Studio Shooting: Models

Over the past few weeks I have been shooting pretty much non stop with various models in the studio. It has been an absolute blast and many fun times have been had but starting this week I am going to start shooting various objects and the like to get practice with still life in the studio. I wanted to go over a few things though before I move onto the next stage in my studio photography shooting.

Inspiration Before you do your shoot you need to have an idea, without an idea you obviously have nothing and really have no reason to be in the studio in the first place. Photography is a lot like writing in the sense that you need to brainstorm and have a solid concept before you even step into the studio. If you don’t have an idea going into the studio then you will most likely simply draw a blank while you are there and that could potentially look like a fool in front of the model which could effect you later down the road.

A good idea is to have a variety of resources for inspiration at your disposal such a magazines, websites, and other photogrphers. Basically figure out what it is you want to shoot and look it up, find out what others are doing and work with that.

Lighting styles: One of the main componants to any brainstorming session needs to be lighting setups and the lighting style you wish to use. The lighting style of course will depend on the style of photography you are looking to do. We are focusing on various types of portrait and studio photography so we will breifly cover four major lighting styles.

Broad Lighting:

To create a broad light, pose your subject to show a 2/3 or 3/4 view of the face and direct your main light toward the side of the face that is closest to the camera. A broad light can be used to add weight to a face that is too thin.

Short Lighting:

To create a short light, pose your subject to show a 2/3 or 3/4 view of the face and direct your main light toward the side of the face that is furthest away from the camera. Short light can be used to slenderize a face that is too heavy.

45 degree Lighting or Rembrandt lighting:

Direct your Main Light toward your subject’s face at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. You can use 45 degree light from the broad side, or the short side and to light either a full face or profile portrait. The Main Light should be placed higher than the subject’s head and is directed down and at an angle of about 45 degrees. One characteristic of 45 degree lighting is the triangle of light from the Main Light that is on the shadow side of the subject’s face. 45 degree lighting is also known as Rembrandt lighting because it is the style of lighting that is seen in many of his paintings.

Butterfly or Glamour Lighting:

The term, “Butterfly Lighting,” comes from a characteristic butterfly shaped shadow beneath the subject’s nose. If you want to use butterfly lighting you should line your Main Light up along your subject’s nose axis and then raise the light until you see the characteristic shadow. This style of lighting is also known as glamour lighting because it was used extensively by the great Hollywood portrait photographers of the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. Although light placement is identical for butterfly and glamour lighting, photographers such as George Hurrell gave it a special look by using a spotlight as the Main Light rather than a softer light source. If you move your Main Light a little to the left or right, you will change your lighting style into a modified butterfly pattern.

Split Lighting:

Split lighting divides the face along its center. Split Lighting is probably the least used style of portrait lighting, but it can be very effective. The easiest way to create split lighting is to place your Main Light just as you would for 45° lighting. While watching the patch of light on the shadow side of your subject’s face, lower the Main Light and move it to the side until the shadow-side highlight disappears. If you want to add an accent of light to the shadow, move it back just a little until a very small touch of light reappears on the shadow side of the face.

Backgrounds and props: Backgrounds and props can be one of the easiest parts of of any studio work but they do have their frustrations as well. things such as clothing or props may need a big of ground work to find where to get them and how to get them at a minimal cost. you may get lucky and have a friend with a pair of boxing gloves or skate board, and maybe you will have a model with just the right outfit for the shoot. but sadly we are all not so lucky and you pay have to beat the pavement to find the things you need.

Check out consignment shops or used clothing stores for model outfits and stores such as value village or the salvation army for props. After the shoot you could always donate them back to the charity they came from.

Hair and Makeup: Sadly unless your shoot has some funding you may need to skip this step. I’ve been skipping it for some time now but wanted to include it anyway.

Profesional makeup can really make a shoot stand out from the rest of your work but you are going to pay for it. From what I have delt with in the studio so far it seems to be $30 an application or $50 an hour, but that depends on mostly the make up artist you hire as they all range in prices based on experience levels.

Hairstylists are along the same lines with either pricing on each cut or by the hour. I don’t know a lot about hair stylists prices but it would be best to call around and see what you can find.

If you are really lucky you can find a model who can do their own hair and makeup before the shoot.

Music: Something that can really make a shoot go smoother is good music. Good music can make your model relax and feel more at ease in front of the camera, but that of course depends on the style of music and style of shoot. You would want to play something more upbeat and powerful for a high level shoot or something more relaxing and somber for a more low key style shoot. Pretty much the music you play will set the mood for the shoot from start to end.

Models: When it comes to studio photography of models the model is obviously the most important aspect of your shoot. You need to be sure the model feels comfortable and relaxed in the setting as well as with you the photographer. If the model doesn’t feel comfortable then that will clearly show in the photos and that of course defeats the entire purpose of the shoot. In the past I have met with the model before the shoot for coffee or dinner to discuss what it is we are doing or what it is I am looking for, another thing that may be helpful is ask them to bring along the friend to the shoot.

Models can be fairly easy to find and not very expensive if you just have a few good friends. Andrew Ferguson wrote a great piece a while back about using friends as models as they are cheap and already comfortable with you, or at least we hope so. If the work is commercial or paid work then you should use a paid model (that the client should be covering anyway) and there is a ton of resources for that in any city. From Model Mayhem or a local modeling agency you should have no problems finding the right model for your commercial work as well.

In the end it is just important to find or help make your model as comfortable as possible being in front of that large intimidating camera. Simple things like bottled cold water, snacks and music can accomplish all of these things.