Mystery Man

Another themed model shoot.  This time I had the idea called “Mystery Man”.  The theme was to have an attractive model doing her normal poses, however, with 2 differences.  First, the Mystery Man part of the shoot would be in the industrial parts of the Circle City Industrial Complex versus in Studio.  CCIC is the building housing our M10 Studio.  Secondly, I would get a guy to stand behind my model and “lurk” in the background.  The idea was to light the model and use a shallow depth of field.  The Mystery Man would be dark, in the background and out of focus.  Kind of a creeper look.  Sorry, strange things go on in my noggin sometimes.

Once the idea was locked down I went to my go-to MUA, Sasha Starz.  She said sure.  Next line up a model. I wanted someone willing to work in an industrial space and had hard edges.  I turned to a model I had planned to shoot for some time.  Got the model lined up so everything was good to go.  Finally, I lined up my nephew (he’s uber cool) who was interested in playing the part of the mystery man.  Oh, BTW, I’ve got my own studio, so no problems with that important part!!

As an added bonus I was doing a set in studio against a black backdrop, and offered my nephew the opportunity to pick up one of my camera’s and shoot the first set with me.  He was a willing student.

The day of the shoot was here, and you know what?  You guessed it, my model went radio silent.  Couldn’t get ahold of her, so I asked Sasha to ping her.  Unfortunately, she told Sasha she couldn’t make it.  3 hours before the shoot, and I was sans model.  Argh!!

No dramas though.  Sasha worked her Rolodex and within an hour she had lined up the fresh model talents of Traci Muston.  Excellent.

I went to the studio and set up the lights, background & waited for everyone to arrive.  On time they arrived.  Traci was going to be good.  She had the looks, long hair, multiple changes of clothes, and a willingness to do something different.  Sasha immediately went to work on Traci.  And as I expected Sasha was uber.

While Traci was getting ready I walked my nephew through the model photographer’s paces.  I showed him that we were going to use a clamshell lighting setup with an Elinchrom D-Lite 4 with softbox as the top of the clamshell, and a reflector umbrella with a Nikon SB-600 speedlight as the bottom of the clamshell.  We set the lighting about 8 feet away from the backdrop.  This is the same setup used for my  Kabuki Girl shoot (see a previous blog post).  Our Nikons were set at manual mode, ISO 200, flash preset WB, 1/160 speed & f/8.  I was using my Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8, and the other camera was set up with my Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD.  The Tamron is A-OK for studio work, but like I’m mentioned previously not good for lower light shooting since it’s not VR equipped and it just doesn’t focus fast enough.

Traci was ready to go and we positioned here between the clamshell and fired away.  My nephew and I traded turns shooting with me directing Traci the entire time.  Although Traci was a new to the modeling game she had one great feature.  She’s the first model I’ve worked with that could hold a pose for as long as needed.  No kidding, you could get her into the right pose and POW, she locked it down.  This was EXTEMELY helpful when shooting with a second shooter.  Skills!

We worked Traci for about ½ hour, and then it was time to do the Mystery Man.  We loaded all of our camera gear, change of clothes, and 2 Nikon SB-600 speedlights, set up to be triggered with my Elinchrom Skyports and portable snoots and RPS Studio Softbox.  We headed into the bowels of the building.

Once in the industrial side of the building we positioned both Traci and my Mystery Man in different positions, distances apart and lighting in different locations.  Lots of the lighting was trial and error since the lighting was very mixed.  I also adjusted my camera speed and f/stop to get shallower DOF.  This is really the first time I probably could have used a light meter!  We did 2 sets in the Mystery Man series and got lots of really fun shots.  Everyone was into it.  My goal was to strive for a darker atmosphere.  

After about an hour we had Traci change out of a dress into jeans and top, and my Mystery Man had to head out.  We went into another section of the building and basically did the standard industrial pretty girl portrait works.  I had Traci up against a wall, mixing with industrial props, in a doorway, on a chair.  Basically, anything we could find.  Again, she was great, and took direction well.  

 3 hours were up, and we called it a day.  Got some really good images and we all had a good time.  

After action report:

·         Following experience from our Kabuki Girl I set up a separate makeup area in the back room with color corrected lights.  Much better.

·         I’ve GOT to figure out a way to get hard commitments from my models.  Maybe this comes from experience, but this is the one variable I get most concerned with.  It either makes or breaks the shoot.  I really want to shoot different models, but man it’s risky shooting someone new.  Oh, BTW that’s why I like Sasha…rock solid with her commitments and help.

·         Pull my model farther away from the background.  I had Traci about 3 feet away from the background, and that was too close for my lighting.  I got light spill onto the background that showed up in post.  No problems correcting in post processing, but still.

·         Get a portable power pack for my Elinchrom.  I would have liked using the bigger softboxes with the mystery man section versus my speedlights and smaller softboxes. Oh well, any port in a storm.  It still worked well, but I would have liked the extra flexibility.

M10 Studio - Behind The Scenes

Our M10 Studio is approximately 800 sq feet in the Circle City Industrial Complex.  However, "behind the scenes" of the studio lurks the under-belly of the complex.  It's very industrial.  Although it is being refurbished into small business spaces, it's still very gritty.  This is going to be an EXCELLENT space for photoshoots.  You KNOW I'm going to plan a model shoot in these spaces. 

Stay tuned my friends,

All photos were shot with available light in Aperture priority.  Images were shot with either my Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8G or Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G.  Settings were either at 200 ISO when on a tripod or 1600 ISO hand held. 

There will be a couple of challenges shooting in this area.  First the lighting and second the lack of available power outlets. 

The lighting challenge can be handled, but it will be a constant and changing variable.  During the day most of the light is harsh and mixed.  Some areas have large, industrial lights giving off a bluish caste. In other areas there are hard shadows created by direct or diffused light coming through the windows.  Often this light sources mix.  Also, the lights change as you move throught he spaces and based on the time of day.   This is one reason shooting in RAW file format is so important, and to NOT shoot in automatic white balance.

In most shots, especially some of the darker areas, studio or speedlights will be needed.  This means BYOP (bring your own power).  In the smaller / tighter areas speedlights will work perfectly so no dramas here.  However, there are going to be times I'll want to use larger lights.  Portable batteries will be required.  Again, no major issue, it just means more planning and more stuff to carry around.  Oh, the perils of a photographer...

Bottomline these spaces provide excellent gritty / industrial areas to shoot.

M10 Studio Opening in Time Lapse

Paul D'Andrea, one of my partners in M10 Studio in downtown Indianapolis did a time lapse video of our IDADA 1st Friday public reception. 

His description:

"I've recently partnered with two photographer friends to open a studio and gallery in downtown Indianapolis. M10 Studio is located in the Circle City Industrial Complex at Mass. Ave and 10th. This video is a timelapse I did of M10's initial First Friday opening.

Technical info: I used a GoPro HD Hero 2 in timelapse mode, taking a photo every 10 seconds. The camera was mounted on an Emotimo PT. The stills and effects were assembled and rendered in After Effects. The music was found on dig.ccmixter.org"

Enjoy!!

M10 Studio In Time Lapse

Kabuki Girl

Time for another themed photoshoot.  This time I wanted to do something with an Asian theme.  After some research I decided to replicate a Japanese dance-drama theme with a female Kabuki character.  Of course, I planned artistic license for the shoot, doing something a bit more erotic.

OK, theme selected, check.  

Next, I studied the type of image I wanted, researching and selected images for my storyboard.  I use the storyboard more for a guide for my model and MUA.  Also to give myself an idea of how I want to use lighting.  

Storyboard done, check.  

I already knew who I wanted for my MUA.  I’ve used Sasha Starz before, and she’s a pro.  We work well together so that decision was easy.  

MUA selected, check.  

Next, I needed a studio to shoot.  Hold on, wait a minute.  This is what created a bit of a delay.  I decided to go in with 2 other local photographers and open our own photography studio.  Guess what, it takes time to get a studio set up, so that delayed me about a month.  Time well spent!!  

Anyway, studio in hand, check.

Finally, my model.  This was going to be a bit tricky because a) I wanted someone with long black hair (preferably without a wig), b) natural Asian features (although, I could have replicated this with makeup), and c) someone who was willing to do one set topless.  Mind you, it wasn’t really “topless” because she was going to be covered in white grease paint, and shots with her girly parts strategically covered, but still.  

I figured no way on earth would a model, especially someone I’ve never met want to take the risk and shoot with me.  I figured creeper-city.  I really don’t want a rep as a GWC (guy with camera) in the Indianapolis model community.  Reputation is everything.  So, I turned to Sasha to see if she could help me out, and bingo.  She identified the perfect model, Nora, stage name, Mina Vee.  I suspect I could have found other models who would have worked with me, but for this shoot I wanted Sasha’s support.

Guess what my friends, Nora was perfecto.  She’s got the look, the hair, the style, and willingness to do the shoots I had in mind.

Model lined up, check.

Dates set, we had a gig.  Shoot day everyone arrived on time.  I figured it was going to take about 3 hours of makeup, setup and shooting.  I wasn’t in a rush and I left the entire afternoon open.  One BIG bonus for the shoot is that one of my studio partners, Paul D’Andrea, happened to be coming into the studio and I asked him if he wanted to shoot with me.  We have complimentary lighting equipment so I thought it would help.

We set up 2 backdrops for this shoot in the studio.  One using #20 black SavageSeamless Background Paper, and the other #66 pure white.  The studio has plenty of room for 2 full setups, possibly even squeezing in a 3^rd, but I digress.  Our new studio, M10 Studio is roomy.

The first shoot was to have Nora’s face painted lightly white, deep red lipstick and temporary tattoos on her back.  While Sasha was getting her set, Paul and I put together a clamshell lighting setup to shoot through.  This was shot against the black backdrop.  We also wanted a red halo around our model so we added a couple of Nikon speedlights with red gels.

The lighting consisted of:

·    Elinchrom D-Lite 400 monolight with a 27” beauty dish and diffuser sock as the top of the clamshell

·    Black reflective umbrella on a Manfrotto 5001B lightstand with a Nikon SB-600 Speedlight as the bottom of the clamshell  triggered with an Elinchrom EL SkyPort Universal

·    Kicker lights on the backdrop with a Nikon SB-800 and an SB-600 Speedlight both gelled red. 

The First Lighting Setup - The Clamshell

Nikon Speedlights with Red Gels Against a Black Backdrop

The SB-800 was set as a slave, whereas the SB-600 had another SkyPort to trigger it.  Both speedlights were set at ¼ power and the Speedlight in the umbrella at 1/32^nd power.  The D-Lite was at the lowest setting.

Paul used his light meter and the setup was metered at f/8.  We were shooting the entire in manual mode ISO 200 & 1/160 shutter speed.  All images were shot with a Nikon D300s with an AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED.

OK, Nora is all ready to go, and we took turns shooting and directing.  Very nice images.  After about 30 minutes shooting it was time to move to the next set.  

For set number 2 we asked Sasha to apply thicker white face paint on our model waist up and harsher makeup on her face consisting of 2 black stripes across her eyes and a red stripe on her body.  This took about 45 minutes, but worth the wait.  

Once finished we positioned Nora in the same location, but this time with a Katana sword.  Again we spent about 30 minutes directing Nora against the black backdrop with the same lighting setup.  This produced some striking images, although in post processing I really didn’t like the effect of the light off the Katana sword.  Paul and I switched off taking turns shooting.

For the 3^rd set we used the white backdrop, and slightly different makeup.  Essentially, we had Sasha darken our model’s lips to blood red and to make one big black stripe across her eyes. 

Sasha and Nora at Work

 While makeup was being applied we set up the lighting.  We did 2 setups.  First,

 

·        Nikon SB-800 & SB-600 Speedlights with blue gels hidden behind a “barn door” to avoid blue splashing onto our model

·        Paul C Buff 64” PLM umbrella and an Elinchrom D-Lite 400 camera right as our key light

The Speedlights were set at ½ power so we could get a solid blue caste on the white background. We set the D-Lite at a setting that would allow us to shoot at f/16. 

Our model took her place, and we shot away.  This time directing her facing different directions, tight face shots, waist up, arms across chest, etc. etc.  We were getting some great shots and everybody was getting into it.  I asked Sasha to help out by putting a maroon scarf around our model neck and holding it up so it looked like the wind was blowing.  We also moved the PLM to camera left.  We also turned off the Speedlights and fired up 2 additional Elinchrom D-Lite 400’s behind barn doors camera right and left to create a dramatic high key effect.  This worked really well especially since our model was painted full white, except for the red stripe and makeup.  We also did a series with the lipstick smeared.  A cool effect if I do say so myself.

Against White Background with Speedlights with Blue Gels & Paul C Buff PLM

Finally, after shooting for about 30 minutes Paul tried one more setup using a Westcott 7’ Octabank with a Elinchrom Ranger A studio light as the key instead of the directional PLM.   He shot this to maximize the high key effect.  Let me tell you, the Octabank is as bright as the sun.

Westcott Octabank & Ranger A MonoLight

Overall, our shoot took about 4 hours, but it felt like 30 minutes.   Everyone worked well together, and we all had fun.  The images are coming out as well as I expected.  A perfect day in the office.

High Key

I can’t wait for another shoot.

After action tips:

·        Bring space heaters.  Poor Nora.  The weather was a bit cool, but for some reason our studio heating (central heating) wasn’t on.  The heat controls are central so no joy warming the place up.  Not good when your model has only a layer of grease paint on.  She was a real sport however,

·        Natural lighting for the makeup area.  We are putting on the finishing touches to the studio and the lighting I had put in was incandescent.  Not good as it’s too orange.  I’ll be switching those out before the next shoot,

·        Spend more time taking notes.  Paul D’Andrea is an expert.  I didn’t take notes of the setup and power settings for future reference.  I’m A-OK with my lighting, but didn’t get everything on the Ranger A or the SB-800,

·        Shoot tethered.  I really didn’t get any good shots with the Katana sword simply because I overexposed do sword.  Sure I could rely on Photoshop, but I’m not going to bother, I had many other images I liked

·        Make 100% sure your model knows what you want to do, and your vision for the shoot.  I would have been very bummed if after the first set she said, “You want me to do what?”  She worked with Sasha, me and Paul and was a true pro.  Loved it.