Anh Thu Tran was my partner in crime for this shoot. She’s a makeup artist able to do makeup for all occasions, as well as the super extravagant. She applied themed makeup to each of our four models before I photographed them. The day’s schedule for four models was turned upside down when our first two models didn’t show up to the shoot, but two of Anh Thu’s friends were nice enough to step up and fill their places.
It’s always fun when I get to shoot four distinctly different things in a day. Our first model, Mia, was a Victoria’s Secret model. I lit her with a beauty dish off to the side along with a fill flash on low power bouncing off the ceiling. The light reflected all over the place off the walls of the small white room, giving a relatively even light to the scene. The photos didn’t work out quite like I had hoped, but we still had 3 models to go!
Next up was Alyssa, who did a 1920s flapper style look. (Google it, it’s cool.) Anh Thu did her up in all the correct makeup, and the dress finished off the look. I researched portrait styles of the era and made notes on the poses and lighting. Lighting this portrait was pretty straightforward, using a beauty dish and a large silver reflector. (That beauty dish is quickly becoming my favorite light modifier, now that I’ve figured how to make it work right!) This is period-accurate lighting, using a one-light setup for simple yet attractive lighting. With the light down, Alyssa knew how to pose in her dress and hat. I later converted the photos to black and white and added a bit of grain for the complete 1920s look. We got several great shots from that set.
Then we had Vanessa, with a winter grunge look. I misunderstood what she was going for at first, shooting some dark grimy alley photos, kind of a “intentionally crappy” theme. With a better idea of the theme, I then moved to a different area and shot some slightly more traditional photos on a staircase. I put the beauty dish way up high to cover the whole staircase, and kept an umbrella light down low on low power to act as a fill light. Two majorly different styles of photo, but they both have their place.
Last we had Courtney, our second sorority stand-in girl. She got all dressed up in a great punk outfit, complete with fishnet tights, lots of necklaces and rings, and colorful makeup. Being the last shoot of the day, this is where we tried some more outrageous shots... sitting on a computer desk, perched on a bare metal couch frame, tossing around an 8-ball on a pool table, even with the camera peeking over a bathroom stall! It all definitely went with the punk-rebel getup.
Lots of things learned, cool photos produced, and new friends made. A very successful day.
Check my website for more photos from this shoot. http://andysutterfield.com/portfolio.html
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