stu-, stu-, studio!

I'm excited to be writing this after working in a studio I only learned about from a real estate agent I worked with in the DC area.   He offered me the opportunity to check it out, and pass the word on to others that might be in need of such studio space.  Imagehouse is the place.  

So the other night, with the needed help of a complete ham, my friend Keith stood in front of the lights and camera.  Presto!  We made some images.  A few of which I'm happy with.  Maybe they aren't perfectly polished.  But I liked the thought process and being able to really see what I wanted to do and make it happen (mostly).  I need to get back in there to work on some stuff, re-shoot some ideas...generally get better at studio work.  

But I would be remiss if I didn't thank my other friend named Keith.  Keith Barraclough.  He let me show up at his studio a few weeks back and showed me his basic setup for all those "Making It" pictures in the Wash Post Magazine.  He also shot the cover story for the WPost Mag just before the Olympics on all the local Olympians.  So, thanks Keith. 

The 1st 5 photos here are use a 5 light set up.  2 are behind the subject at the left and right. An additional light is using a reflective umbrella above the subject.  Another is camera left at about 45 degrees.  And I have a big fill light behind me pointed directly at the subject. Look at the first photo (above) to get a better idea...

The last three are with 3 or 2 light set ups.  The orange photos have one light at camera right pointed directly at the subject.  Another pointed into the background, and yet another pointed down at his head from above (about halfway between camera and subj.).  The suit picture is just two lights.  I tried creating a snoot with some paper taped to the strobe above and to the right of the subject.  Another strobe lit the background.  

So that's all for the technical mumbo-jumbo.  What really brought me into Keith's studio a few weeks back was the realization that making a living strictly as a photojournalist was going to be tough, if not impossible.  Saving the world just isn't going to pay the bills.  Not as of yet, at least.  So there has to be a backup.  I still like taking pictures, so who is buying?  Well there is always advertising.  And there are always pictures of people in magazines and such.  So, why don't I learn how to light a portrait?  Bingo.  Imagehouse.  So this is my first foray into the studio photo biz.  Long way to go, but I like where these images ended up.