When it came to start working in the studio I was - like probably most of my fellow studens - nervous and feeling very uncomfortable with this kind of photography. I always felt more of a location photographer, was quite happy using the given light conditions and working with 'what I got'.
After several weeks of working in the studio now I am more than surprised to find out I feel even more comfortable with my camera in a studio than on site. Making this remark to my Tutor he simply answered (and rightously so) that it's because I have more control of what's going on. Meanwhile I have lost my fear of all the lights, power packs, cables, switches, triggers and the other things that make a studio a studio and truly enjoy and relax when I work in this environment. When I grow up I'd love to have a studio on my own.
For my studio brief I hand in 1 portrait of a living subect and 1 still life. Both with my own set up of lights. Additionally 5 images of my studio work we did in class. Let's start evaluating the latter stash.
Studio sessions in class
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| Study in glass, 70 mm, f/11, ISO 100, 1/125 sec |
One session was dealing with taking images of glass. The difficulty is lighing it the way it looks 'glassy' and three dimensional, giving lots of highlights etc. As you can see in the reflection in the glass apple two soft boxes on the left and right fronting were used for this composition. I probably should have used more (silver) reflectors to bring out even more of the glass surface but I was happy with the way it was. The glass apple is a bit dark on the screen image but perfectly lit on the printout. I love the green reflection on the white glass. I have set the two objects a bit off centre in order to not have a dull centred image and it works well also with the reflections on the glass plate they were placed on. I am a bit (okay, very) unhappy about the dust on the table. Note to myself: always, always have glass cleaner with you when working in a studio. The image would certainly benefit from a clean surface.
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| Red Temptation, 50 mm, f/22, ISO 100, 1/60 sec |
Yes, I love shoes. When we were asked to bring objects for a commercial shoot I didn't have to think twice. They are my favourites and I consider those high heeled platform shoes very seductive and feminine. To set them properly in scene I used a scruffy, rough root of a tree to visually enhance the elegance of the shoes with this strong contrast. I used two mid (matt) reflectors for the light settings. One lit the background the other one was situated on the front left of the subjects. I used a very narrow aperture to have everything crisp and clear in focus. To ensure a sharp image I have placed the camera on a tripod and used a remote shutter release not shake the camera while triggering off. I like the way the bright red of the shoes works in contrast with the texture of the wood. It may not be the most artistic image but it is a clear shoot that would work for commercial issues.
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| The Band, 50 mm, f/11, ISO 100, 1/125 sec |
For the jewellery session I used my wedding band. It is made of titanium with a diamond as sparkling gem. Again a rough piece of wood was used as a background for a shiny glam object. John set the lights (again two mid reflectors, one lighting the background one the ring). Additionally I placed several silver foiled reflectors around the ring to capture the sparkle of the diamond and following the shape of the ring. In this picture I like the contrast of the wood with the ring, the spark on the diamond and the projection of the engraving. I would have preferred for this image that the ring wouldn't look so worn but on the other hand that's the idea of a wedding band, isn't it?
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| Lawrence goes Serrano, Mamya Medium Format, ISO 50, 1/19 sec |
In one of the first studio sessions we got to use the Mamya RZ67, a medium format camera with an additional digital back. I instantly insanely fell in love with it and it is on my wish list since that day. We were given the task to take a portrait in Andres Serrano style. Andres Serrano is an artist mostly famous for his controversy work with blood and other body fluids using them in religious context. But he is also reknown for his very unique portraits. The camera is a waist level camera and slightly beneath the subjects face. Serrano uses backgrounds he handpaints very colourful (nasty souls might claim they look like 80s sofa prints). The combination of colourful background and the low position of the camera give his portraits a very iconic look. I asked my fellow student Lawrence to model for me since I like his very individual look. I have to admit, I only took one shot but was absolutely happy with this one. I don't believe in taking an unnecessary amount of shoots just to pretend to be busy but in getting the composition right and take the shoots when the expression on the face is appealing. John set the lights with two reflectors on the back ground and a long softbox as single light source to light the model. By the shadows on the face the viewer can see the soft light is coming from just one direction, modelling the face. I like this portrait very much. Lawrences expression and his longish hair do give him a bit of a modern day saint look.
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| Shells and Peas? Yes! Mamya RZ 60, ISO 50, 1/20 sec |
There is not much to say about this image other that it is a very pretty still life. For the studio session on texture I brought in these shells I found last year at southport beach. I like the surface of the shells and the classic golden ratio the shells are famous for. Combined with some chick peas my fellow student Mina brought in alls arranged on a wooden plank from our tutor John's endless pool of wooden props. For this image two lights were used. One deep reflector lit the background and the other deep reflector was directed behind the shells and peas. I used several golden reflectors to direct the light around the shells to give some additional light into the shadows. The deep reflectors with their edgy light enhanced the texture of the surfaces of the board and the shells. I set a wider aperture to have a blurred background and isolate the shells. I would consider this picture as very decorative, again, not the most artistic and bold image but very well executed and serving the purpose of showing texture.
Still Life with flower, Light settings by me
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| Red, 50 mm, f/1,8, ISO 100, 1/125 sec |
For this still life I wanted a very clean, bright look. To set the buttercups in scene I used a white porcelain vase and some white cardboard as background. I took this shoot in my house on a beautifully sunny day. The room was flooded with natural sunlight I wanted to use as my light source. I mounted the camera on the tripod, used a silver reflector to direct light to the borders of the petals of the centre flower and released the shutter with a remote control so I could hold the reflector properly all the time. The set up and shoot is very simple but I truly believe this is one of the best images I have ever taken. I used the widest possible aperture (and lazily had the camera set to aperture mode to let it figure out the shutter speed) to isolate the central flower. I love the way the two other flowers are blurred and the splash of fresh green and have obtained exactly the look I was wanting.
Portrait of a subject, light settings by me
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| Frieda, 105 mm, f/4, ISO 100 |
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| Frieda II, 55 mm, f/4, ISO 100 |
I do not only love shoes, I love dogs even more. Having had dogs since my very early childhood they were always part of my life and to me are the best imaginable companions. I wanted to take some true portraits of my and my moms boxers. I was aiming to capturing their personalities not just having a picture of a cute pooch. There are too many crappy pet pictures in this world and I want to pay them the respect to their personalities they deserve in the photos I take. Again, I wanted a very modern, clean look for these portraits so nothing would distract the viewer from the dogs. Therefore I have decided for a high-key setting and used a white background and set up two soft boxes (on dog's height which is pretty low) on the left and right in front of my models to have a soft light and no harsh shadows. I have mostly worked with an aperture of f/4 to bring even more of a portrait mood to the images. My dog Carlo clearly felt very uncomfortable on the paper ground and I had a maximum of about five minutes to get shots of him. After that there was no way to lure him back, no doggie treat in the world could make him getting there again. He patiently waited till Frieda was done with her modelling job. She felt so comfortable in front of the camera it was almost spooky. She sat on the spot I had directed her to and did some posing for me. To have a proper portrait level I was lying on the ground and as I was working alone moved my legs and feet over my head to keep her attention on me. After about 20 minutes with some breaks I had plenty really good shots of her and these two are my favorites. I am very proud of what I have achieved with these pictures. In my opinion they are not only well composed images with good light settings but are strong portraits reflecting lovely Frieda.
Studio set up:
Model's view on dog with escape attempt
