Please help! I have a really dramatic idea in mind!

Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 240

I have some friends coming over tomorrow night (hopefully - the couple from the thread 'young couple' in the people forum) and I have a really dramatic idea that I want to do, but not really sure how to pull it off.

She's a confident poser, so hopefully the posing shouldn't be too hard.

The theme I have in mind is the bewitching apple - i.e Eve being tempted in the Garden of Eden.

Now I'm going out to buy a nice red apple today.

I have a 7 and a half foot pet python called Monty whom my model adores who will do the snake bit for me.

I have a black background.

I have two modelling lights with umbrellas, barn door and a variety of coloured gels and a honeycomb grid. Those lights also act as slave flash.

The effect I am after is a red lighting of the model holding the apple in front of her emerging out of the darkness, with Monty wrapped around her shoulders.

Any hints, tips, suggestions?

Joined: 13 Jan 2007 Posts: 245 Location: Maryland

Quote:

I have a 7 and a half foot pet python called Monty...

Well, at least you have props!

Quote:

The effect I am after is a red lighting of the model holding the apple in front of her emerging out of the darkness, with Monty wrapped around her shoulders.

Make sure you get the model far enough away from that background to minimize the light hitting it.

I keep visualizing it dark, moody, full of deep shadows, but that doesn't mean you want it that way, lol.

But I gotta say, when I think of Eve her apple and Monty Python, I visualize a nude woman. Well, and perhaps that leaf.

Monty wrapped around her shoulders, draping down her side or in front of her crotch, or her arm is holding up his tail end, covering her breasts. Sinister looking, like your idea with the red, and why I keep thinking deep shadows.

-Perhaps try the light source extra high and extra low, aiming up.
-Try shooting w/o umbrella for more directional, harder light. Use one for some fill if you want.
-Place the gelled light behind her, aiming at the camera, to make her glow with a red halo
-Would Monty go for placing the apple in his mouth??

That's all that comes to me off top of me head...

Jacque

Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 240

Yes I do want it dark and moody and full of shadows! You've hit the nail on the head, and I've been trying to figure out how to do it (in my head of course since I haven't set it up yet).

I have zero and nil chances of getting my friend to pose nude for me, although the idea would work very well for the theme... ah well.

I think I might get hurt if I tried to get Monty to hold an apple in his mouth!!!! A dead rat would be more likely :)

Thanks so much Jacques!

Anyone else?

Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 190

How are you thinking of dressing her so that it's obvious enough that it's Eve?

This is going to be quite tough to pull off based on such strong imagery of naked Eve in our minds.

My thought would be to shoot shoulders up wearing a tube top to have the appearance of being naked.

Good luck. I look forward to seeing your images.

Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Santa Fe, NM

Maybe you can get her to go naked from waste up?
Sounds like it will be a neat shot , I look forward to seeing it (Possibly?)

jd

Joined: 13 Jan 2007 Posts: 245 Location: Maryland

Dunno if the shoots over with or not but...

-how about get her in a bikini? Could take the suggestion of covering her breast with the snake and/or her arm, and you could easily reouch out any small bikini straps. Could pull the straps down to her arms to hide 'em even.

-long hair? Cover her breasts/bikini with that. Actually might look very nice doing that anyway, even if she were truly nude.

-Caveman costume? You know like Willima Flintstone, a ragged, faux leather bikini & bottom.

Definitaly get some idea on setup and practice lighting for your intended results before the actual shoot.

Even a single umbrella (don't know how big yours are) will throw light all around. Unless you've plenty of space to distance the model from the background, try moving the umbrella close as you can to subject, and as far away from bg as possible, combined with a high fstop.

Agian, test out the barebulb strobe

If using digital, easy to tweak the setup as you test.

Eager to see the results myself...

Jacque

Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 240

Shoot has been postponed :( But she is very keen on this idea!

I'll keep everyone up to date. Please keep the ideas coming they are all helpful!

Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 269 Location: Santa Fe, NM

I look forward to seeing :)

jd