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- Ken Gordon on 3 Types of Fashion Images – Catalog – Editorial – High Fashion
- Thorsten on Editorial and Lookbook Fashion Lighting by Photographer Thorsten Ott
- Steady on Heffner Models Fashion Shoot with Satin Panel Lighting
- Bell on Editorial and Lookbook Fashion Lighting by Photographer Thorsten Ott
- Allison on One Light Low Key Editorial Fashion Lighting
- Paul on One Light Lookbook Lighting Tutorial
- Paul on One Light Lookbook Lighting Tutorial
- Thorsten on One Light Lookbook Lighting Tutorial
- Paul on One Light Lookbook Lighting Tutorial
- Thorsten on About the Zeroplusplus Photography Tutorial Blog
My Favorite Camera Store B&H Photo
Tag Archives: thorsten ott
Creating Easy Single-Row Panorama Image Stitches
Landscape photographers have enjoyed a love affair with large format cameras. I am speaking of 8 x 10 inch and 4 x 5 inch film cameras, commonly referred to as view cameras. My first one was a Calumet model and later a Sinar P2 4×5. One could make huge prints from the large negatives and slides. The drawback to large format view cameras is the weight of the camera and the tripod. Field cameras are lighter and reflect that in additional price.
Posted in Still-Life
Also tagged histograms, landscape photography, landscape tutorial, lens resolution, product lighting, software, zeroplusplus, zeroplusplus video
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How to Build a Product Photography Portfolio
Product or still-life photography includes food items, jewelry, electronics, beverages, and abstract images. In this article I will provide tips for creating a solid still-life portfolio. Everyone wants to shoot people, fashion, stock or weddings. Why compete in such a saturated market when food photography and other product work is relatively wide open. Shooting catalogs is not glamorous however it pays rather well in comparison to other work.
Posted in Still-Life
Also tagged product lighting, stil-life workshop, zeroplusplus, zeroplusplus video
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How to Build a Fashion Portfolio
Building a strong fashion portfolio is difficult, it takes time, patience and the commitment of a styling team. It is important to establish goals for each shoot and cast the correct model. Fashion is a team effort. We have to find resources for wardrobe and then decide on the poses that might work with each wardrobe item. Additionally, there are three main categories for fashion such as catalog, editorial, and high-fashion.
Posted in Fashion, Tech Info
Also tagged fashion lighting, fashion model, fashion photography, fashion portfolio, fashion workshop, zeroplusplus, zeroplusplus video
6 Comments
My Photography Gear and Software
Much of what I write about is geared towards the serious hobbyist or for the individual that is considering photography as a viable income and career choice. I am not a gear slut nor do I spend countless hours pouring over product specifications. Once upon a time I was interested in all this, today I am older and wiser. The brands and gear I use do not get me work or cause me to loose work. What gets me photography jobs is HOW I use my camera gear, the styling crew I use, and hopefully because of the final images. Continue reading
Posted in Tech Info
Also tagged gear, lens resolution, software, zeroplusplus, zeroplusplus video
3 Comments
About the Zeroplusplus Photography Tutorial Blog
Welcome to the new Zeroplusplus Photography Tutorial Blog.
The purpose of the Zeroplusplus Lighting blog is to share my experiences as a commercial photographer. This field of photography is both challenging and rewarding. This blog discusses a few of my experiences and possible suggestions for the new photographer. I hope to share a few techniques as well as common mistakes to avoid. I do not claim to have all the answers, rather I discuss what has worked for me in the past 20 years.
Posted in Humor & News, Tech Info
Also tagged fashion portfolio, glamour lighting, glamour photography, glamour workshop, zeroplusplus video
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The Nylon Panel Lighting Modifier History
Thank you for the great video tutorial compliment Simeon!
At first I was only going to write a reply, but after looking at the length of it, I realized that it was becoming more of a post than a reply, lol. Valters Preimanis of Photologs.net also had a question about the panels.
I first learned of the DIY Panel System after watching a Dean Collins video back in the winter semester of Brooks Institute of Photography in 1988. I constructed 4 panels and my lighting improved 1000% overnight. I still fondly recall my teachers and classmates looks of astonishment during Fashion Class critique. The all asked “how the hell did you light the model, the light, the shadows, and the skintones look amazing”. My teacher Harry Liles, a 30 year LA advertising photography veteran, was especially amused by my simple and inexpensive lighting setup. That single image earned me early access to the expensive Comet strobes that were only available to the upper classman at the school.
In those days, lower division classmen were only allowed to light with Mole-Richardson tungsten lights for the first 1.5 years. I hated those lights with a passion. Imagine yourself photographing people with a 4×5 view camera, tungsten lights, a 1/30th of a second shutter speed, changing 4×5 film holders and cocking the shutter, directing and posing models…..all while wearing heavy Kevlar gloves because the Tungsten lights were so damn hot. Sweat just dripped off my forehead because of the heat. AND all this time I was nervous as hell shooting agency models because I had no idea how to pose or direct. The models probably thought I was a Guy-With-Camera and horny, LOL.
Photographer/Instructor Extrodinare Harry Liles by Chris Orwig
TCM Models Editorial Fashion Lighting Tutorial
In this editorial fashion lighting tutorial you will learn how to use the white satin panel. All the editorial fashion images in this article were created with a single white satin panel and a single monolight. I find that monolights rated at 400ws, or more, will work the best.
Seamless paper users take note: I shoot between f/2.8 and f/5.6 to avoid or minimize seeing the ugly seamless paper ripples in the background. A shallow depth-of-field will help blur the paper ripples. In the images below I shot on a painted cyc wall….but I still shoot near wide open to avoid seeing cyc wall blemishes.
Editorial fashion photography is my favorite fashion style since I can shoot whatever poses I like. Modeling agency’s also like editorial fashion as the images demonstrate that a model can move well. But it is not just about movement…the model must also have a believable expression and display confidence in the wardrobe.
The two models I photographed, Ellie and Cassland, are with TCM Models & Talent. They were both brand new to modeling at the time. The agency booker did warn them that I like difficult poses and they would be asked to “bust a move”.
Knowing beforehand that this was the second shoot for the two girls, I wanted to spend my time and energy on posing and great facial expressions. As it turned out, both Ellie and Cassland quickly adapted to the studio environment and crew. We ended up photographing some of my favorite editorial fashion images.
Ellie J photographed with the white satin panel
Heffner Models Fashion Shoot with Satin Panel Lighting
The white satin and nylon panels are the best kept lighting secret in the fashion and glamour photography business. In this lighting tutorial, I will teach you how I use the white satin panel to create a low-key lighting fashion shoot. This fashion shoot is for two local designers, Madina Vadache and Robert Whaley Designs. The lighting setup works equally well for the creative editorial portrait photographer.
My designer friend Dr. Robert Whaley asked me to photography four of his designs. The models are from Heffner Model Management in Seattle. The first model, Elina Ivanova, was on ‘America’s Next Top Model’. These 5 images easily became a favorite on several photography websites. I was kinda dumb-founded by all the requests for the lighting diagrams, so here they are.
Elina Ivanova satin panel low-key fashion lighting
This is a very simple and basic low-key lighting setup. The white satin panel is on the right and the strobe head is placed fairly close to the fabric. Be careful to not catch the fabric on fire, modeling lights get REALLY HOT.
On my left side I placed a second 5′ x 8′ white satin panel to act as a fill-reflector. Dark dresses such as this dress need a bit of kicker fill. For a white wedding dress you may not even need a fill reflector.
As you will notice in the lighting diagram, the strobe head is placed directly to the side of the model….and she is facing towards the light.
Try experimenting by moving the strobe head to the left or right of the panel to create a Rembrandt (triangle of light below the eye socket). With this simple lighting setup I can create a side-light or a Rembrandt lighting pattern just by moving the strobe head a few feet across the white satin panel……in seconds…..and no need to re-meter the lights!
Contrast ratios are easily controlled by the second white satin panel to the camera left. Additionally, we can control the size of the light on the model by moving the right-side strobe head further or closer to the white satin panel. Try doing that with a softbox! Continue reading
Location Fashion Shoot Tutorial with Lighting Diagrams
The location fashion shoot presents additional requirements over the studio fashion shoot. For this location shoot we needed a gasoline generator to power our 1000w/s Photogenic mono lights and we needed a semi-private public beach access. Tim and I spent the morning meeting with the two wardrobe designers and scouted the West Seattle Alki Beach later that afternoon.
Our two lighting modifiers consisted of a 22″ Beauty Dish and a large 5′x8′ Ripstop Nylon Panel. We also used a combination of the two modifiers in unison for a very nice light quality that you should try for outdoor portraits! Watch the video and pay special attention to the image of the yellow dress and purple dress. This BD/Nylon Panel combo provides a beautiful soft light quality and the skintones just glow.
This video features Seattle wardrobe designers, Kimmi Designs and Mac Fashion House. Our friend, Kay Matthews did the hair and makeup styling.
We use very simple lighting, less is more and appears natural. No photoshop fixes for lighting, just a simple film curve and color toning.
Help support these tutorials. Please consider a donation.
Posted in Fashion
Also tagged fashion lighting tutorial, location fashion lighting, zeroplusplus.com
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Artist vs. Naive Client = Humor
Zeroplusplus took a break for a few months, why you ask. To be perfectly honest, we wanted really wicked new content. We tested new software and shot new lighting setups, and tested filters that do not suck.
Meanwhile, I thought that I would entertain you with 2 very humorous videos that were sent to me recently. I don’t have to provide any further introduction, other than photographers and artists pointing fun at cheap and unrealistic clients. We have all had those at some point in our careers.
The Vendor Client relationship – in real world situations
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Lighting Tutorial Videos
My Favorite Camera Store B&H Photo
