A Lil' Hocus Pocus

smoke665 · Oct 11, 2018

I've gained a new respect for professionals who come up with elaborate lighting schemes that make everything look so easy. Pretty much maxed out my skill level with this set, four lights, 2 reflectors, and custom set which included DYI tombstones and a glowing fire under the pot (fabricated from orange led lights, spray foam, and paint. (If anyone wants to know how to build your own send me a message, and I'll send you directions - they're easy) Insert one hyper 3 year old who would not stand still in the middle and it's a wonder I have any hair left. I'd no sooner get the lights set and she'd move. This will probably be the last of the big set productions for awhile with her, till she calms down some, or they make stronger duct tape LOL Even so I managed to pull out some keepers, here's a few of the ones I liked. Enjoy. C&C always welcome.

no-image-available-grid.jpg by William Raber, on Flickr

Jeff15 · Oct 11, 2018

Nice set.......

zulu42 · Oct 11, 2018

fabulous work smoke. I can't pick a favorite - maybe 3, or 2.
BTW in shot #1 she looks a lot like her grandpa imo

snowbear · Oct 11, 2018

Great set, sweet model.

Did you sugar her up real good and hand her back to mom & dad after the session?

smoke665 · Oct 11, 2018

snowbear said:
Did you sugar her up real good and hand her back to mom & dad after the sessi

I think the evil Mimi loaded her up with powdered sugar donuts, then turned her loose on me!!!

snowbear · Oct 11, 2018

That’ll do it.

SquarePeg · Oct 11, 2018

Really nice set. Considering her age, you got her to cooperate pretty well.

RowdyRay · Oct 11, 2018

Lol. I'm laughing with you, not at you. Have a 2 going on 3 year old grandson. Love him dearly, but the attention span of a gnat! The 9 year old, maybe.......If I bribed him.

Love the effort and elaborate sets. Don't give up. She'll appreciate the time spent with grandpa........someday. 4 and 6 are priceless.

smoke665 · Oct 11, 2018

SquarePeg said:
Really nice set. Considering her age, you got her to cooperate pretty well.

Thanks, she's a hoot. She is either into or she isn't, and heaven help the fool that tries to make her do something when she isn't interested. This one was really to much to deal with though, without a full crew of assistants. Four that could adjust lights on the fly, two to corral her on set, and one to bring me Advil!

smoke665 · Oct 11, 2018

RowdyRay said:
Lol. I'm laughing with you, not at you. Have a 2 going on 3 year old grandson. Love him dearly, but the attention span of a gnat! The 9 year old, maybe.......If I bribed him.

I think the gnat can concentrate longer!!! At least until she gets older, I'll be going back to a HUGE softbox and a Huge reflector. Much more forgiving when you have an active child, and a bench. Hard for them to move around as much if they're sitting :biggrin:

JustJazzie · Oct 11, 2018

These are awesome! I especially love the second one, her expression is very fitting.

The colors all flow really well, but I am wondering how they fare in black and white- I feel like the lighting would make a good match for some monochrome.

Thanks for sharing! These made me smile.

tirediron · Oct 11, 2018

Stellar work!!!! My only thought is that with all of this series, the gelled lights are playing with the model's skin tone. Have you thought of flagging the key and using a tight, non-gelled light (snooted?) on her face to preserve her skin tones?

Derrel · Oct 11, 2018

A nice set of shots, but I just love #2! So adorable. Err...I mean spooky...err...I mean wonderful!

smoke665 · Oct 11, 2018

tirediron said:
Stellar work!!!! My only thought is that with all of this series, the gelled lights are playing with the model's skin tone. Have you thought of flagging the key and using a tight, non-gelled light (snooted?) on her face to preserve her skin tones?

The key was a gridded octabox which did a fair job keeping the light tight. I used two gelled snoots on the left, one on the background and one on the face. The idea was to simulate blue moonlight. In retrospect that might not have been ideal. Once I got past three lights I was flying by the seat of my pants. :1247: