Concept Shoot, Part Deux

return to the earth
Originally uploaded by bongopix

In another effort to prevent my creative energy from stagnating, I recently collaborated with model/makeup artist Katie for a concept shoot. We discussed a bunch of possible ideas, and then Katie mentioned her admiration for Tim Burton imagery. Okay; gothic. Scary. Cryptic... I haven't done that before! I immediately fell in love with the idea. The concept naturally morphed into shape. She was going to wear an old wedding dress and a small-town Ontario church was going to host our location.

As hard as I tried to get my strobes to create some interesting lighting effects, I kept leaving them behind. This church and graveyard were defeating my lighting ambitions. I wasn't getting the kind of light I wanted. In my head I was telling myself, "Not scary enough!" This shoot was an important learning experience for me because I approached it with a "this will definitely look better after post-processing" kind of attitude.

The instantaneous results displayed on my camera's tiny LCD screen were not exactly flattering. The combination of my model and setting, I told myself, would materialize into a successful shoot. I was going to entrust photoshop to help get the kind of gothic effects I was aiming for. And I suppose (you be the judge) that's what I achieved in the end. So there are three things I learned:

1. Strobes aren't always going to do the trick.

2. I am a "one-trick pony" strobist. I need to learn to do more.

3. Photoshop is a natural and necessary part of the process.

All in all, another great experience. Thank you Katie for modeling and Gary for driving.