photographic style – inspiration, adjusting & adapting (model: Ulorin Vex)
Photography has a never-ending learning curve. I think this is even more true as the technology expands and accelerates. Sometimes I feel that we’re running at full speed just to remain at a stand-still. That’s just the technology that we have to acquire what we need to know about to do our work and art the best. But even with the techniques and methods we have as photographers – we should always be investigating and analyzing the work of others, learn, and then rework and adapt it in our own style. Even if we acquire new skills in minute ways – it all adds up to where we are always on an upward curve, learning and becoming better.
When I first dived into photography, I spent countless hours reading books and photography magazines. I eventually discovered heaven – the Bensusan Museum and Library of Photography, in Johannesburg. Shelves and shelves of books on photography! That was then – now we have complete overload with the work of other photographers and artists just a click away. With that, I am constantly looking at the work of others, soaking in what others are doing.
A photographer that has really stood in the past year or so, is Craig Lamere. His style is clean and striking looking. There’s a dramatic simplicity to it, with beautiful lighting and impeccable post-processing. Check out his work.
With Ulorin Vex’s recent visit to my studio, for the one sequence I thought we could emulate some of Craig’s style. I had bought two of the SilverLake backdrops that Craig Lamere helped design in conjunction with them. Hey, the studio needed some new backdrops anyway! Using one of these backdrops, and playing around with the lighting in the studio, I wanted to see if we could approximate something similar. But instead of a boudoir / fashion styling with a model in a soft feminine style … we have Ulorin Vex in a latex outfit that somehow still has a retro look to it. So there is that bit of dissonance there.
The lighting was with two Westcott Spiderlites. But we’ll get to the lighting and the gear in a moment. Where I am headed with this topic – since the lighting looked good, and there is a fabulous model in a striking outfit, why not play some more? And that is where the image at the top came from. By changing up the lighting a bit, and different angles and a different lens, there was a variety to the images, instead of just staying stuck on the one initial idea. Adjust and adapt.
camera gear & lighting used in this photo session (or equivalents)
Image at the top (shallow-depth-of-field portrait)
- Nikon D800: 1/500 @ f/1.4 @ 400 ISO
- Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G / Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM
Second image (full-length portrait against backdrop)
- Nikon D800: 1/200 @ f/4 @ 800 ISO
- Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 AF-S VR II / Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II
- Westcott Spiderlite TD6 w/ 3’x4′ shallow softbox
- Westcott Spiderlite TD5
- SilverLake backdrops – Ash & Brooklyn
The main light was the larger Spiderlite with a softbox. I removed the baffle of the smaller spiderlite (which had the 1×3 softbox cover still around it. This gave a harder light from behind, which is well suited for rim-lighitng then.
I kept both these lights at full power, and adjusted the distances between subject & light to control the light output relative to each other. I then also had to adjust my camera settings. For the full-length portrait, the two lights were closer to the background. For the tighter headshot (f/1.4), the main light was much closer. I had swung it closer to me, and asked Ulorin Vex to move closer to me – fairly similar to how they are arranged in this pull-back shot.
Of the 6 (daylight) fluorescent tubes, I had swapped one out for an incandescent bulb to give a bit more warm tone. Even though these daylight bulbs are meant to be daylight, there’s still a green tint to be seen in the final images. This means I have to adjust the RAW file. So far, I’ve had a tough time getting an idea skin tone out of these – I still have to adjust the JPG that I get from the RAW file, even further in Photoshop to get to a skin tone that I like.
credits
- model: Ulorin Vex
- make-up artist: Nicole Whitehall
- hair dresser: Karla Serrano
related articles
- photography – creating foreground bokeh effects (from same photo session w/ Ulorin Vex)
- other articles on Tangents featuring Ulorin Vex
- portraits with continuous lighting – Westcott Spiderlites (model: Lauraine)
- boudoir photo session w/ Westcott Spiderlites (model: Morgan)
- 85mm – the best lens to change your portrait photography (model: Elle)
- Anelisa – studio photo session, with Westcott Spiderlite
- NJ photography studio rental
Hi Neil,
Thanks for the link about Craig Lamere. I did not know about him, but his work is impressive.
This weekend, I was playing with my camera and two flashguns in my basement, taking notes of the various settings and their results. My goal was to come up with some “starting points” for some common situations so that I can get up to speed in less time. While doing this, I came to the conclusion that one of the best things a photographer can do is to experiment, and never accept the “this is how this piece of equipment has always been used”, but rather to try using it in different ways, and see what happens. Do you agree with this thought?
It seems almost inconceivable that the great Neil Van Niekerk would even contemplate having to look and absorb the works of others when he turns out such great work himself – but of course that is just the perception of someone on the same learning curve, only a few years behind!
But your post is wholly relevant to my own situation. Constantly in awe of our peers, always asking “how did they do that” etc and then trying to find out, and in many cases just as you have done, by emulating, only with a slight tweak to the way you want it to look.
It reminded me of a blog post from a year or so ago – which covered pretty much the same topic (but from a videography perspective).
So, I don’t have available to me the Bensusan Museum and Library of Photography unfortunately but I do have the internet and this Tangents blog which has been a huge resource for me, and a return point during times of confusion.
This May will mark my first [paid] Wedding shoot and sitting on one shoulder will be you Neil… and on the other a whole swag on resources that helped me hone my “still developing” skill set.
Go to that wedding with a great smile, a charismatic personality and an attitude that people like.
Average photographers with a great personality and who enhance the atmosphere are always hired back. Great photographers with a bad personality and detract from the atmosphere are never hired again. Your personality will be your greatest asset during that first wedding.
Spot on Michael!
Great advice! I’ll definitely be smiling. One reason is this:
On Sunday I went to see the Church and speak to the Father. This I did after their morning service had finished. I noted the priest during the service wearing his robe and displaying his religious finery. When I went back in as the people slowly left, he was standing talking to the choir. By now he was in just jeans and a t-shirt.
We spoke about where the ceremony would take place and I asked about any restrictions. He didn’t have any. As I walked to get my camera from the car a Harley Davidson rolled past me out of the car park being ridden by the Priest! It made me smile.
I thought to myself I now have another potential subject for a portrait!
Thank you for all your cool and insightful articles. I enjoy reading them.
I had a look at Craig Lamere’s Webpage and found that this darkest tones are never truly black. It seems that he opens up the black in the tone curve. If you try to emulate his style more, maybe brighten up the black just a little bit more?
But even if not, thank you for those cool pics (and this goes to your model as well).
Neil,
I love constant lighting because with flash you never know what you are going to get when you pop it. Constant lighting is great for the studio whereas it may not be practical in other venues. That said, led lighting is still too expensive for most. Halogen “hot lights” are a bit dangerous and I suggest anyone using them to have a fire extinguisher on hand and be very careful with them. Just the other day I had a halogen video light going and it started to smoke. Apparently I had put in it a cheap bulb I got off of Amazon made in China. Only use Philips in that regard.
My question is just how powerful are these compact fluros? On BH Photovideo, I see a 150 watt compact bulb and then there are a few fixtures which hold 5 of the smaller variety bulbs. If I had a 150 watt compact bulb or the fixture with 5 bulbs, what type of power should I expect?
The camera settings there of 1/200 @ f/4 @ 800 ISO is typical of the Spiderlite TD6 at full power.
It feels so odd to read that you had to go through a process of exploration… cognitively.
I never look at a subject or client in only one way… I’m too curious and self-challenging (or nosy, whichever the case may be).
It just isn’t personally fulfilling to “get the shot and call it a wrap”.
I’ve gotta “get the shot and call it the beginning of let’s-try-something-else”.
Inspiration comes naturally for me… it’s the gear I don’t have.
So for now, I grow where I’m planted and try my best to make what little I DO have, work to the best advantage. Most of the time, it’s pretty far from technical perfection. ;)
I LOVE what you did with Ms. Vex! The images are amazing… but I wouldn’t have expected anything less.
Period.
Good stuff here. As always. Ms. Vex is a great model too and you can tell you both work well together.
BTW, Silverlake is a great find! I have been using Maheu Background, their wrinkle-free abstracts but I really love some of the colorsmacks from Silverlake. I will be investing in a few myself.