Had a phone call from my friend, asking me whether I'd be interested in a photo shoot. Of course, any opportunity like that is one I take, so we agreed on a time and date. The idea for me was to simply get some experience in the studio. Being a landscape photographer by nature, shooting in the studio is still a rather new thing to me. This was only the second time I was in a studio with a model and the first time without instructions.
So on the day, I went over to the studio. The gear I had at my disposal consisted of the following:
- Canon 550D DSLR
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS Lens
- Canon EF 70-300mm USM Lens
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 Mk II
- Several other things such as filters, wireless triggers etc.
There are a few reasons as to why I shoot on digital and not on film. Although in some instances, the grain and noise of film can be nice, overall I prefer the crispness of digital. Also, digital is more versatile, because the sensors are far more sensitive compared to film. This means digital cameras can handle low light situations a lot better. Add to all this the fact that film is quite expensive, the fact that I can see straight away what I shot and the fact that I can go home and edit my images on my laptop rather easily compared to having to go into a darkroom and it becomes quite clear that there are several advantages to shooting with digital. Don't get me wrong tho, I can see why some people would prefer film. It can really add to the feel of photographs sometimes. But a lot of these things can now also be achieved by using Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
When it comes to the pricing, the actual structure was rather simple in this case. The model came and posed for us and we offered her the images on a disc. This is known as Time For Print (TFP) or Time For Disc (TFD). This meant that when it comes to the target audience for this shoot, it's mainly about the model and myself. She might want images for any portfolio she might be creating and I need the experience and images for possible portfolios. Normally, I'd charge people for the type of shoot they want. Hourly rates, day rates, it all depends on the type of shoot. To figure out an hourly rate, it's important to keep in mind your fixed costs, taxes and, of course, how much profit you're wanting to make not only on that shoot, but also over a year. But in this case, there was no money involved. It was simply a shoot for fun and experience for both parties involved.
Ok, so on to a couple of my shots. Here is the lighting diagram of the studio setup.
The following are some test shots. As it was a very tiny studio, with quite a low ceiling, it was quite hard at first to get Angela in the frame without the frame being filled with unwanted things. As you can see, the background roll kept creeping into view here.
To avoid this, I decided to get myself up on a higher platform, giving me a higher viewpoint and therefore I was shooting slightly down. This way, I managed to avoid the roll in the background without it seeming as tho I was shooting from a long way up. This was also the reason behind my focal length choice. The following shots are taken after this small and simple adjustment and, in my opinion, are much better without background clutter.
The images are quite decent, to say I only went into the studio to gain a little bit of experience and to try and get used to working studio equipment such as lighting etc. on my own. Are there things I would improve? I think, overall, my knowledge of the studio is only just developing. There's so much to learn, so much equipment used in different situations. My main issue in this situation was the fact that I hadn't been in situations with models before. This meant I was unaware how to deal with the situation and how to interact properly. In other words, I was a quiet, shy little boy. It was only towards the end that I started getting a bit more confident. So that's something I would improve next time, now that I know what it is like. Another thing is experimenting more with different settings, such as light settings and types of light. However, part of this shoot was nude and not suitable for posting here. Those shots were done in low key. Also, I'd probably try different viewpoints and making the shots overall look a bit more attractive. I have to learn about poses and things like that, because it's important that you know what to ask of your model. The lighting is nice and so is the composition, I think. Perhaps if the studio was bigger with a higher ceiling I would've been able to do more. If I'm honest, I'm quite pleased with the overall result, but will definitely keep pushing myself for better results each time.
The following are some test shots. As it was a very tiny studio, with quite a low ceiling, it was quite hard at first to get Angela in the frame without the frame being filled with unwanted things. As you can see, the background roll kept creeping into view here.
To avoid this, I decided to get myself up on a higher platform, giving me a higher viewpoint and therefore I was shooting slightly down. This way, I managed to avoid the roll in the background without it seeming as tho I was shooting from a long way up. This was also the reason behind my focal length choice. The following shots are taken after this small and simple adjustment and, in my opinion, are much better without background clutter.
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| Aperture: f5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 50mm |
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| Aperture: f5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 50mm |
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| Aperture: f5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 32mm |
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| Aperture: f5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 23mm |
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| Aperture: f5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 23mm |
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| Aperture: f5.6, Shutter Speed: 1/125 Focal Length: 48mm |
The images are quite decent, to say I only went into the studio to gain a little bit of experience and to try and get used to working studio equipment such as lighting etc. on my own. Are there things I would improve? I think, overall, my knowledge of the studio is only just developing. There's so much to learn, so much equipment used in different situations. My main issue in this situation was the fact that I hadn't been in situations with models before. This meant I was unaware how to deal with the situation and how to interact properly. In other words, I was a quiet, shy little boy. It was only towards the end that I started getting a bit more confident. So that's something I would improve next time, now that I know what it is like. Another thing is experimenting more with different settings, such as light settings and types of light. However, part of this shoot was nude and not suitable for posting here. Those shots were done in low key. Also, I'd probably try different viewpoints and making the shots overall look a bit more attractive. I have to learn about poses and things like that, because it's important that you know what to ask of your model. The lighting is nice and so is the composition, I think. Perhaps if the studio was bigger with a higher ceiling I would've been able to do more. If I'm honest, I'm quite pleased with the overall result, but will definitely keep pushing myself for better results each time.
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