Skin photography

[burnt_toastsg]

Hi All,

I have a friend who wants to take pictures of a couple who wants photos in semi-nude/nude. We are talking about artistically done ones, of course! Wondering if you have any tips to share?

1. What kind of lighting is required?
2. What kind of film is required?
3. Any tips on posing?
4. Subjects are pretty dark so any tips to make them stand out?
5. Tips on silhouettes too please!!

Cheers!
Toasted

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

Just my kinda beginner's thoughts...

1. What kind of lighting is required?

hmm, dun think really need fancy lights, unless u want some special effects... guess studio lightings would do or bounce flash lights... since its those artistic ones, i guess u can play with shadows to 'eliminate' those 'special' places

2. What kind of film is required?

err... i never did film... but i guess if u have faster motions, u need higher iso film, but if u ask them to pose fixated, den 100-400 would do fine i suppose... anybody can comments?

3. Any tips on posing?

tis is the most tricky & interesting parts... i guess have to really see the flexibility of the subject. Also have to see the sensitivity of the photographer & his subjects as well... some may like those fully exposed mug shots kind... but i think since the subject is paying, he/she can just pose watever is comfortable... or if the photographer is paying, he can say, cover tis, do tis... etc... u get wat i mean... :sweatsm: ... also have some err.. 'equipment' like cloths, blankets, towels... etc

4. Subjects are pretty dark so any tips to make them stand out?

Using a white/light colored background... contrast them against it, flash apply the light softly over them... or since they are 'dark' u might wanna cover them in oil... like those suntan kind...

5. Tips on silhouettes too please!!

hmm i dunno much about tis... skip... :dunno:

 

[Reluctant Hero]

1. What kind of lighting is required?
If studio shot, all major brands of studio lighting is fine.
If hand-held strobe, get Metz - neutral, Nikon are Slight yellow warm, Minotla tends to be Slightly cooler. Measured by colour meter.
If natural light, go for diffused window lights.

2. What kind of film is required?
Colour - Fuji NPS 160, good skin tone
B/W - Ilford 125 or Kodak Tri X-Pan, these films hide blemish very well with very wide tonal range.

3. Any tips on posing?
Depends on subjects, rigid posing tips will kill the shot. You'll have to use your creativity.

4. Subjects are pretty dark so any tips to make them stand out?
High contrast, some silver reflector to harden the outline and someone ponited suntan oil - hmmm never thought of that, thanks.

5. Tips on silhouettes too please!!
Bracket your shots

 

[burnt_toastsg]

Hi guys,

thanks for the tips! More questions from me...
Believe this is one of the least ventured projects, so am quite happy someone has responded!

1. Lighting
- shooting's gonna be done at home. Spot lights (not those kinds that are installed in homes but those hand held ones. dunno what are they called though. they get very hot when litted and cannot be turned on for too long.)

- Flash required? Photographer has a mounted flash (with deflector) for the camera. Once again, unsure the type but will check.

- diffused window lights meaning soften the lights?
- hmm...shadows are a great idea

2. Film
- thanks for the tip, Reluctant hero...
- when developing the negatives, does it matter which chemicals you use in relation to the film?

3. Silhouette shots
- please explain 'bracketing shots' :dunno:

Thank you sooo much!!

 

[showtime]

regarding film, yes, fuji nps 160 is great. the c-41 processing that is required to process color negatives is standard so dont worry about the processing. any lab can do it.

 

[showtime]

bracketing means to shoot several shots, one at the measured exposure and a few that are over and a few that are under the measured exposure. this will give you a range of exposures to choose your final shot from.

 

[Ah Pao]

Most artistic nudes are done with black and white film, although you can try colour...it seems somewhat less tasteful to use colour for such applications. Anyway, going with the client's preference is the safest bet.

Since it is unlikely to have such shots taken in outdoor Singapore (haha...that will make sensational news), a studio setup allows a play with lighting...low-key is probably the better way to go to highlight the sensual curves; a play between light and shadow.

 

[burnt_toastsg]

Most artistic nudes are done with black and white film, although you can try colour...it seems somewhat less tasteful to use colour for such applications. Anyway, going with the client's preference is the safest bet.

Yup, black and white film will be used, not color.

 

[Astin]

I have studio lights for rent, in case you need. Can deliver and collect anywhere in mainland Singapore.