Playboy, ,Johnny Crosslin Golden look...how is it done?

Playboy...Johnny Crosslin Golden look,how is it done?

 

 

http://www.johnnycrosslin.com

 

 

 

Thanks for your feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

Mission

With a golder reflector :)

 

It seems he is fond of lubed models in diffused light and a full tonal scale.

 

[Not appropriate for work, unless you work for Playboy.]

Hi Emre,

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Do you mean low contrast when you say "full tonal scale"?

 

 

Do you think he is just bouncing the diffused light off a gold reflector with a couple side hair lights?

 

OR?

He's probably using amber gels on his lights to give the golden glow (and using a color temperature meter to adjust the gels for consistency).

 

In addition to the main (big softbox or strip dome) and hairlight, he's using another light behind the model and to the right to provide rim lighting on most of the shots.

amber gels is probably right, as well as setting the color temp on the camera a bit warm, and a golden reflector as needed as. Plus, I have a friend that's done a bit of makeup for Playboy and she says she ALWAYS uses a bronzing sheen for the body, which adds to the effect.

 

To get this effect, you'll have to light everything pretty well. This means less dramatic. It can be achieved readily with some larger (2x3Meters) softboxes with as much diffusion as possible.

 

Just remember, all these shots include full body makeup, not just the face and it shows.

I mean he likes the histogram to run from black to white, with detail at both extremes, as opposed to using only midtones, for example.

For the main light, Large (54" x 72") Chimera softboxes or Elincrom Octalights that are gelled with combinations of Rosco or Lee Straw and different strengths (1/8, 1/4, 1/2) of CTO filter. Playboy photographers will use layers of theses gels ( for instance, the entire face of the softbox witll have a 1/2 STRAW or 1/4 CTO and the middle 1/2 strip will have another layer of 1/4 or 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 CTO so the light is progressively warmer from edge to center.

Ellis is correct. Lee Filters is a great source for your gels a use of a warming filter is cool as well as bouncing off of the gold reflector provided you can control the consistancy of light around the subject and back ground. For me because I am not anywhere at any one time and have no base, I mainly shoot cine lighting i.e. Hot lights, so I am into Gels and filters. You can also adjust the color temp in your photoshop for final tweaking but best to get it first from the lens. Good Luck

 

 

 

 

 

 

ellis is correct but

Thanks for all the intelligent tips and feedback.

Don't forget photoshop. :)

Don't forget photoshop. :)

 

I haven't but it isn't the same

I've achieved the look now with a slight blue filter on the light (maybe a 1/4 at most) and shot the pic with a warmer white balance (usually selected in post). that way the background is a little more (usually about 3-4K) warmer than the model and foreground. the more golden bokeh adds to the look for me. take note that this only works with substantial spacing between the model and background. otherwise the light spill on the background ruins the effect.

I think he also uses PAM w/BUTTER (the cooking spray) to achieve the sheen on their skin. He is As good as I have ever seen at what he does in that specific style of photography! KUDOS to Johnny!

 

http://www.mandarichmodels.com

Lots of lights.

 

One Photog wil use a 7' Ocotobox as key light, have an assistant work a 24"x36" Black silk 1/4 stop scrim between the key and the model. He uses a 3' Octobox mounted high and behind the camera as fill. Normally 2 gel covered 7" grid lights for the hair placed high and behind the model. 2 gel covered 7" grid lights placed behind and to either side for rim and accent. Sometimes an asiatant works a fresnel face light in and out between shots as the light is to irritating to be held in place and so the model can move a bit. Many gel covered 7" grids are placed for accenting and highlighting certain elements of the set.

 

Sometimes more gel covered grid lights are used to accent the breast area, the abdominal area and the calf area.

 

On smaller sets this photog will opt for chimera strip boxes instead of the large octobox. They will still use the 1/4 stop silk scrim.

 

At other times they will use nothing more than a ring flash. These are used a lot in the shower sets.

 

The bottom line is that they love accenting, hotspots, warm gels etc. The average set will use at least 10 - 15 lights.

 

Each of Playboy's main photographers have their own special lighting setups. The things they have in common are the use of a lot of lights. The use of gels, great set lighting.

 

There are many that say very little if any photoshop is used. Balogne! They do skin smoothing, color saturation, sharpening, whitening the eyes and teech in every shot. At a minimum..

 

I hope this helps a bit..

One more thing, there are sometimes when nothing more than a rinflash is used with maybe a an accent light or two. This is very common in the shower sets.

 

http://www.probodyshots.com