Dancing Blues
F5.6, 1-200, ISO 100, Canon 10D
Octodome on Front Light, 40degree grid in back rim, assorted LED point lights (blue filter). ...
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F5.6, 1-200, ISO 100, Canon 10D
Octodome on Front Light, 40degree grid in back rim, assorted LED point lights (blue filter).
Read less
Octodome on Front Light, 40degree grid in back rim, assorted LED point lights (blue filter).
Read less
Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a friends studio. I prefer to shoot in my own, however, it was being renovated at the time. So, its good to have friends.Time
This was shot in the evening because I love to sleep in. I do hear people love shooting in the morning. I truly believe they are aliens. However, on this day, the air conditioner wasn't working, the makeup artist was cranky, and the stylist never showed up. So, the model and I decide we were going to just have a blast and do the craziest things we could think of. In this image, what is not seen, the model is stepping on a teddy bear (studio mascot) and holding him for ransom. I had to agree to give her a coke and my crackers to get him back. This was truly a crazy shoot.Lighting
I had planned on shooting the model in a dark blue shiny cocktail dress. It was beautiful. My vision was to have a underwater look (hence the blue tone). I had a backgroud fill shooting through a lacy fabric which gave the sprayed look for the back light. Then I had two strip light (gridded and gelled) on each side. Then a 7 foot softbox for front fill. All the lights were color temped with CTO gels and each (except the stip lights) had an additiona blue gel.Equipment
That image was captured with a Canon 10D oddly enough. I shoot with a Canon 6D but was just playing around with the 10D for a bit. The lens was a Canon 24-70 2.8L series lens and I used Dynalites 2040 heads for flash. I used the PhotoFlex light modifiers for the strip lights as well as the Octodome main fill and used a home built barn-door attachment on the background light.Inspiration
Well, the stylist didn't show up. The makeup artist was cranky. It had rained for two days and nothing else was going right. So, this shot was inspired by the desire to create something from nothing. The model and I decided we were going to just have a blast regardless of the string of errors earlier. And before we began shooting we jokingly called this session "rise above the errors of life". The longer we shot, the more I could feel how great images can happen when you simply let go and allow them to happen. My job during this shoot was to simply capture the mood of our exploration.Editing
This shot is fairly straight out of camera. I did have to raise the saturation a bit as well as raise the blues slightly in a curves layer. Added a little sharpening on output. Finally a blue color layer set on soft light and opacity set to about 50 percent to enhance the already blue studio. That is about all that was done. I didn't want to add a lot given that we were simply trying to capture a triumph over all the errors of the day. I just wanted it to be as natural as possible yet still be presentable.In my camera bag
I shoot primarily with a Canon 6D. I love the full frame aspect as well as the fact I can tether my camera wireless to my laptop. I do carry a Canon 10D as a backup. I realize it is an older camera, however, it has been a workhorse of a camera for me and simply love the simplicity of it. I carry a Canon 24-70 2.8L as well as a Canon 70-200 2.8 L lens. And of course a 50MM lens. I don't think I could survive without that lens. Even if I don't use it in a shoot, I just feel better knowing its there. I use the Color Checker Passport for white balance and color correction so I have that in my bag as well. Of course have extra batteries, cables, and memory cards. And I carry a small quote printed on a piece of paper inside my lens cap that reads " To thine own self be true". Its a cliche I know. However, all the best gear in the world can't compose my shots, expose my shots, or press the button. So, that statement is the most important thing in my bag. Oh, and a pack of crackers. Sounds funny, but when you're out on location and are miles from the truck. Crackers can be handy.Feedback
Don't be afraid to use gels. Even in giant softboxes or octodomes they are very useful. Learn to use everyday materials as Go Between or GoBo's (that is the effect on the background that you see in this image). Something as simply as a slitted cardboard box can work. In this case it was a bunched up piece of lace. But, to add the blue, use a really large light source as your fill light and put a piece of gel in front of the flash head. You can mix and match if you wish. I tried a red and a blue on this shot and finally went with the blue. They are relatively cheap and reusable.
