Saturday, November 29, 2008
How to photograph Babylon 5 sci-fi queens for a sci-fi convention
OK, so the headline is a bit specific, and won't likely fit into you next shoot, at least not totally verbatim. However, a couple weeks ago I photographed Claudia, along with Tracy Scoggins, in my L.A. loft for the sole purpose of providing an 8x10 they could sign at an upcoming science fiction convention. Claudia and Tracy will make an appearance at the Super Mega Show on December 6 & 7th and where they will sign the 8x10 of this photograph for adoring fans. It's the first time they've appeared together in public, having both starred (at separate times) in the sci-fi cult series Babylon 5 (and let me tell you and there's a great deal of buzz about it).
I shot both girls individually, simply to alleviate any closed eyes and unwanted goofy facial expressions (shooting 2 people, and even group shots at the same time ALWAYS gives a larger number of incompatible shots). I then blended them in PS once I picked the winning shots. There needed to be a fair amount of space near the lower 3rd of the final picture so they could sign the actual print with a Sharpie, something I had to keep in mind when shooting.
On the lighting side, it was quite simple:
I used a 3' Photoflex Octodome with a single Nikon SB900 Speedlight and a silver reflector just below the frame, as well as one held just to the left of their faces. The background was the corner of a white wall in my loft, about 2 feet behind the subject, light subtly with another SB900 and my HonlPhoto Speed Gobo to light the background and reduce the amount of kickback flare into the lens.
I used my own special Photoshop action to "Hollywood" it up a bit, and make it movie poster-style (more to come on that PS Action later).
The sc-fi convention is this Saturday and Sunday in Hanover, New Jersey. Come see Claudia, and I'll be there too shooting some fun video of the event, so please stop by and say hi.
Here are some links:
Posts
