TonyHeagren

Kristen

TriX. Pentax 6x7. Lewisham Palais.

TriX. Pentax 6x7. Lewisham Palais.
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Jan, 2015

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Awards

Staff Winter Selection 2015

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Absolute Masterpiece

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Love it

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Behind The Lens

Location

This was taken in an old dance hall in Lewisham in South East London. It's a great location as it hasn't changed or been updated / decorated since the 1950s. The decor is authentically "shabby chic", the fixtures and fittings, the furniture, the lamps on the walls, even the flock wallpaper are all original. This helps me as a photographer as it all adds atmosphere to the image I'm trying to make and the vibe I'm trying to evoke.

Time

This was shot late in the day. There were some semi nude and more revealing shots to do for this series and these are always done first as lingerie leaves marks on the body that take a long time to vanish. The models are told to arrive wearing no underwear and a loose track suit or similar. After a couple of hours in hair and make up in a gown even the waist marks of a loose track suit are gone. You shoot the nudes, then the frocks, then you shoot the lingerie last. Stockings and especially bras (which might not fit the model well) leave deep marks in the skin after only a few minutes which can take ages to go away. The shoes are always a half size too big for the same reason.

Lighting

This series was for a fashion (lingerie) story for a London magazine and the idea was to invoke the spirit of those dance floor burlesque strip shows from the 1950s, so, I used a very direct and focused light on the model (SQ44) with some softer fill on the background about a stop under. It was important to give the feel of a spot light - a super trooper - on the model but if you look at the shadow angle cast by the main "spot" on her face you'll see it would never have bounced any light on the background so that had to be done with another lamp and two poly boards to bounce and flatten the light. The chairs and table had to be filled with another lamp a about -3 stops knowing that it would be corrected in the print.

Equipment

This was shot on 35mm. I used a Canon F1n. (a beautiful fabulous camera) For flash I only ever use Elinchrom with an old Minolta III flash meter. If I do use a tripod (which is rare when I shoot 35mm) I have a Manfroto heavy duty which really §keeps things STILL ! Mostly I shoot on a 50mm f1.2 L lens but I can use 35mm and 28mm to mix it up. Film is always a question of budget... Big budget = Ilford XP2, HP5 or Pan F. Low budget = Orwo, the super cheap and massively underrated B/W film from Eastern Europe which I love. This story was shot on Orwo.

Inspiration

The Fashion Editor wanted something retro, sexy and stylish so we worked together to develop a twelve page story around the old '50s dance floor burlesque shows. Inspiration for the actual pictures came from film noir and old stills from the 50s. Hard shafts of light. Glamour. Femme fatale. Something sexy but just out of reach. Cabaret... I do a lot of sketches and tests before I shoot a job and then always share these with the model - the "shape" of the model in this picture was very important. There is no actual life in the room except her - no visible audience - and yet she is clearly performing and because she's so good there's a thrill in the picture. With the shape and the tension of the stretched stocking she brings a sense of action, of movement, of promise...

Editing

No. I'm very old school. Just get it right in camera, on film, then process and print it well.

In my camera bag

Next to nothing. I own no proffessional level equipment except a few Elichrom lamps to shoot tests with. Each job will require the exact right kit and you can't own everything - so work out what you need for each job and rent it for the day. All cameras essentially work the same way but each will offer something different. I like film and I don't like digital. I like 35mm for fashion work which needs movement and action, 5x4 for portraits and fashion in the studio but I also like medium format cameras like Rollie's and Mamiyas and 'blads for people pictures because they don't come between you and your subject. But - I always have a cheap and cheerful tiny Canon Ixus in my pocket to record cool locations or places I might see on my travels.

Feedback

Best and most simple advice: Decide what you want in advance. PLAN YOUR PICTURES !!! If you're actually trying to shoot something like this then you are past the beginner stage so you should know something about how light works. PLAN your pictures. If you're going to use something like an SQ44 to play as a spotlight you know it won't bounce anywhere but into row Z behind your shot so if you need background detail you have to plan for it and light it accordingly. You'll ALWAYS (always) need at least six lamps to shoot ten or twelve pages in a day - so rent six lamps or work in daylight with reflectors and polys. PS - you'll always also need four polys so rent them too - and have the whole lot delivered because you don't own a truck ! If you're not at the stage where you can spend money on this stuff then learn to use daylight and reflectors. A big piece of white paper and a friend holding it is as good as a $200 a day lamp. Professional editorial fashion photography is actually a much simpler business than most people think - it works like this: "WOW - what an arresting, striking, amazing image - and how many buttons are there on that frock"? You just have to tick both boxes. You have to tick 'em every single time with every single image but if you start practicing the idea early on it gets easier and easier. It's no use producing great art if the consumer can't see if the frock is A line or Empire line and it's equally no use producing catalogue style images if you want to be a successful editorial fashion photographer showing off the cutting edge of style and your cutting edge work. Just think "WOW - and how many buttons". On this specific image: The brief was retro 50s, sexy, stylish. So... I found a genuine retro location, this works for me as anything in the background just adds atmosphere. I lit it as it might have looked (or as we now imagine it might have looked via our Hollywood tainted imaginations), I dreamed up a scenario of a girl dancing (sexily, provocatively - like a stripper) and sitting on a table. I made sure we (the consumer) could see the product. I gave the model the story so she could work it and play with the idea (this picture is the best single image [for the magazine] from five rolls of 35/36). The stylist gave her a prop (the stocking) and that's when it started to come good. Last (and best) piece of advice - cast your model carefully - she'll / he'll make or break it. If you want to shoot something "sexy" a model under 23 won't get it, won't understand and won't be able to work the concept. You need a woman / man not a girl / boy and someone confident enough in themselves to play the role you are delivering to her. In this case 1950's burlesque stripper. As you start out as a fashion photographer REMEMBER: The "pretty pretty" models are generally useless and will just end up in catalogues. The ones who ask questions about the story, who are interested, who want to have a "role" will deliver you much better images.

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TonyHeagren

TonyHeagren

Kristen

TriX. Pentax 6x7. Lewisham Palais.

Behind The Lens

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