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Apogee Photo Magazine

The Glamour Photographer's Notebook
by Gene Copas

Ode to "MOM"

This photo was created during a recent Glamour and Boudoir Photography Workshop that I present around the country.  The workshop was co-sponsored by Models East in Rockville, MD.  

The model, Sandi, was experiencing her first time working in front of a workshop group.  That can be a little uncomfortable, even for more advanced models.  But, Sandi handled it with real professionalism, poise and grace.  I would highly recommend her to anyone.   

Participants at my workshops have nicknamed me, lovingly I hope, "the f/8 man".  That is because I always adjust my lighting so that I can shoot at f/8.  When I am working, whether in my own studio or in a new and different one, I don't like to be constantly checking my camera settings.  And since I don't have a very good memory, I would rather use the same setting all the time, when possible.   

The idea for this photo came in two stages.  First, keep in mind that I had not met, or worked with, Sandi before she came to the workshop.  This is usually a recipe for disaster.  But I relied on the judgment of Missy Loewe, the owner of Models East.  She assured me that Sandi would handle the situation well, and was anxious to get the experience.  Well, Missy was right. 

As we checked out Sandi's selection of costumes, she pulled out this deep purple lingerie.  Now, I have to tell you that I am a sucker for purple lingerie.  As she came out of the dressing room, I realized that she had a rather interesting tattoo.  How many young ladies that you know have a tattoo tribute the their mom?!! 

To tie the tattoo colors into the photo color scheme, I decided to enhance the purple and red motif.  The first step was to pick a red seamless background paper. 

The main lighting for this photo was one Novatron standard head in a 30" square softbox, adjusted for an exposure of f/8 on ASA color negative film.  I chose not to use a key light from the front, as I wanted to introduce some gelled light from the sides and slightly behind.  This would enhance the overall color coordination that I had in mind.  The "rim" light effect would also help to bring out the model's shape and give some detailing to the darker garments. 

Two White Lightning units were used for the side lights. One positioned on each side of the model and slightly behind.  I wanted highlight on the hair, as well as the model's body. 

In most "rim" lighting, you must be careful not to allow spill light to strike the model's face.  However, in this case, I wanted some color on the sides of the face to tie the whole color scheme together. 

The light to the "camera left" of the models was equipped with a Rosco purple gel.  The light to "camera right" was fitted with a red gel.  These two lights were adjusted to be approximately 1/2 stop brighter than my fill light, or a reading of f/9.5.  You can experiment with various settings to achieve an effect that you like. 

Who is Gene Copas?

"Notebook #1"
"Notebook #2"
"Notebook #3"
"Notebook #4"
"Notebook #5"
"Notebook #6"

Last month's "Notebook."