igord

50 mm imo gives you more "intimate" look, you can try 60 mm - it gives you look of standard lens without distortion.

Ok John, but do you know something about how she achieves these saturated colours, what kind of film she uses and etc?

Try 4 lights:

i) main light 4 times stronger then the other lights (like f8 against f4) - silk umbrella

ii) side light bit from behind - soft box

iii) top light on the boom - soft box

iv) light reflected from a big reflector.

All lamps from the same side. You dont need a fill light - use a second big reflector. You get beautifuly lit portrait with one catch light. Skin is beautiful even if a model has problems with it.

Yes, but it is much harder to use more lights and make it looking like one light but better.

This is Sarah Moon's photo, just to compare.<div></div>

Hi,

 

Yashica lens is pretty sharp but doesn't manage background lighting - which can be a great advantage.

Hello,

 

Does anybody know any details from the session that Steven Meisel did

for Yves Saint Laurent in 2001? (How does he achieve this painting

look?)

I am still very impressed by these pictures.

BTW, everybody in photo.net says that Meisel is "lot of equipment" or

that this guy simply copies other photographers work.

This is a comment taken from model.com about these pictures:

 

"The Photo-Rep: This is hot. This is the kind of painterly lighting

that is painful to do. Just try copying this. Unless you just happen

to be Irving Penn, don't try this at home kids. Look at the

highlights on the hair and the triangle of shadow under the chin. Now

look at the patina on the backdrop . It's a painting. The amount of

textures in these prints blow my mind. To keep an image this dark and

this detailed shows a technical skill that you only get with years of

experience. You never loose the product in the shadows. Ever. And it

all looks so easy. But I know this took a lot of work and I give it

my highest marks and my highest respect. Wow!"<div></div>

Hi,

 

My father had to photograph some canvases for a catalogue. He faced the same problems that you write about and in the end he simply took these paintings outdoors and obtained excellent results. Pictures were done on the slide film and the grey Kodak card was placed on each frame to make the printer's work easier.

Hi Michael,

 

Call any model agency and ask for Free Test (which means that you will not get any money for your work), ask if they know make-up artist and hair dresser that want to work on their portfolio. They are for sure in touch with such people. That is a usual way to build up a photographer's portfolio and this is also a usual way for model agencies to find good photographers.

 

Try in several agencies. Make your models looking fresh, natural, young and trendy! If your pictures are good they can hire you after few months of free shooting but for sure they are not going to tell you that you are good just to use you and save some money.

 

I advise you to buy French Vogue, Italian Marie Claire and Elle and see what is on top at the moment. I think there is no place in this business for any fine art or too individual approach.

 

I recently talked to a guy from the best model agency in Milano looking for a job of test photographer and I heard that 'my pictures are good but my approach is too individual and I need a better stylist (in fact I do not have a stylist)'. He also told me that his clients have to see on the pictures mainly the same things that they see in mentioned fashion magazines.

 

Wish you good luck!

Just one more pic from my Yashica.

I use Yashica 124G sometimes becouse its lens hasn't got new coatings.

That allows to shoot against the light and get nice effects.

I asked my friend in Paris to send me fancy clothes suitable for model pictures.

They are mostly samples or second hand and are of course very cheap but very trendy.

I think good wardrobe is even more important than good lens or equipment in general if model photography is concerned.

I always plan and make diagrams when I am going to create a new lighting. I have got quite a lot of notes and pictures just not to forget what I have done.

I have bought 127 pre-C lens on purpose for shooting portraits/models.

Yesterday I printed 70x80 cm portraits for hair dresser and I can say that this lens is terrific for such work. The skin looks kind of soft and beautiful.

In case of white background you have to use two black cards (between camera and background) that will cut off the light reflected from the background and saturation will be OK.

To get rid of the shadows without Photo Shop you have to make 'light wash' which is four big reflectors (you head a strobe for each reflector) on each 'corner' of the model and one main light.

You can place reflectors on the left and right side of the model/background and use two or three lights in front.

The trick I like most is to photograph someone on the white background but only the floor part is white, the background part is black. Maybe someone has got any idea?

I wanted to say that reflector is lit by softbox, which gives you 'light wash'. Soft is positioned not to lit the model (towards the camera and reflector). To check the contrast between key light and fill you have to use Polaroid or light meter.

My method for filling light:

I use a quite big white reflector (2.5m x 2.5m). This gives me a very even light. When I want shadows to be 'dramatic' I just use the reflector which is positioned about 45 deg. to a model. When I want the shadows to be hardly visible I head a strobe with softbox for reflector. Using this method, you can get 'fashion' look.

You can reflect light from the ceiling and get extra fill. You can also place additional reflector on the floor.

1. two alien bees 800w/s strobes

2. the plain evenly lit model, like you'd see on the cover of any major fashion mag.

 

Sorry to say that but this two things exlude.

You need 3 lamps and 2 huge reflectors in front of the model to make such photo. Then you have to light the background with two other strobes and you can get extra light reflecting next strobe from the ceiling. If you want to add some effect light you need another strobe. Let's count... You need seven strobes.

 

I use to have two strobes. Then I deceided to buy some more. I bought another two from a pro photographer from France. He came to me and started laughing at me! What are you going to do with 2 strobes and tiny umbrellas in dark studio? - he asked me.

 

To encourage you - to make portraiture with 'shadows' you can use your two strobes and 2 reflectors.

 

To avoid getting more lamps experiment with window lighting and strobes mixed together.

 

In my opinion you can pick up a lot from Steven Meisel's job for Italian Vogue especially winter issues, when he works in studio.

Meisel sometimes uses Milky Way Studios in New York, visit the internet site of this studio!

 

Have a nice time in your studio!