Studio en plein air

[Rob C]

At last, after placing the order on the 18th of June, having #1 made from the wrong, unspecfied material, #2 is now in place.

The thing lives furled behind the existing wind-out sunshade, and gets swung out and fixed to another support at the other end of the terrace ceiling. With luck, I'll be able to fit another metal pipe through the end of the roll to keep it hanging free of folds... Of course, it was made up a couple of inches too long, and that gives me the headache of getting two wedges to fit between the suspension bar and the background roll itself in order to stop it unwinding too far, and right onto the floor as you see it... I wonder what the point was in my making up drawings with detailed spec. With luck, I've got space to back off and get full length figures with, I think, my 135mm Nikkor or, at the worst, the 105mm.

Anyway, imagine the chick of your dreams standing in front of it, and you'll be sharing the dream that I am having. Of course, you probably have a chick of your dreams but I don't have anyone's chick of their dreams. I must see what the power of advertising might do. Or spend more time in more bars drinking bleedin' tonic and looking for that walking dream!

A new era beckons. Right.

;-)

Rob C

[Rob C]

Rob, wouldn't you need the backdrop to extend over the floor?

In the ideal world of the old studios I had, yes. In this current one, no; the reason, really, is that I'm more interested in getting into portraiture than anything else - from waist upwards holds most of what I think I'd want to shoot anymore. What I still want to find is an old bar stool on which I can perch my victims and prevent them from wandering off sideways or back 'n' forth... Apart from the fact that plastic core tubes were only available in the local hardware store at a maximum length of two metres, that's also partly why I didn't go for the whole width of the available hanging space, even though I think I could have found longer pipes in one of the plumbers' shops.

Ain't going to be shooting any fashion and nudes etc. for which latter I'd rather have worked on the beach or in an olde worlde bedroom with four-posters and mosquito nets etc. than on a soulless white roll. I really would want to tell a little story rather than just make a body shot.

If I do have to do a full length for some reason, an old sheet on the floor and some PS and it's done. Actually, the old white sheet thing can come in useful as an alternative to using the brolly on my studio flash (if it still works!): the sheet can be hung over the support for the sunshade on the left of the backdrop and a flash banged through it. Or off the ceilng - all sorts of options as long as it's black/white: so much colour bounces off the floor tiles that it would be very difficult to keep things neutral.

Actually, it was with this portrait thing in mind that I'd had the fleeting idea of the square 'blad negative rebate... lost interest in that now, though; seems a pointless additional effort.

Interestingly, I note that the shot with the roll hanging down gets more viewings than the support system shot above it which, I'd thought, was of greater interest in the scheme of things... I'll have to make another shot to replace the hanging, open roll one by pasting a girl onto it...

;-)

Rob C

[WalterEG]

If I do have to do a full length for some reason, an old sheet on the floor and some PS and it's done.

Rob,

An easy solution may be a 6' x 4' sheet of white perspex to place on the floor with the little bit of blind going under the edge.  OR you could have mirror perspex and reflect the feet (and the blind).

I invariably use a riser for full length shots by placing an Ikea bench-top on top of milk crates.  It also affords me a ground-row.  I seldom shoot without the riser if the subject is standing.  It has the psychological effect on the sitter of 'being on stage' and it means the camera does not have to be as low to get waist-level shots.

Cheers,

W

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Congrats on getting it built, Rob. I look forward to some portraits.

[Rob C]

Walter –

Yes, Perspex would be cool, but it costs an arm and a leg here: the tiny piece I bought to make up the US number plate thinggy for the car was surprisingly expensive for what it was, and my other problem is storage space. It could probably be stored under a bed, but my Ann would be turning herself into a dust storm if she thought I was hiding stuff under beds - don’t want to risk her ire, I want to keep her at and on my side!


Regarding your little platform: that was something I often dreamed about in my pro days, but I never had a studio with a high enough ceiling (Paul Simon’s fault) for such luxuries, and I think I pay the price today: my back used to ache doing full length shots, because I was inevitably crouched too low for comfort or a chair. (I always followed my little golden rule: if you can get the rear and front edges of the skirt to be in line on the screen, then you’re roughly at the right height. (Proved difficult and misleading with minis, though…) Neither could I ever get the flash high enough to get what I wanted from it, something that’s not solved in this new set-up either.

Eric –

“Congrats on getting it built, Rob. I look forward to some portraits.”

Don’t be silly, I didn’t build anything - the terrace was already there! ;-)

To be shamefully honest, Eric, the idea came about years ago, as did the making of the support hooks, of which I still have a spare pair that may be utilised some day at the other end of the same terrace to support another roll; but don’t let me hold my breath! The problem (apart from laziness) has always been background material that can live outdoors and not go soggy and out of shape with the incessant dampness from the sea air that pervades this place. Paper, as in Colorama rolls, is useless.

Actually, coming up with good work may prove difficult in a situation where the light is constantly changing - I may end up masking off all the daylight with yet more blinking sheets or blankets - like making a tent! What have I started for myself? Best to work at night!

Keith –

I forgot to add in the earlier reply to your post: using long rolls that go under the subject for a few feet was quite an expensive trick in terms of wastage; I used to tape up the soles of models’ shoes with masking tape, but the paper still failed to stay clean for a second session. In an outside situation with the constant dust problems here, it would be worse (in terms of real cost) with the expensive plasticised blind material, though perhaps that can be washed slightly. Better the occasional PS!

Thanks for the good wishes!

Rob C