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How to shoot body shapes in the studio
Techniques
24 October 2007 12:45
Fine art portraits using only available light can produce great results, but the greater control and versatility of studio lighting means you can fine-tune the lighting for individual shots and achieve a range of effects.
Unless you’ve got the luxury of a studio at home, you’ll need to hire one for your shoot. There are plenty of hire-studios around the country, so you should be able to find a selection within a reasonable distance to you. (We used Saracen House Studios in Milton Keynes).
Make sure that studio offers changing facilities for the model; refreshments on site will be great too. Many studios also offer in-house models or have models that regularly work for them, which is a great option making the whole process as simple as possible.
When contacting the model ensure you make it clear what sort of images you’re trying to shoot, and remember that on the day most models will prefer payment in cash. If you think you may want to use the shots for publication or to sell, you’ll need to get them to sign a model release too, and that may cost extra. At the end of the day both the studio and model are in business, so confirm all arrangements and on the day ensure that everyone is happy and comfortable with the shoot – the more relaxed and at ease everyone is, the better the shots are likely to be.
1. How to approach the shoot
Even with a professional model you’ll still find it easier if you go through your ideas before you start shooting. Take some examples of the type of images along to show them and have a chat with them. Some professional models will be able to offer their own ideas, so listen to them. They’ll also know what sort of poses and angles suit them (they’re probably more experienced at this type of shoot than you are).
Keep talking to the model during the shoot to let them know what’s working and give clear instructions about changing the pose. Even when things aren’t working try to be positive and find a solution, as the success of the shoot will often depend on the atmosphere in the studio. Remember that a happy and confident approach will show in your pictures.
It’s also important to have your lighting and camera positions worked out before the professional model arrives so you’re not fumbling with equipment when you should be directing the model.
2. Arranging the studio lights and backdrop:
Using studio flash allows you to use a range of accessories to alter the quality of the light falling on your subject. A softbox is one of the most useful attachments for diffusing the light and softening the edge of shadows.
A second light can be useful to add highlights to the hair of your model. The barn doors attachment shown here allows you to direct the light so that it doesn’t fall on the shadow areas on the body and spoil the main lighting.
A white or gold reflector is always handy to bounce some light back to lighten shadows. For studio portraits a white reflector gives the best results.
It’s best to keep the background simple and uncluttered. We used white for many of the shots for a bright, clean look. Black will give more dramatic, moody images.
3. Getting the exposure right:
Once you’ve positioned the lights, you need to get the right exposure. With studio flash you’ll have to use manual exposure, so set the shutter speed to the flash sync speed of your camera (usually between 1/90sec and 1/250sec) and then control the exposure by altering the aperture. With digital cameras you can do this by simply taking some test shots and checking the results on the LCD, but a flashmeter will help you get the right settings.
To give you more control over the aperture you use, you can adjust the power of each flash head. You can also alter the exposure by moving the flash nearer or further from the model, although this will also alter the effect of the lighting slightly.