Older shoot, LOOK

Model: Brittani

Well, we originally started with a completely different idea for a more conceptual shoot... but things got in the way of that one. (We're still going to shoot it though.) So after some brainstorming and closet-searching, we started shooting the LOOK set.



I shot against a black background (black bedsheet from Wal-Mart, ha!) that had been held up against my desk/bookshelf. I was attempting to create something similar to a ringlight feel, without the ringlight, so I set up my Vivitar behind me into my umbrella. A little trial-and-error and I was shooting away. It looked paparazzi-ish and I decided I liked that.

We began with a more traditional set, and in this shot ----> shot we tried consciously to imitate the recent DIOR ads.

Then we added my sunglasses ($4.50 at AGACI) and it turned into something that looked like druggie-model caught by the media, or something. I always wanted to call one of the shots, "I Was A Socially Awkward Teenage Dinosaur". Oh well. I kept telling Brittani to mess up her hair a lot—we'd straightened it during hair and makeup and it was behaving itself too much.

I processed the shots similarly, starting with a basic Levels adjustment, skin retouching, and dodge and burn. With the sunglasses shot I also adjusted the Blue levels, pushing black output blue and white output yellow. For the DIOR shot I only pushed black output blue. For the first below shot I messed around with setting a brown layer on "Difference" and reducing opacity as well.

An Introduction, and stuff

Hi there.

I'm a young'un in the world of photography, but don't let that stop you. I'm certainly not going to let it stop me. :D This is my blog for how I did everything.

So, to start off: my equipment and setup.

Canon Digital Rebel XT (350D): my basic tool. I'm a cheap student and even though this isn't top-of-the-line, it gets me the photos I need. It's very easy to use. I usually shoot on manual.

Canon 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens: basic camera kit lens. Some people trash this lens as not being high-quality, but I've never had a problem with it. The range is perfect for what I usually do, it's fairly sharp and—most important—cheap.

Canon 50mm 1.8: my favorite. Sharp, fast, and light, not to mention inexpensive. If you're a Canon shooter and you don't have one of these, you're missing out.

Sigma 70-300mm 4.0-5.6 lens: my second lens, used mostly for wildlife and nature shots. Very nice, sharp, useful range for nature work. Also fairly inexpensive.

2 Vivitar 285HVs: my babies. These are my primary lights. Variable power and decent output make this incredibly useful for studio stuff. I got one on eBay and the other for Christmas. They're relatively inexpensive though and back in production.

Quantary MS-1: A really cheap, fairly low-output slave, I use this for rim or hair light to decent effect. Close range only.

GadgetInfinity radio triggers: I have three. Two are currently malfunctioning. The other one, I've never had a problem with. D: Looking for something new.

White umbrella: I think it's 40". White with removable black backing for shoot-through possibilities. My tool for big, soft light.

Light stands: Yep. Light stands to put my lights on.

Roscoe gels: The free sample pack fits my tiny strobes perfectly and lets me play with colors.

Snoot: made out of a cardboard box and covered in duct tape.

And that's about what I use. No light meter except the one in my camera. I tend to use one strong key light with one or two rim lights. I like dark shadows and bright highlights, with little in between. I do a lot of work in Photoshop, but not enough to change the nature of the photo. Just skin retouching, background stuff if necessary, dodge and burn for more contrast. :)

Future posts to cover specific shoots.