Not So Nude

CASE STUDY #35 Not So Nude

CAMERA: Hasselblad 503cw LENS: 120mm

FILM: Fuji RDP

EXPOSURE: f/5.6 at 1 / 125 second

LIGHTING: Luz 800ws pack with large Plume light bank; Luz 800ws pack with two heads bounced off ceiling behind subjects (heads fitted with yellow gels and gobos to prevent spill on subjects)

Assignment I was hired by The Nudes (Walter Parks and Stephanie Winters) to photograph them for promotion of their forthcoming music CD.

Visual Objective I wanted to create warm, whimsical images of the duo.

Posing This pose was spontaneous. I had set up the cello and guitar in the background with the idea of posing Walter and Stephanie in a similar fashion. It looked forced, so I asked if they would stand in place and just move their hips and arms and stare into the lens. I started shooting and let them strike their own poses.

Story One of the band’s songs was called “Arizona,” and I wanted to incorporate that in the photo. I was thinking cactus, sun, desert, etc.—but since there wasn’t any budget to work with, I had to keep it simple, I thought yellow, and instead of cactus, guitar and cello. Adding to the theme is Stephanie’s Hopi belt buckle. The image was never used for their CD, but a music magazine ended up using it for their cover. vent. I have actually had some of my best photo sessions when working under those conditions.

It is great when the client has a big budget, but in some ways it can also be inhibiting. There is an underlying tension in your subconscious mind that keeps telling you, “Wow, the client is giving me all this money to create a brilliant photo—I’d better perform.” I have found that I get better results when I brush that thought aside and instead think, “I’d better have fun doing this shoot or why bother?”

head with yellow gel and gobo bounced off ceiling head with yellow gel and gobo bounced off ceiling

large light bank for main light

Tip I often work with little or no budget when photographing artists. This forces me to improvise and in

LIGHTING CASE STUDIES 93