images I have taken... the first three are in my lounge room with my current soft boxes,  flash heads and pocket wizards.  The second group are shot with strobes similar to those I want to go into huge debt for.  The difference.... I no longer know if I can tell!!

What is glaringly different is the backgrounds.  Lounge room verses studio.   That's my next big purchase I think!

Anatomy of a photo shoot

Over 12 months ago I bought a beautiful gown. Long and flouncey.  Handmade with a fitted boned bodice and  5 layers of fabric in the skirt, yet it was unfinished.  It had never been hemmed. It had never been worn.  I saw it in an op shop when I was looking for clothing for the props cupboard.  Although it was expensive I HAD to have it.   Since the day I bought it, it has hung in my loungeroom window.  Almost teasing me, daring me to make the most of it.  Then, as you know, I got a bit sick and pretty much everything photographically complex was put on hold.  Seeking strangers stopped.  Duna Studios ground to a halt. Walking anywhere with the weight of a camera and lens became impossible and wearing a camera around my neck was just not an option.   Just a little desktop macro stuff  filled my flickr pages.  But nothing more complex or mentally or physically challenging.   Well I am starting to feel human again, having the odd good day in a week of bad.  I ran the idea past the Doc.  She isn't sure I am up for it yet, but agreed I could try.  So I decided it was time to photograph someone in the gown.  To set up a photo shoot from start to finish.

As all I had was the dress I needed a concept, a location, a model and an assistant.  Well the assistant was easy.  Josh is always willing to help out at this kind of gig and he is a genius with lighting and the technical side of the shoot.  I am sooooo not a genius with lighting or the technical stuff.  I rely on some  measure of luck and hope the artistic merit of the shot outweighs any deficiency in the technical component.  Then a concept came to me.  Middle European style,  "girl in a forest" was what my minds eye saw.  The long hot Australian summer kindly provided me with a location.  A bushfire provided me with a stand of burnt out trees and the shot was complete.  Well complete in my minds eye that is.  I was still missing someone to wear the gown.  And that I found was going to be harder to organise than I imagined.

I put a casting call on a model website.  I outlined the gig and said I was searching for a size 8 model with long dark hair willing to do a TFCD shoot.  TFCD means she provides her time freely and in return she gets both Hi and low resolution shots for her portfolio that she has a legal right to use for self promotion.  It is a contracted shoot. Complete with identity confirmation and a waiver.  I planned to shoot to take ONE HOUR.

Over 50 people read the casting call and I had 3 replies.  The first girl had chrome coloured hair...... yep a dull grey.  Not her real colour, just a dull grey.  The second girl wanted payment and the third girl lived 135kms away... but was willing to travel!   I opted for the paid model.  I knew what I wanted, her rates were reasonable and I didn't need her for very long!  She gave me her availability, agreed on a price structure and I set a time and date....... and then she didnt get back to me!  A no show, a flake!  Later I got an email saying she had gone to Sydney for the weekend, but was available "Anytime".

Soured by this I began hunting for a reliable local girl who would spare me an hour of her time.  If I was unable to find a willing model I did assess the viability of putting  my youngest nephew in a wig for the shoot!  He's always willing to help me, but he drew the line there!!!  I knew the look I wanted and contacted a friend of my niece.  I managed to convince a beautiful young lady to be a part of the process.  It took quite a few emails to win her over.   In the end Monica agreed to wear the gown and so in a few short hours we will try to make the image in my head an image on my sensor.

All batteries are charged, lightstands sorted, flash heads and triggers checked, reflectors packed and when I load it all into the car I will be ready to roll.  Also packed are pins and duct tape, just in case the gown needs some "adjusting".  The weather gods are smiling and fingers crossed it stays that way till about 4pm today.

Here's the gown that started this whole merry go round!!

UPDATE:

At 2pm the second model sent me a message on facebook that she couldn't make it.   Now I have no issue here as I know this girl and she wouldn't have canned the shoot without good cause!  I sent a mate a message that the gig was off and he made a call, then put me in contact with someone he had recently shot.  This amazing young lady came to the party and two and a half hours later we were shooting in the original location.  She was a complete delight to work with.  Here is one of the afternoon.

So much better than grapes!

You know when you are sick people tend to spoilt you with flowers and grapes and stuff like that.  Well as you know I've been a bit little but sick and I did get some lovely flowers, no grapes, but 4 dozen roses and a bouquet of gerberas and cabbage flowers made up for the lack of grapes.  I also received one very unusual gift.....a live model.  My mate D knows how i LOVE to have a camera in my hand and so instead of flowers or grapes he turned up with Kiara!  A 21 year old vivacious creature with a full sleeve tattoo and a part shaved and tattooed head!  AWESOME!  Sooooo much better than grapes!

I have the ability to turn my loungeroom into a 5 light studio with full continuous paper backdrop set up in about 10 minutes flat and that we did.  Struggling to lit heavy stuff D helped me raise the backdrop and set up some lights.  He also did some prop moving and held me steady as I climbed up a little ladder to shoot from above.   Knowing I wanted to do a  bit of a glam shoot Kiara took the time to curl her hair and do her makeup and she was totally into the glam role.

We shot in four outfits....... but one just didn't suit the brief.  So four became three and over two hours we managed to get about 35 classy (even if I do say so myself) shots.  Coffee was consumed, the studio packed away and goodbyes said left me exhausted but I did manage to view the images that night. I am not one for photoshop, simply as I have no idea how to use it, but with consistent lighting and stable backdrops nothing really needed to be done to them.

So here are a few of what was shot.
I hope you like them. I know I do!