Apogee Photo - Home

Spread the News ~~ Click on this "Share Button"
 Send this Article to Your Photography Colleagues, Friends and Family
Spread It Around the World Instantly

Apogee Photo Magazine

The Glamour Photographer's Notebook
by Gene Copas

A Waterfall

Sometimes when working with new materials and moving lights around, I get an idea that just has to be explored.  I usually go into a session with some sort of an idea of the photos I want to do, but that does not mean that I am locked in.  I always wait to see what the model has in costumes, or what the client has "up their sleeve" that they didn't tell me about ahead of time.   

Those of you who know me, or are beginning to know me, will understand that I get bored easily.  I am always trying to challenge myself to create something new and different.  My ideas and imagination are stimulated by other photographer's works, new backgrounds, or just something simple as an "idea". 

For this photo, my imagination was stirred by working with a fabulous new material called Shimmer sheer supplied by Superlite Custom Backgrounds by Dianne.  This is a fascinating space age material that is absolutely different than anything else I have ever encountered.  It is extremely light and reflective and, at the same time, interestingly transparent.   

The Shimmer Sheer that I have is a 10' wide and 15' long seamless section that weighs less than one pound.  If you pack it into the artistically designed carry bag that Dianne supplies for $5, it develops an interesting crumpled texture that has many interesting reflections.  If you use some clamps and stretch it for a few minutes it becomes the world's largest diffusion filter.  It is such and interesting material that several photographers (including myself) are now using small pieces for diffusion filters in front of their lenses.  

When I began lighting my beautiful model Diane from Atlanta, I was suddenly struck by the way the light was reflecting off the Shimmer Sheer background and it reminded me of a waterfall that I had seen in the North Carolina mountains.  Diane is a beautiful and lithe model, and I directed her into some poses reminiscent of swimmers or divers.   

The lighting for this photo was relatively simple.  I used two Photogenic PL2 Powerlights.  The one, to the model’s left and slightly behind, was set at 500 ws and was equipped with an umbrella.  The front, or fill light, also equipped with an umbrella, was set at 250 ws.  The exposure was metered for the front, or fill light, and was at my favorite f/stop of f/8 on ASA 100 color negative film.  As usual, all of my photos are shot to be processed at your local "KMART" or "One Hour" photo Lab.  The photos that you view in this column have no corrections or manipulations done in the computer.  I do find that I occasionally have to slightly adjust the brightness and contrast of my scans before publishing.

Who is Gene Copas?

"Notebook #1"
"Notebook #2"
"Notebook #3"
"Notebook #4"
Last month's "Notebook."