Backlighting Part Three (Daily S.P.O.T. for 5/6/09)

Third and (for the nonce) final chapter of "Adventures in Backlighting." Today's entries come from a photo workshop this past weekend at Studio 6 in Passaic, NJ. One of the shoot's major props was a borrowed motorcycle, so I decided to haul my lights into the studio and set up two strobes with umbrella softboxes to evenly light the critter and whatever model might be draped across it. At literally the last second, I grabbed a third strobe, slapped a diffusion sock over the reflector, cranked it up to a fairly high lumen level, and stuck it in the corner for a little backlighting.

Photographing our model (Carmen Delgado) straight on, it's not that obvious an effect; you can see a little extra glow on the right, but it otherwise doesn't really draw attention to itself.

...but once we switch to a side view, the effect becomes more pronounced. Notice the nice edging of light on Carmen's hair and right arm, and how it makes her stand out from the background. That's exactly why photographers use backlighting. (The main difficulty here was composing the shot and posing the model so that the backlight wasn't visible in the shot; as you will see, that's not always possible, but it has it's uses.)

Also in the studio: what can only be described as hanging black gauze cylinders. Nice to pose a model in, but unless lit properly, they don't look like much. Again, drag a light directly behind the model (in this case, Carmen's sibling Joanie Delgado) and blast away. Here, the gauze helps to further diffuse the backlighting, and the entire scene takes on an otherworldly glow.

Finally, a runway setting with a black background. In this case, I used not one but two backlights (one low, one high) at 45 degree angles, which not only backlit model Sandii Hartke nicely, but also created a virtual "fog" of light thanks to some lens flare. Again, lens flare is not always welcome, much less desirable, but in this case I made a stylistic decision to use it. (What wasn't a stylistic decision: the light stand and extension cord showing up in the background. Maybe at some point I'll get around to Photoshopping it out...)

And one final shot of Joanie that actually incorporates the backlights as an intentional visual effect.

So remember: to make a model really stand out, grab a spare light and advance to the rear!

Diana Quezada (Daily S.P.O.T. for 4/30/09)

"Goin' down to Snap'Mup, gonna have myself a time..."

Snap'Mup (now just Snap*) is a monthly get-together for models, photogs, makeup artists, and the like. Half cocktail party, half photo op, half rave. They started out in the Arts Factory in Bayonne, NJ, and outgrew the room after less than a half-dozen events. They then moved to Studio 6 in Passaic, NJ, which is effing HUGE -- and pretty much outgrew it the first night. The Snap* shindigs can be a lotta fun, if you're not claustrophobic and not afraid to jockey for a clear view of a model, paparazzi style.

Last Halloween, I went down there with my lights and backdrop, along with verbal assurances that two of my regular models would also show up. Well, one no-showed (I found out later she'd had an anxiety attack so severe she would up in the hospital), and the model who did show up was being such a pain in the ass that I vowed never to work with her again.

That's when Diana Quezada saved the day.

She'd shown up with a bunch of friends, all of whom were amenable to being photographed by moi. As the night wore on, the friends shifted into different outfits -- while Diana stayed in "referee mode" all night. Noticing this -- and having brought some outfits for the model who didn't show -- I chivalriously asked if she'd be interested in trying out some new looks.

She was.

These shots -- and many others -- have taken up permanent residence in my print portfolio, as well as both of our MySpace and Model Mayhem pages. (In particular, the black and white one -- if I may drop into brag mode for a second -- has gotten nothing but raves.)

You'll see more of her -- and her crew -- as this bloggery continues. Snap*'s running again tonight, so I expect to see more of her in just a couple of hours.