There is something about photographing other artists that just takes photography to a whole other level of awesomeness for me. Of course, this pandemic has rained on most of that for the time being. I cannot wait to get to the other side of this pandemic and get back to this sort of photography on a more consistent basis.
Fortunately, we can recreate that stage lighting, to an extent, with the lights we have. Just two strobes and two beauty dishes with grids attached and then we got it. I had one light way up aimed down and one light way down aimed up set low. The grids create a controlled circle which is the final touch that lets this setup happen. Also, a black background but a bit of distance between the two.
For this session we went with a musician. Whenever working with someone who plays an instrument remember that the instrument does not just happen to be there – it is one of your subjects too. Be sure to set your aperture to a setting that will capture it as well. For this set up I was moving around with a F/4.5 aperture but that was because the two were on the same axis for the most part but also because the flute was metallic and gave a nice and noticeable shine so you can’t miss it.
If you are into photography, I would highly recommend finding a musician or painter or some other type of artist and doing a photo session with them. The mixing of art styles and types on set forces your brain to take in the creativity whether it wants to or not.