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In all the years that I have been photographing people, runway photography is one area that I have not had a lot of experince in. So, when a friend of mine offered me the opportunity to take some runway shots at a workshop that her company, FigureB, was producing, I jumped at the chance.The workshop was for new models looking into the industry so my being there was more to add to their experince than it was to create some fashion shots. What a perfect environment to experiment in!!! Great atmospher, exciting music, high energy, beautiful models, and no expectations.
The workshop was held at Suki's Hair Salon in Vancouver, and when I arrived with gear in hand
the salon was already alive with activity. I put my gear bags down and pulled out a a 24-70 f2.8 lens, attached it to a body, and went to work. In the back, models were learning about hair and makeup preparation. A few shots there and it was upstairs to where other students were being coached by an expert trainer on how to walk on a runway. On the lower level, there were even more students learning how to change there clothes quickly. At the end of the workshop, the students were going to practice there skills with a mock fashion show with freinds and family watching. So after about 45 minutes of photographing the "getting ready" I headed to the main part of the salon were show was to take place and set up my lighting
the salon was already alive with activity. I put my gear bags down and pulled out a a 24-70 f2.8 lens, attached it to a body, and went to work. In the back, models were learning about hair and makeup preparation. A few shots there and it was upstairs to where other students were being coached by an expert trainer on how to walk on a runway. On the lower level, there were even more students learning how to change there clothes quickly. At the end of the workshop, the students were going to practice there skills with a mock fashion show with freinds and family watching. So after about 45 minutes of photographing the "getting ready" I headed to the main part of the salon were show was to take place and set up my lightingI set up 2 flashes in white 32" umbrellas and controlled them wirelessly from the camera. One flash was set at the far end of the salon, or what was to be the runway, and the other near camera position. This allowed me to have two spots were I could photograph the models withou
t changing my camera position. It also created an even light throughout the Salon. The far end of the salon was all glass. Fortunately it was curved so that reflections from the flashes did not present much of a problem. This lighting setup was typical of the setup that I would use at an event or a wedding. Very often at events, you are restricted to using only a single on camera flash which gives you a very arsh and unflattering look. A single on camera flash would have also made the background go very dark. I am able to avoid both of these issues with the two lights off camera as well as pick up some of the ambience of the location in the pictures.
t changing my camera position. It also created an even light throughout the Salon. The far end of the salon was all glass. Fortunately it was curved so that reflections from the flashes did not present much of a problem. This lighting setup was typical of the setup that I would use at an event or a wedding. Very often at events, you are restricted to using only a single on camera flash which gives you a very arsh and unflattering look. A single on camera flash would have also made the background go very dark. I am able to avoid both of these issues with the two lights off camera as well as pick up some of the ambience of the location in the pictures.One off the issue with using strobes is recycle time. If you have to use your strobes at full power, recycle can take several seconds. When photographing moving subjects, it means the difference between getting the shot and not getting the shot. To help get around this problem, I use high ISO speeds and optically fast lens's. It is not unusual for me to use ISO 1600. I find that with the new DSLR's, the grain is totally acceptable. My favourite lens for this sesion was the 24-70 f2.8 L series.
The folks at FigureB Model Management put on a great workshop and Suki's on Granville did a wonderful job of hosting it. Thanks for letting me be a part of it
A group shot of my new friends
