Hey all,
I recently did a shoot for a Dancer who is putting together a CD of middle Eastern music and needed images for the cover as well as just having more recent images of herself for other uses as well.
We used her friends house who had a good bit of sapce for the 10x20 ft muslin backdrop and support system.(I would have preffered paper but the large rolls are not transport friendly)
These were shot with the Canon Speedlites bounced from 40" umbrellas and another speedlite from behind to illuminate the veil and give it a back lit glow. I had a 60" umbrella that I was thinkig of using for the main light but was afraid the 580 EX ll would just be too weak to throw enough light into a surface that large.

I thought I would share these just to show what can be done with the small speedlites, but if anyone can give me a way to improve upon these next time that would be great.
I would like to get into this area of photography, it was quite fun, but I think if I'm going to do this more often I need to get some Alien Bees (White Lightening?) and soft boxes etc. . . .and a studio lol. I think I will be needing to rent studio space in N.Y. until I can get more room for my own :(

WOWWWWW!!!
Your lighting is awesome! I love the colours and the backdrop co-ordinates really well withher costume!
FANTASTIC portraits Gary!

Thanks Alison, hearing that from you is a tremendous boost for my confidence! I did edit slightly the background by tinting it mildly to a more magenta color, as opposed to the nuetral gray that it was and smoothing out some of the unsightly seams and creases that would have been harder to do using a steamer on it there.
The ratio of lighting on the first one was a conservative 1:2 and on the second one a more dramtic and moody 1:6 or something close to that. Fill to Main ratios that is.

Gary this is whole new side to your photography that I wasn't familiar with. It would appear that you are at home with studio work as you are with your many other facets of photography. I'm sure the dancer will love these image and they will do a lot to enhance her business. this is very nice work on a very limited amount of equipment.

Great images Gary. She should be thrilled with them. Very nice lighting.

Thanks Larry and brhitch.
Larry, I can not say that I am comfortable or at home with this type of shoot. There is much that I need to understand and learn about it. I had alot of help from the E-TTL transmitted Speedlite set up.
brhitch, yes she is happy with these and there were alot of others that came out quite nice with different poses and costumes.

If any of the Studio Lighting Gurus around can give me some advice on how to get the bg less exposed or anything else that can be noticed for improvement, that would be great.

These are great Gary!
I am not sure there's much you could improve upon.
Brian

These are great Gary!
I am not sure there's much you could improve upon.
Brian

Hey Brian, thanks for the good words!

I like them. I do wonder how they would look with a little more dramatic lighting and a black backdrop to give them a more mysterious feel.

mbb

I like them. I do wonder how they would look with a little more dramatic lighting and a black backdrop to give them a more mysterious feel.

mbb

thanks for commenting, Matt. Yep, it could take on a whole different look that way. Not sure if it would be better or worse, just different.

Well, the dancer I did a session with had been so busy that she had recently got back to me with some more choices of her favs from the shoot. Once she gives me the image, I put the finishing touches on it and send her a high res file of the finished photo.
This one, amongst a few others were her possible choices for her CD cover. which will then be designed by a graphic artist she works with.
I like the pose caught in this one but my question is does she look small or short because i had to stand on a couch for many of the shots to avoid losing the backdrop at the top, even though it wasa roughly 8ft high.
What do you think?
Looks ok . . .

I think it is a good shot, but I think the 1st one is the best and would be the best for a CD cover, IMHO.

This one does not make her look short, but does not give the same glamour as the 1st one.

Good luck as they are all good....

Phil

I think it is a good shot, but I think the 1st one is the best and would be the best for a CD cover, IMHO.

This one does not make her look short, but does not give the same glamour as the 1st one.

Good luck as they are all good....

Phil

Thanks for your comments on it, Phil.
Turns out she likes alot of these for different reasons and applications, but will be going with something more conservative and what she feels is more about middle eastern dance and less about glamour and playful.
This is what she will most likely use for the CD specifically. Maybe one of the others for an inside cover thing. I like the shot alot, but had more of a bias towards the glamour and fun images.

I think this one is nice and would work for more traditional look.
phil

Hi Gary I just stumbled onto this thread! Beautiful images! I'm sure she is thrilled! Isn't it nice to work with folks who are used to posing and being in front of an audience? Great job!:thumbsup:

Hi Gary I just stumbled onto this thread! Beautiful images! I'm sure she is thrilled! Isn't it nice to work with folks who are used to posing and being in front of an audience? Great job!:thumbsup:

Thanks Cindy, yes it was great working with her. She is a pro and has been doing Middle Eastern and Oriental dance for many years, also gives workshops at the Alvin Ailey extension. All around very nice person as well. . .
She certainly made my work easier as she knows how to move and pose and is natural.