Fashion Lighting Set-Ups
Here's The Set Up Diagrams & Results
4.7.1 Frantisek Drtikol
As 'one of the photographers to research' I was struck by Drtikol's use of thrown shadows and use of geometric shapes (I'm also a fan of that architect and designer Charles Rennie McKintosh). Drtikol's work was often related to the avant-garde period of the time as well as cubism and futurism. However, where McKintosh uses lines, Drtikol uses circles and spirals of light and of dark. They soften what otherwise might be harsh images. Equally they cleverly draw us to the subject in the wya that others use lines.
Whilst he was known primarily for portraits of the famous and nude shots it was the image 'The Soul' that struck a chord with my very own soul. Looking at Drtikol's other works the use of shadows and shape seemed aligned with my 'Pilobus' theme. The image was created from carved figures (with elongated shapes). The theme was repeated in many other pictures aimed at symbolically representing various Buddhist themes. Again I find parallels with eastern religions and philosophies.
When I look at Drtikol's nudes using geometric shapes the lines remind me of yin & yang and the Trigram lines of the I Ching.
It is shape and the contrast of light and dark that features so strongly in Dritkol's images, lots of contrast and rich shadows.
In the slide show that follows 'The Soul' is shown in its original form and inverted (as displayed elsewhere) revealing entirely different interpretations of the image. For me the idea of the soul rising towards enlightenment or heaven appeals.
The images are arranged with the 'created figurines' at the start of the show, followed by the nudes with the final image depicting Buddhist meditation. As such they represent my interests and grouping and are not chronological.
'The Cry' from 1927 also appears and the idea can be seen in David Allan Brandt's images - see the slide show in the blog of the same name on this site.
A front cover of 'Vanity Fair' features the pop singer Madonna in a typical Drtikol pose showing his style's continued relevance.
Bio
The Czech photographer Frantisek Drtikol (1883-1961) began his career when Prague Symbolism and "Art Nouveau" still held sway. The influence of these movements is evident in his early nude photographs, which convey a sense of alienation in their painterly quality. In the twenties and early thirties Drtikol reshaped the genre of classical nude photography by synthesizing into a new aesthetic aspects from silent film, avant-garde art, expressive dance and Art Deco design.
Whilst he was known primarily for portraits of the famous and nude shots it was the image 'The Soul' that struck a chord with my very own soul. Looking at Drtikol's other works the use of shadows and shape seemed aligned with my 'Pilobus' theme. The image was created from carved figures (with elongated shapes). The theme was repeated in many other pictures aimed at symbolically representing various Buddhist themes. Again I find parallels with eastern religions and philosophies.
When I look at Drtikol's nudes using geometric shapes the lines remind me of yin & yang and the Trigram lines of the I Ching.
It is shape and the contrast of light and dark that features so strongly in Dritkol's images, lots of contrast and rich shadows.
In the slide show that follows 'The Soul' is shown in its original form and inverted (as displayed elsewhere) revealing entirely different interpretations of the image. For me the idea of the soul rising towards enlightenment or heaven appeals.
The images are arranged with the 'created figurines' at the start of the show, followed by the nudes with the final image depicting Buddhist meditation. As such they represent my interests and grouping and are not chronological.
'The Cry' from 1927 also appears and the idea can be seen in David Allan Brandt's images - see the slide show in the blog of the same name on this site.
A front cover of 'Vanity Fair' features the pop singer Madonna in a typical Drtikol pose showing his style's continued relevance.
Drtikol later gave up photography to take up painting themes representing eastern religions and philosophies. This also seemed to coincide with his fall from an internationally recognised photographer to self imposed hermitism and subsequent obscurity.
The Czech photographer Frantisek Drtikol (1883-1961) began his career when Prague Symbolism and "Art Nouveau" still held sway. The influence of these movements is evident in his early nude photographs, which convey a sense of alienation in their painterly quality. In the twenties and early thirties Drtikol reshaped the genre of classical nude photography by synthesizing into a new aesthetic aspects from silent film, avant-garde art, expressive dance and Art Deco design.
After his student years in the artistically fertile Munich of the turn of the century, after his apprenticeship and military service, he opened his own photographic studio in Prague, which became one of the most successful in Europe of the twenties. That his fame later suffered an almost total eclipse is only partly explained by the historical circumstances of the time, for in the early thirties Drtikol gave up photography, sold his studio, valuable glass pates and negatives, to devote himself to painting and mysticism in the seclusion of a hermit's life.
—Introduction from FRANTISEK DRTIKOL: Art-Deco Photographer
9.0 Studio Health & Safety Assessment
- Tripping: - Camera Stand, Props, Tri-pods. Ensure the lights/fittings are secure on the stands and that there is sufficient space for everyone to move around without a tripping/collision hazard.
- Bumps: Hanging Lights, Soft Boxes / Wafers
- Electricity: Most of the cables are wired upwards and do not cause risk of tripping
- Light: Flashlight is very strong and can damage the eyes, photographers, helpers & models should avoid unnecessary exposure to flash photography.
Covers need to be removed before switching on the flash lamps and fittings should be attached prior to the lamps heating up.
When closing down never lay cables or anything else over hot lamps (allow them to cool first).
Turn the lights down to there lowest setting and then discharge the power before switching off.
- Darkness: The low light in the studio presents a hazard in itself. Various props, wires, camera stands are less evident in the dark. When using the studio users should not rely on their usual senses. Extra attention needs to be paid, taking an extra look around before making movements, taking notice of where things are.
- Heat: The flashlights become incredibly hot and could cause severe burns. They should never be handled.
- Cables should always be laid where they do not create a hazard. Where this cannot be done gaffer tape should be used to secure them to the floor/walls.
- At the end of a session all equipment should be safely removed to the edges of the studio.
- Never leave the studio unattended.
Product Shoot - The Final 10
Here's the final 10 images. Firstly they are presented as a slide show - with a rather nostalgic TV 'skin'. This would be backed up with the theme tune to Match of The Day c1977. This enhances the nostalgic feel (remember the purpose of the images is to support marketing / promotion of the Toy Museum at Barton Marina).
This slide show will be embedded in to a dedicated web page to enable the audio visual presentation to have full impact.
The most likely use for these images is on the client's web site (Link) and within a promotional leaflet/flyer, so the size here will give a reasonable feel for how they would look (similar size/scale). Printing them to glossy paper - consistent with leaflets would also help the client to evaluate which images he prefers (he is a he - he is Steve).
Other options include a book, posters and a prmotional 'pull up' stand. The client is considering the latter, however, it's cost prohibitive in terms meeting the C&G criteria, as is the book. The posters are a possibility but would require some additional information from the Museum and agreement on fonts etc. - not achievable in the remaining time scales.
Finally they could be presented as mounted or printed images. As they will not be used by the client in this format I believe that presenting them in a close a format to their final use is the best option.
They now follow as a straightforward set of images - no particular order simply provided for ease of assessment.
Portrait Shoot - Lighting Plan
Here's a lighting plan for my portrait shoot - thanks to Kevin Kertz for making the psd. freely available online - click this link to the source) Kevin Kertz's Set Up Plans (psd. file).
Two beauty boxes were used to create soft light and soft shadows. The plan to produce composite images to support the 'women in business' campaign meant that and long, hard shadows would cause problems when I came to create the composites (I'd end up removing them in PhotoShop).
The boxes were positioned one above the other - to provide the option for just lighting head and shoulders or full body. The latter is required to when the model poses in full traditional dress, to bring out the colour and produce some highlights and reflections off of the gold embroidery.
A Canon EOS 5D camera fitted with an EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM lens was used on the stand that was also used for my product shoot (which was shot before this one). The camera belongs to the college and the lens provides better quality images than my Nikon D70 and Nikon 28-50mm lens combination. The longer length of the Canon lens provides a softer image, which is great for model / wedding and portrait shots.
The shots were mostly taken at 90mm (although planned at 100mm). I am still in the habit I learned from reading Cartier-Bresson "don't crop in the darkroom, take the picture as you want it". It's a hard habit to break, learning to take a wider shot and crop later.
Shutter speed was set at 1/100 sec - a fairly standard setting in the studio, fast enough to minimise tungsten (although all tungsten are off and only modelling lamps used) and not so fast that it closes down before the flash has fired (yep I've read about that shutter sync problem). Aperture at f5.6 gave a narrow depth of field - again helpful with the composites. The light at this setting is the driver of the aperture and was at f8 - previous history with this camera - lighting combination suggested and opening the aperture a little further to avoid the background becoming too dark (and it still doesn't burn out).
ISO 100 allowing sharp images and minimising noise.
The Model is c8' away from the background so that light does not hit it with any significance.
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