As a follow up to my post on ring lights, here you have some more interesting resources on the topic.

Here is a video from famed photographer Jill Greenberg. She uses the ring light too and you even see a scene in this video where she is using it while photographing a bear.

Here you see David LaChapelle at work. He also uses ring flashes in some of his pictures. At about minute 3:30 you will see him working with one

“… It actually has gotten a bit of a bad rap, probably from overuse in those downtown magazines with catchy names that usually last for about two issues and run page after page of disaffected, outlandishly dressed young people, apparently high on some form of illegal substance, staring vacantly at the camera with a circular highlight in their overlarge pupils. …”

The ring flash is ubiquitious, too much if you ask me. If not used creatively the picture ends up looking, well… just like every other ring light picture…

I took a long time before I decided to pick one up and try it. After using it at various productions with positive results, I realised that when mixed with other light sources it contributes a lot to a good photograph.

I want to share with you the different setups I discovered with time and what the resulting pictures were.


The Ring Flash on its own

The ring flash on its own produces images which are well known and easy to recognize. Strong hallo effect around the model and a nice 3D like appearance. When used alone its easy to get that standard ring flash look so make sure you are creative.

Here is an example of the standard ring flash portrait. Not the way I like using the ring flash but an example nonetheless.

In the following example, I also only used one ring flash but with more power and to lighten the whole body. It looks much better and loses that standard ring flash look. The model gets that tasty look typical of a ring flash.

The Ring Flash and Sunlight

Shooting outdoors mixing natural sunlight with a ring flash also gives you good pictures. By playing around with aperture values you can combine both lights and decide how strong the ring flash effect should be. I tried this out only once but it is worth repeating.

The Ring Flash, Fill Light and a Hair Light

Back in the studio there are many ways you can combine your ring flash with your existing strobes. One of my favorite combinations is using the ring flash together with a hair light behind the model.

On top of that I lighten up the whole scene with a big softbox. That minimizes the hallo shadows typical of the ring flash. I don’t like that hallo too much, so adding a softbox is an important factor for my photography.

Add Some Strip Lights from Behind

You can push the whole thing further by adding even more light! To the previous setup you can also add two strip lights behind the model. One on the left and one on the right. That creates a very plastic but impressive look.

This sums up the different ways I have worked with my ring flash (a Profoto by the way). There are certainly other ways to combine your ring flash with other light sources. If you want to share, I would be very interested in your experiences and feedback.

Keep shooting!

You have probably heard the saying “Think Big”. Although its surely a great motivational catch-phrase I beg to differ. “Think Big” can put a lot of strain on your project.

I have had in the past a few “Think Big” moments were I set no limits to the project. The chances of the project getting out of hand are pretty high.

My version: “Think Bigger”

Take it step by step. Start off with one photo production and as you progress make your shootings more complicated, add more elaboration.

Learn to focus on one or two aspects at each shoot. And as you master the skills your photography will improve and most importantly you will avoid the feeling of failure which can be so discouraging.

This approach will continue working no matter how good you get.

… Richardson. On my favorites list. His technique might be easy to imitate but the spirit, attitude and charm of his images are unique!

In previous discussions with photographers, beginners and experienced, the issue of dealing with model contracts has always been big. Each one of us has our own tales where things have gone horribly wrong. With time and based on those and my experiences I ended up producing a check list which helps me manage my working relationship with models.

Many of the items on this checklist either help me write the contracts or guide me when negotiating the photoshooting with a model.

• - Provide your name and website

• - Provide a clear description of the images which will be produced.

• - How long is the shoot planned to last and when does it start: date, time and location.

• - Are other models going to be in the shoot? If yes, provide their names and roles as well as contact information.

• Is a make up artist at the shoot. If not, then what make up do you expect the model to have.

• - Is the model allowed to bring an accompanying person? If yes, then under what conditions? Will you provide food/drink/travel costs to the accompanying person? Is the accompanying person allowed to provide ideas or not?

• - Is the model required to bring her/his clothes? If yes, then give clear indications of the requirements. If not then describe what type of clothes you are going to provide.

• - Is a wardrobe stylist going to be at the shoot? If yes, provide her/his contact details and work samples

• - If you are planning to have other people at the shoot such as assistant, friends, other photographers please indicate it and give the names and roles these people will have during the shoot.

• - Will there be food and drinks at the shoot. Or does the model have to bring their food and drinks

• - A clear description of the expected compensation to the model: money, prints, CD/DVD, or other

• - Are you refunding travel costs: Taxi, bus, train, car gas, etc…?

• - Is the model allowed to use the images for self-promotion?

• - Is the model prepared to sign a model release?

The idea is to make your working relationship bullet proof before the shooting starts ensuring there are no misunderstanding. This will avoid bad surprises, uncomfortable situations and at the end everyone is happy

keep shooting!!

Yesterday I met up with a Berlin fashion designer, good friend of mine, with whom I worked with pleasure on various shoots in the past. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and it was nice catching up.

She has been working on some cool new clothes and was happy to see my new series of pictures. Perfect feelings to start organizing a new photoshooting! We are aiming for end of August, early September, to photograph her new collection.

I leave you with two of my favorites pictures I produced together with her

On a previous blog post I wrote about the challenges of organizing a location for a good photoshooting. Shooting on location is always very positive for your photography but my blog post on organization only covered one aspect of the job. You also have to make sure you use the place properly and your technique will be decisive for that.

Technique can mean a lot of things. Amongst the most important your dexterity with the camera, your relationship with the team, your skills at guiding the models and your knowledge of lighting. When shooting on location I find lighting the most challenging.

At your studio you usually have all familiar tools at your disposal. Additionally you have a well known environment where you can improve with time. On location, you only have the equipment you brought with you (hoping it is sufficient) and a limited time to work in a place where you have probably never been before. Setting up your lighting correctly will take you more time and chances are you will produce less output.

The trick to being successful on location is preparation and time. You need to prepare your shoot carefully, know what the sequence of pictures is going to be, and you should do all you can to familiarize yourself with the location before the day of shooting.

• Determine beforehand what spaces of the location you will work on.
• What light formers will be the most appropriate to lighten model and location?
• How much space do you have for each setup?
• How much natural light can you accept in the picture?

A dark corridor, a room with windows, a hall, a small space… all have different attributes which will require different lighting. If you prepare well you will be thankful.

As for time, plan your shooting to have as much time as possible for each image you want to produce. On location you will probably need 50% to 100% more time per image. You need the extra time to find the optimal way to light the model as well as the location itself. You will be happier with your images and satisfied with the output.

I like using the time models are getting hair & make up done to test lighting with the assistants. Here are some examples where I first checked out possible lighting and then used the results to carry out the actual picture.

In the following picture I tested directly with the model (although I must admit that the test is as nice as the final picture )

On this last example I tested while the make up artist was working on the last details. Note the strip light in the background. It took me quite some time to figure out the best way to place it to achieve a natural result

To summarize, always ensure before you head out to your location, that you have prepared very well for each image and that you have planned enough time to calmly work for the best results! This blog post was meant to be generic. In past and future posts we will look more carefully into the details to produce specific images at specific locations. Stay tuned!

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week came to town, brought lots of entertainment and left. It was a busy and exciting week. I attended a few of the shows and mingled with the crowd. For a punchy-line coverage visit Jaques’ Bagios Blog (where I happen to appear on one of the pics )



Jaques Bagios, Photos & Such

“Guido Maria Kretschmer certainly knows how to keep the spirit high. For his spring/summer 2010 collection (1931 by that historian’s count), the designer cleverly recreates a sunken world with such faithfulness it’s almost eerie. It’s 1931, and it’s like the Roaring Twenties never ended … “