I got a bit busy Sunday, so I didn’t have time to process these photos in my usual time frame. That is to say, I prefer a processing job done right to a job done fast. So here we are today with our monthly monster.
Or I should say, here we are yesterday in the roaring 20’s with our lovely new friend here. Sit back and enjoy a drink. However, be mindful as she does not like long term relationships and prefers a sort of finality to her relationships when they end. Preferably the sort of finality that ends with rat poison. And then on to the next adventure life has to offer her. In this scene she is inviting a boyfriend over for his final drink. We get to watch as she sets the trap and waits with glee for what is going to happen.
Usually when I do one of these I talk about the props, and my advice is still the same – “what’s the story in the scene?” and when you can answer that you can answer what props you want. Well, it is kind of the same with the lighting. Just answer this simple question: “What are you trying to light?” (or if that is not so simple: what do you want the viewer to see?) After that you should start to get an idea as to how to light the scene. For this photo session we wanted to light the model and the items on the table so, we went with a more complex three light setup. We used a strobe with a grid for the key light. Then threw on a speedlight with a snoot and used a boom light stand overhead to light the props. Finally, a strobe in back with barndoors closed to light up the side of her head.
What are you trying to light? What do you want the viewer to see? These are simple questions but when you are setting this up or that up or moving props around, it is easy to lose sight of things, so try to have a few simple questions to anchor yourself back to your primary objective: the photo itself.
The wonderful Rose Marianne-Lee was the model in this session, and she did a terrific job with the posing. She really got into character – someone who takes glee in murdering her targets with her chosen methods.