Opinions/advice on martial arts shoot

[jeanie]

I'm thinking of doing a martial arts studio shoot in the near future.
got some queries.
Please refrain from off topic postings.

here goes:

-do you think it's better to have make up on or no makeup for the model (female)?
-she has short length hair.do i let it flow free or tie half/pony/scorpion?
-any lighting placement advice?

 

[jeanie]

i would also like to take some shots of her breaking planks.
would really appreciate comments on lighting setups.

 

[Galdor]

Hi Jeanie,

:thumbsup: Good idea. I had some martial arts classes before and I always see the girls in neat & tidy hairdos cos they do not want their hair to cover their face when they are practising. You may want to have your model tie her hair into a ponytail or scorpion. Both are pretty OK. As for the make-up, can try without lor. Look more natural.

Wouldn't be able to offer any suggestions on lightings as I do not have any experience in that area.

Just my 2 cents and hope you can achieve what you want in the shoot.

 

[jeanie]

Hi Jeanie,

:thumbsup: Good idea. I had some martial arts classes before and I always see the girls in neat & tidy hairdos cos they do not want their hair to cover their face when they are practising. You may want to have your model tie her hair into a ponytail or scorpion. Both are pretty OK. As for the make-up, can try without lor. Look more natural.

Wouldn't be able to offer any suggestions on lightings as I do not have any experience in that area.

Just my 2 cents and hope you can achieve what you want in the shoot.

but to capture the face without makeup for a gal.....
i reckon not many gals willing :bsmilie::dunno:

imagine if i have to photoshop every single pic just for touching up blemishes and such....:bigeyes:

 

[Galdor]

but to capture the face without makeup for a gal.....
i reckon not many gals willing :bsmilie::dunno:

imagine if i have to photoshop every single pic just for touching up blemishes and such....:bigeyes:

Natural is a beauty, but not many knows how to appreciate such beauty. :bsmilie: Maybe light make-up then, just to cover the blemishes.

 

[zac08]

I'm thinking of doing a martial arts studio shoot in the near future.
got some queries.
Please refrain from off topic postings.

here goes:

-do you think it's better to have make up on or no makeup for the model (female)?
-she has short length hair.do i let it flow free or tie half/pony/scorpion?
-any lighting placement advice?

Make up and action = sweat and possible smudges (more time spent to cover up later, else consider using smudgeproof and waterproof ones)

Short hair, less chances of movement (you can try typing up or not and see if the slight movement does help with your effects)

Lighting? Nah, me learner, need to learn more too.... :sweat:

Btw, you're gonna do this in studio or?

 

[Rashkae]

I would suggest a little bit of flour/baby powder on the planks, and some light from above to illuminate the cloud of powder when she breaks through them.

 

[jeanie]

Make up and action = sweat and possible smudges (more time spent to cover up later, else consider using smudgeproof and waterproof ones)

Short hair, less chances of movement (you can try typing up or not and see if the slight movement does help with your effects)

Lighting? Nah, me learner, need to learn more too.... :sweat:

Btw, you're gonna do this in studio or?

what you mean by the 'typing' sentence?

yup.studio.will be aircon.hope she doesnt perspire alot.
and mostly are posed shots.so if she think she's gonna perspire, i'll take a break.that should work.

 

[jeanie]

I would suggest a little bit of flour/baby powder on the planks, and some light from above to illuminate the cloud of powder when she breaks through them.

yup.did thought of that.always wanted to do a shot like this.but really aint sure my studio strobes will be fast enough to capture cos in this martial arts scenario, it really aint like shooting dance where there will be this particular 'hang time' (like michael jordan as RBK described).

it's a challenge.... to me imho.:embrass:

 

[Galdor]

If I remembered correctly, there are some of those boards for demostration purpose and the boards do have powder in them. You may want to check with the sports/martial art shops like Liang Seng.

 

[nyxx88]

have a bottle of water spray handy... to give the impression of perspiration, since it will be a posed/staged shoot. if you doing the powder thing, also have some small lights that will light up the powder when it flies up. i think... some backlighting will add more 'drama' too -- depending on the effect you want to achieve.

2 cents

 

[syl]

You are taking action shots hence I think hot lights will be more suitable than strobes in this instance. The lights are always on, unlike strobes, so that you can set your shutter to continous mode and high speed and click away when the model is doing her stuff!

Of course the model should be made-up for the reasons you gave. In an aircond enviroment, you would be cruel if you let her perspire! Haha! But she might though if you are using hot lights - they give out a lot of heat! :bsmilie:

 

[foxwagon]

Heard there will be a free style martial arts match at Ngee Ann City this weekend. One can go and practise?

 

[zac08]

what you mean by the 'typing' sentence?

yup.studio.will be aircon.hope she doesnt perspire alot.
and mostly are posed shots.so if she think she's gonna perspire, i'll take a break.that should work.

apologies... tie up... tying... :sweat:

talcum powder for effects would be a good idea too :thumbsup:

Do look up some possible poses from Chuck Norris or some others.. mebbe Bruce Lee?

 

[Wolfgang]

Point to note,

Make up, or at least minimum make up is required due to the fact that the subject might sweat and if the subject have oily skin, there might be a chance of hot spots so a light touch of make up would be a good idea.

Hair wise, neat and tidy would be good although you may wish to exercise some form of creativity and see how it would turn out with the subject's hair free.

Ultimately, you need to be sure what you want to achieve in terms of the look and plan towards it. Having a theme is just the start.

Good luck for the shoot.

 

[yanyewkay]

You determine the shots you want and get a martial arts expert (of the same field) to check out the minor details like hand placement and aesthetics. eg: when doing a wushu swords pose, the way you hold the sword, position of eyes and style are all inter-related.

By saying of the same field I meant the same type of martial arts. Wushu, karate, silat, etc..

 

[Fiip]

For the technical aspect of the pic and the question you ask, you can also hang around in Kino and check all Martial Arts book to get a better idea of what works and what doesnt depending on what you want to achieve.

Some Wushu books got excellent pics...

 

[jeanie]

guys, really appreciate the replies.

i'll just mass reply to some of the points ok?

-i intend to do a low key, as in black background.so the tae kwon do uniform will stand out nicely.because, it's black and white.i do not intend to light the backdrop as it adds to the drama.

-my friend who's a black belt 2nd degree has short hair and she's rather tall.i'm actually thinkng who can hold the plank for her to whack.
i think i have to source for a 2nd person to hold the plank cos the way i see it, if i just ask my friend to hold it with his hands into the frame.it would look kind of funny.i would prefer to include 2 full bodies into the frame.agree?:dunno:

-imho, i think makeup is a must.but i must make sure she doesnt perspire like after a 2.4km run.

-i dont have constant lights so using constant lights are out.i dont intend to have them in my room too because it's hot.

-thanks for the tip to check out the powdered demo planks.geezz...i surprised they actually have such things.

-no swords, no spears, no clubs, no weapons.i believe TKD doesnt learn weapons?i'm really not sure.

the challenge is the lighting setup.i have some ideas but i really have to shoot it to see if it works.
not to mention after my dance shoot, i realised i cant power up my bowens as i want to freeze the action.
maybe i'll try isiaxion's idea of using 2 lights from each side and set them to the lowest power to try.
and TKD moves which are really fast (i've seen her do some jumping back hooks and such).i believe that, in martial arts, it's the speed and strength?so, i'm quite skeptical of getting clear crystal shots.:cry:

anyone who has suggestions on lightings, please please please give me some tips.
as usual, if shy, email me.
prancingjeanie@yahoo.com.sg

 

[jeanie]

For the technical aspect of the pic and the question you ask, you can also hang around in Kino and check all Martial Arts book to get a better idea of what works and what doesnt depending on what you want to achieve.

Some Wushu books got excellent pics...

thanks for the tips.i'll certainly check it out.

 

[syl]

Yes, you do have constant lights - use your modeling lights on your Bowens! They're a good substitute for hot lights!