Tangents

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BTS: Fashion catalog photo shoot in the studio

January 25, 2018 Neil vN 5 Comments

behind the scenes: Fashion catalog photo shoot in the studio

From a recent photoshoot in the studio for a fashion designer, Isle By Melis Kozan, I want to give a bit of a glimpse behind the scenes. Further below there is a short video clip that shows what went down in the studio. Nothing frenetic - the pace is calm and steady. As it should be when you need to get through a large number of items. Fashion catalog photo shoots are fairly straight-forward - the key is consistency is lighting and positioning. You also need consistency in the camera's viewpoint. There is no Art  Read more inside...

Lighting a white seamless studio backdrop

March 26, 2017 Neil vN 8 Comments

Lighting a white seamless studio backdrop

There are a number of variations on how to light a white seamless studio backdrop - but it all comes down to the same essentials. You want a spread of even light on the background, and a big swathe of light from the front. All of this with as little fall-off in the light as possible. We've covered this topic in previous articles, showing how it is done with speedlights ... Simple lighting setup with speedlights & white seamless backdrop  (model: Anastasia) Simple lighting setup for home studio photography  (models: Anelisa  Read more inside...

review: Westcott 7′ Parabolic Umbrella

August 16, 2012 Neil vN 15 Comments

review: Westcott 7' Parabolic Umbrella

Continuing the photo session with Ulorin Vex in the studio, I decided to swap out the big Profoto 4x3 softbox, for an even larger (but very affordable) light modifier - the Westcott 7' Parabolic Umbrella - white  (B&H / Amazon). Two things that immediately struck me about the Westcot Parabolic Umbrella ... it's sheer size when folder open. It is 7 feet if measured across the span of the umbrella's arc. And when it is folded up, it is surprisingly compact and light-weight. It collapses to a 43.6" size, and fits snugly  Read more inside...

High-key studio lighting (part 2)

August 6, 2012 Neil vN 12 Comments

High-key studio lighting for portraits (part 2)

Continuing the photo session with Ulorin Vex, doing high-key studio portraits in the studio, she changed into a different costume. I wanted a more interesting edge definition than just the light spilling back from the background, so I added two gridded softboxes to each side ...  Read more inside...

High-key studio lighting for portraits

July 31, 2012 Neil vN 21 Comments

High-key studio lighting for portraits

One of the models that replied to my casting call for a model at my workshops in San Francisco in 2011, happened to be Ulorin Vex. I immediately recognized her, since I've seen photos of her in various portfolios. I was both surprised and very happy, since I regarded her as a bit of a superstar. I scheduled a photo session with her for the day after the two workshops in SF, and the images from those sessions appeared a few times on Tangents, and I'd consider them among the best work I had ever done. It helps to have an inspiring model! Ulorin  Read more inside...

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