Glamming up the Glam
I’ve been laid up a week or so with the worst sinusitis I’ve ever had, one interruption after the next while trying to complete my glamour courses with the incomparable Ms. Sue Bryce. The 28 Days with Sue might just end up 28 weeks.
Sue’s teaching is terrific but all of the images she shoots that I’ve been in awe of, it’s all shot using reflectors and big window light. I’ve been many years a strobe junkie because, well, my windows are little, I’m in Seattle and in the past the outpouring of sunshine has not typically ever been this generous. I think 2015 is a year we’ll be talking about for decades to come. So in my experience, strobes offer more flexibility, more control and I’ve learned how to use them early on. Some never learn strobe techniques, they’re either not interested or just don’t want the extra hassle of the learning curve.
Window light is nice but not reliable because it’s not always available, even if you have great windows, the weather may not cooperate, the days get shorter and your clients can’t always show up at 10am.
But what if you MAKE a window with a source of sun that you can …plug into the wall? A box of sunshine.
Only a strobe junkie would come up with a cheat like that, and I did.
I still use the strobe for a side, hair or fill light. Since the bulbs are 4000K on these LED tube lights, I had to put two sheets of warming gels on the flash so I could avoid a mix light problem. The images I get with this setup I think are very representative of true glamour photography. I still love the classic painterly look of the strobe setup using simple one or two lights, I love the drama of a beauty dish with a grid directly overhead at 90º angle.
Here’s a good example of the strobe setup, a very classic, timeless look.
and here’s a great example using my artificial window the “sunshine in a box” setup.
When the subject is enveloped in this kind of lighting, the edits are endless (so set a timer when you get into photoshop). I like to call this edit, comic book chic.
I hope I can repeat the process. Skin retouch, Alienskin cross process Kodak 100 then back to lightroom for the gritty factor preset and then move some sliders around to smooth it out. Okay, got it! I introduce to you, Comic-Book Chic! Who wants to attend a session of “Glam-r-Con” with me? Hit my contact page and send me an inquiry and I’ll send you a gift voucher to try it out!
