Shoots

Practice shoot
Low Key

The purpose of this shoot was to test out the best lighting set ups and positioning model positioning for my up and coming henna shoot. Although I will be attempting high key and still life in the actual shoot this practice shoot was just to test the low key lighting. 

I started by choosing a dark backdrop. I did this as I wanted the images to be atmospheric but also intimate and I thought a white backdrop would draw too much attention away from the artist and her model. 

For the lighting setup I started with one light source on the left side. I decide to have this on the left as it would illuminate the artist and only the back of the model. This would bring the attention to the artist and the work that she is creating as these are the most important parts of the images the model is not important and does not need to be fully illuminated, the more the model is seen as a canvas the better as this is the meaning behind the image. 

The light was fitted with a honey comb filter so that it would focus the light but not make it too harsh. The light was situated quite far away from the artist so that it would throw quite a large area of light out. The light was also on a very low intensity so that it wouldn't was anyone out, as both my models were are skinned.  

I found that although the one light source worked it wasn't illuminating the scene fully, so I added another light source on the opposite side. I still didn't want to illuminate the model so I added barn doors to the light source. This let me cut of the light before it hit any part of the model other than her back. I also kept this light source on a low intensity. 

Now that the lighting was working well I started thinking more about the composition. I firstly had my model sat on a chair but studio chairs are always awful and it also made the image look quite awkward and impersonal so I removed the chair and had both of the girls sit on the floor, this gave the image much more of a personal feel and made it look much more natural. It also helped the lighting as it wasn't bouncing of the chair. 

Now everything was looking a lot better but there was still a lot of light being reflected of the black paper. Then Noora had a great idea, 'Why not use some of the fabrics'. So we laid them down and it worked perfectly. It not only absorbed most of the light but also gave the image more texture and feeling. In the actual shoot I will be using heena/tribal wall hangings to add a bit of context. 

I last thing to talk about is the positioning. I tried out a few different positions and found that the model with her back facing me worked best but it i hard to say at this point as I haven't actually got the artist in the studio yet. 

Below is an annotated contact sheet of the shoot.

Practice Shoot

High Key

The purpose of this shoot was to test out the best lighting set ups and modeling positions for high key images. 

We began by illuminating the backdrop (a white backdrop was chosen as this is classically used in High Key images) we used two light sources with equal light intensities aimed at the most central point of the backdrop to give the most equal light coverage. Each light was set to 4.8 and were fitted with a door to stop the light leaking and causing a shadow. These lights were positioned in the centres of the backdrops run off. 

Then we added two more lights the same distance apart as the other two but at the end of the backdrops run off. These lights were set at 4.0 so that the background would be a higher exposure thus making it brighter and whiter. These lights were fitted with soft boxes so that the light would not be too harsh. 

Later on a large crane light was used to get rid of final shadows, this light was positioned above the model and in between the two lights with the soft boxes. 

At first there was quite a lot of shadow being produced, this was down to a number of different things which after a lot of changing dials we sorted out. Firstly the background was too bright which cause more of a shadow to be produced in the foreground as the two lighting sources were so different. The two lights needed to be different so that the background would be overexposed but not so much that it begins to create shadow. We found 4.8 at the back and around 4.4 at the front worked well. 

But there was still shadow so we employed the crane light and positioned it above the model so that the light around her feet would be illuminated (as it is where the majority of the shadow was found).  

Now that we had begun to remove the shadow we started looking at the positioning of the model and how we could use it to our advantage, we soon realised that in different positions the shadow was much less prominent e.g. with the models feet together or with one foot of the ground. 

Once we had gotten everything as equal as we possibly could and had found the perfect positions to put our model in we thought we had nailed it but upon reviewing the images we noticed that instead of the more defined shadows like people's legs, arms etc. there was a large shadow spanning the lower portion of the backdrop. This showed an imbalance between the front and back lights, we changed the front lights up to 4.6 and this made all the difference as you can see in the final images there is virtually no shadow at all. 

Practice Shoot 

Low Key No.2

This shoot was just to try out the lighting before the henna shoot. I just wanted to recap on the set up, positioning and to see how the image would work with the throw put down. I was testing the lighting set up to see how easy it would be to re-create the setup I use last time. It was actually harder than I once thought. At first I found it hard to recreate the moody, secluded feeling that the original shoot had but after thinking about what I had done, I sorted out my camera settings and got back to a lighting that I wanted. I really didn't want any stark washed out tones or anything over exposed. I was aiming for that dark moody tones you can see in the last few images, I wanted the images to be dark but with a strong vibrant saturation to pick up the rich tones of the throws. 

I used the same setup that I used for the first low key practice shoot as I wanted to create the same ambiance, the only added feature were the throws.

The light on the left was set to 1.0, this light was being used to cast a wide ambient light over the whole scene, illuminating the artists back and the part of the model. 

The light on the left was set to a higher intensity (1.8) this was due to the fact it was being used differently, I had attached a barn door so that I could illuminate the artist and only part of the model. Drawing a line down the model with the barn door leaving a portion illuminated and a portion in darkness. The higher the light intensity the firmer the line. 

Overall this was a useful shoot, it helped me get back to grips with the equipment and let me do a little bit of experimentation before the henna shoot started. 

Henna Shoot

Low Key

This was my first legitimate shoot. It had been a little tricky sorting everything out and getting everyone together at the same time but after a little stress it got sorted. I had all the props I needed, the right studio, my artist and my model. 

I started by setting the lighting up in the same way that I had practiced. Black backdrop, light source on the left and a light source on the right fitted with barn doors. 

I then lay three different throws down, covering the backdrop that was on the floor. i wanted to use these throws as I felt they gave the image a bit more context, added vibrance, supported the artwork and the artist and added an extra level of interest to the images. 

I started by shooting in the same position that I had been shooting in for my practice shoot, the lighting was working as it should be but the images weren't. I soon realised that I would have to shoot a lot differently now that the work as actually being produced. Shooting from the straight on position that I was attempting meant that most of the time the work was either covered or the artist herself was creating a shadow over it. 

Although as the artwork got larger these shots got easier as there wa more to see but this still wasn't quite right, I started moving around, trying wider and tighter crops & changing the way in which the light was being projected. Then while I was changing the light settings on my camera I ran into a problem, there was a recurring dark shadow in every images and I had no idea how it had gotten there or how to remove it. I tried changing my position, the light even the exposure but then I realised the shutter speed was on 1/250! I had knocked it by accident and this high shutter speed was too quick for the lights which was causing the shadowing. I changed the shutter speed back to 1/125 and all was righted. 

I continued to try different angles and positions for the models seeing what would work best. Then I thought to myself 'what do I actually want to see' at first I had only wanted to see the artist and the artwork, seeing the model as more of a canvas but upon going through this shoot I started changing my mind and that I actually wanted the model in as much as the artist. I also wanted as much of the throws in as possible. So now I had to think, I scanned the  room and there in the corner was a ladder. Perfect. 

I set up the ladder behind the artist and model and began shooting, I produced a variety of shots from different angles and distances. I found this was the most useful way of shooting as it let me capture a lot of what was going on from an angles with minimal disruption shadow or the artist's hand. 

Although I collected a lot of shots while doing this my personal favourites are the wider angle birds eye view images in which you can see all of the model, all of the artist and lots of the throws. I love the way these shots resonate especially the ones which I have composed correctly, they gave the perfect amount of space on each side, not leaving too much room but looking too cropped and with enough of the detail from the throws coming through. I definitely think the portrait versions of this work best. 

But in quite a contradiction to that I also really liked the images with a tighter crop, the shots that look in detail at the artwork, they aren't focusing on anything really besides the work being produced. 

I think both of these types of images work extremely well and look at identity in different ways. The larger birds eye view images demonstrate a sense of identity within the culture of henna, the clothing and attitude of the artist is captured, the patterns and vibrancy of the throws look at the rich heritage of this age old tradition and the fact neither artist or model is Indian or an obvious relation to the tradition of henna we are also looking at how the tradition and/or skill of henna production is growing and being adopted by everyday people.  

Whereas the images with a tighter crop give less away, they are more of a representation of the artwork and the identity of the artist. These shots are less about tradition and more about art, someones artwork is their identity. Showing the artist producing this impressive piece of work onto a blank canvas with no other distractions isn't discussing henna as an art form but more the artist as a producer of art work.  

Henna shoot

High Key

This was the second half of the henna shoot. While looking for inspiration on photographing henna I had seen a few high key images and the first thing I noticed about them was the huge amounts of detail they conveyed especially when these images were desaturated.  The way in which the images were lit really emphasised the multiples lines and tiny details packed into the artwork. 

So after my low key shoot I didn't a quick change around, well as quick as I could. I changed the backdrop and then proceeded to set up the lights in the same way that I had practiced in my high key practice shoot (image in the review above). 

I employed various techniques that had worked in previous high key shoot e.g. bringing the feet together. 

While I was shooting I noticed that some of the shots looked slightly disproportionate and then I remembered that for these types of shots were best shooting at the belly button. I took one knee and proceeded to shoot these shots at first glance didn't look that much different but upon further inspection the slight change in shooting style brought everything into proportion. 

I didn't have a huge problem with shadow was the setup was exactly the same from the previous shoot. The only thing I had trouble with was the large sweeping shadow along the bottom of the backdrop. This was due to the fact I stupidly forgot to add the doors to the sides of the lights that were illuminating the backdrop. This meant there was a slight light bleed fighting against the front facing lights. 

Despite that there was very little hassle with this shoot and hopefully I will be able to remove the shadow in post production. 

Still Life shoot

The aim of this shoot was to explore the various different ways in which I could photograph my artists equipment. I had a few different ideas that I wanted to test out. First of all I wanted to try a classical still life approach, I wanted a dark backdrop and moody lighting. 

I began by lying a dark backdrop down and setting up one light with a standard head as I had seen a photographer do a similar thing and get brilliant results. 

The first problem I came across was that the image looked very flat, I tried to rectify this by planing a small box under the black material and ruffling the material. This did make the image look better but overall the image wasn't working, I added another light at this point coming in from behind the subject. I placed a soft box on the original light and a standard head on the second light. 

Eventually I gave up on this approach, the main reason for this was the texture of the material, it wasn't black velvet it was a cord texture and I really didn't like the effect this gave.

I then moved on to my second idea which was quite similar to the first but using a throw that I used in the henna shoot. I attempted the ruffled classical approach but instantly this didn't look right so I went for a different approach. For this I pulled the throw tight and smoothed it out. I then arranged the tubes of henna gel neatly using the throws patterns as a guide. This approach did work in some way, it looked interesting and vibrant but overall it just looked messy and overpowering. The bright glitteryness of the tubes really clashed with the similar tones of the throw and just made the images hard to look at. 

Upon realising that the throw was to over powering and the black throw was horrible I decide to go for a plain backdrop and let the tubes and there beautiful brightness talk for themselves. 

I started by photographing them lent down but I found this really boring so I thought about other interesting still lives I had seen. I always find still lives where the item looks as if it is floating really interesting, so I thought how could I do that myself? I looked around and saw a piece of wire and a weight. I hooked the wire around the tubes and twisted the metal so that it would either hold up the tube as if it was floating or balance it on its tip. 

These shots were a triumph. I lit them from behind with a bright and low light and lit equally from the from with two soft boxes. A similar approach to high key.