Not So Nude
CASE STUDY #35
CAMERA:
EXPOSURE:
Hasselblad 503cw LENS:
120mm
FILM:
Fuji RDP
f/5.6 at 1/125 second
LIGHTING:
Luz 800ws pack with large Plume light bank; Luz 800ws pack with two heads bounced off ceiling behind subjects (heads fitted with yellow gels and gobos to prevent spill on subjects)
Assignment
vent. I have actually had some of my best photo ses-
I was hired by The Nudes (Walter Parks and Stephanie
sions when working under those conditions.
Winters) to photograph them for promotion of their forthcoming music CD.
It is great when the client has a big budget, but in some ways it can also be inhibiting. There is an underlying tension in your subconscious mind that keeps
Visual Objective
telling you, “Wow, the client is giving me all this
I wanted to create warm, whimsical images of the duo.
money to create a brilliant photo—I’d better perform.” I have found that I get better results when I
Posing
brush that thought aside and instead think, “I’d bet-
This pose was spontaneous. I had set up the cello and
ter have fun doing this shoot or why bother?”
guitar in the background with the idea of posing Walter and Stephanie in a similar fashion. It looked forced, so I asked if they would stand in place and just move their hips and arms and stare into the lens. I started shooting and let them strike their own poses.
head with yellow gel and gobo bounced off ceiling
head with yellow gel and gobo bounced off ceiling
Story
One of the band’s songs was called “Arizona,” and I wanted to incorporate that in the photo. I was thinking cactus, sun, desert, etc.—but since there wasn’t any budget to work with, I had to keep it simple, I thought yellow, and instead of cactus, guitar and cello.
large light bank for main light
Adding to the theme is Stephanie’s Hopi belt buckle. The image was never used for their CD, but a music magazine ended up using it for their cover. Tip
I often work with little or no budget when photographing artists. This forces me to improvise and inLIGHTING CASE STUDIES
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