Sometimes Props Are Right In Front of You!

Yesterday's shoot was great because, besides working with some people I enjoy working with, it's given me, so far, two subjects to write about.

In the first one, posted yesterday, I talked a little about smoke. (Not the kind you puff, the kind you use... for shooting.) Anyway, now I figure I'll jabber on a bit about props.

I've already touched on props in yet another previous entry. It was a post about cheesy or, as one photographer I know of (through and online forum, Glamour1) is fond of saying, cheesical poses. But what the heck. I'll go at it again. It ain't easy coming up with stuff to write about everyday.

Props can certainly be as cheesical as poses: angel wings, boas, "caution" tape, and more. I know some shooters purposely direct poses and choose props of the cheesy variety to capture a camp or humorous image. But, more often than not, it's my observation that cheesical poses and props are photographed purposely (or absent-mindedly) because, well, because either the photographer has a cheesy sense of taste or aesthetics or he or she is simply out of touch with, uhhh... the wide world of what looks good or cool or hip or whatever.

Back to yesterday's shoot.

My client needed me to shoot a series on an unadorned, chroma-key green, background. This has to do with the production of the artwork. The client also wanted a couple of other sets with different wardrobe. This they left, pretty much, up to me. Often, I'll simply change the seamless to another color. But yesterday, I wanted to add something else to the images... some kind of prop or set-piece for Nautica, our model, to work with.

I looked around the studio for a few moments and there it was, right in front of me, sitting in a corner collecting dust-- a Mole-Richardson 2K Junior. Cool! I began thinking the images might look pretty good if I simply used that hotlight as a prop. It would be nothing fancy or difficult to set up but it might give the images a nice "feel" to them.

We mounted the 2K on a rolling junior stand and wheeled it onto the set. I placed it behind Nautica and Cippy, my assistant, plugged it in. I knew there would be a color temperature difference between the 2K's tungsten lamp and my strobes but I was too lazy to fit a blue gel behind the fresnel lens to compensate. Besides, the warmer light might look okay in a semi-cheesical way. I was a little concerned about flares since the 2k would be facing my camera and, while shooting, it did look like it was flaring in my viewfinder. But when I chimped the images I couldn't detect any flares.

Once I saw the images, I was very happy with their "look." They seemed very behind-the-scenes, on-the-set, Hollywood-ish.

The drop-dead-gorgeous model accompanying today's entry is Nautica. The most-excellent makeup job was applied by Charmane. Cippy and Fonzie were my assistants. Images were captured with a Canon 5D w/85mm prime, ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 125th.

Nautica, btw, is heading to London in a few weeks to star in a reality show for Fox TV. It's gonna be called, My Bare Lady. Here's the show's hook: Nautica, and a few other girls, make their living mostly with their clothes off. They're not actors. But, for the show, they'll be attending classical acting classes at some well-known British actor's studio and then they'll appear in a legit play. While there, Nautica and the others will also model at photo shoots for Maxim and FHM. Good luck, gorgeous! I'm rootin' for ya!

Here's another shot of Nautica from the Mole 2K series I snapped. Ain't she purdy?