BTS from Experiments in Light | Colour | Form Photography with MODEL MASAMI VOL. 17 @ Tekumi Studios

The workshop series is back and we recently had the fluid movements of Tokyo pole dancer Masami in the studio for a 3 hour series exploring the use of RGB's, projectors and flash! Lets take a look below at what went down.

Some of the equipment used:

Camera:

• Sony A7IV

• Sony 24-70mm 2.8 GMII

  
  

Lighting:

• Amaran 300C

• Godox AD300 Pro

• Godox AD600

• Forza Nanlite FC-500B

• Zhiyun Molus G300

• Godox 90cm PR P-90 Parabolic Softbox

  
  

SET 1 - PROJECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Projector photography is one of those things you can do in the studio that is actually quite simple in its execution but the final results look so elaborate and stunning. There are a couple of things to remember when using a projector in the studio:

• be mindful of the backdrop color. White or grey (any plain, light-coloured background) usually works best for projector photography as it makes the projections pop. However, if you want to really add emphasis to the projection on the model instead of the backdrop use black as black will absorb a lot of color especially depending on the image you are projecting.

  
  

• the brightness of your projector matters. You will find a ton of portable projectors on Amazon with crazy lumens ratings (the brightness units) of 10,000 + but these are arbitrary numbers. Instead look for the ANSI lumens ratings of the projector. The difference between ANSI lumens and lumens is important because it can affect the accuracy of the brightness measurements. ANSI lumens is a standardized rating across all manufacturers so you can have confidence when comparing models. I use a 10 year old BenQ HT1075 projector with an ANSI Lumens rating of 2200. Not the worst, not the best but for a small studio it does the trick! The higher lumens will allow you to keep your ISO low and not really on opening your aputure to its maximum or shutter speed too slow. Also, the less ambient light the stronger and brighter the projected image will be.

  
  

• position your projector carefully. The closer to the subject the projector is the brighter the output will be however the smaller the image and vice versa. Also consider putting your projector on a stand with a ballhead swivel to make minute and easy adjustments as needed.

  
  

• select the right images. When choosing images look for ones with high contrast and bold patterns for projection. Images with intricate details or strong graphic elements tend to work best for creating eye-catching effects on the model’s body and the background.

Now, with some of the basics and behind the scenes images out of the way these were some of the final edited images I was able to capture. You'll notice that in order to make the model stand out a bit from the dark background we used lighting placed behind the model or above to create that backlight effect. It also has the effect of countering any light spill onto the backdrop if you want the projection mainly on the model for example.

SET 2- SHUTTER DRAG PHOTOGRAPHY

If you've been following my work for anytime you might have noticed that I just love shutter drag photography. Whether it's on the streets outside or in studio, this style of photography takes some time to master but once you do can result in some truly artistic style photos. By slowing our shutter down (a good starting point could be around 1/10 second) and using flash we can 'drag' the colours in our frame to create painterly images with an almost ghost like final result.

When using this technique be sure to use a constant light source like an RGB continuous light on the model as that is what the camera will pick up and 'drag' while the shutter is open. The flash will ensure you capture the crisp image of the subject. Also, play around with the movements you use when dragging your camera and see which one works best.

Lastly, the colours you do use will have a big effect on the outcome. For example, in the images below you can see the difference between when I used blue as the continuous light to contrast with the red/orange hues as opposed to using a similar red hue as the continuous light. When I used the blue light the drag effect is much more contrasty and pronounced where when I used the red as the continuous the effect is more subtle and subdued. Both look great in my opinion so just depends on what you are going for.

I've already got the next event planned so if you want to join please send a DM on my instagram for easiest contact but be warned that space is very limited and fills fast.

Thanks for reading and until the next one!

• d.