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Epic Steel Wool Photography with a Graffiti Backdrop

May 10, 2015May 10, 2015
by Zhi Lee

The Images

Canon 6D, 10.0 sec at f /10, 5 mm, 100 ISO, Visico 300W Strobe to Camera Right with 80x120cm Softbox. Makeup: Kyran Tashea. Model: Priya Wallabh. Photographer: Zhi Lee

Idea and Theme

Following from our fiery dark angel shoot that also involved fire, I wanted to build on the experience we already had shooting at Corbans Estate Arts Centre. (For more info on our previous hip hop themed shoot, check out this blog post). And so we set out with a casting call with the keywords “Epic”, “Dark”, “Graffiti” and “Fire”.

Kyran Tashea Makeup Artist responded with these concepts when I asked for a gangster / rock-and-roll look. The final makeup on the day differed slightly as we had to improvise with water resistant makeup that wouldn’t run in the rain.

Makeup Diagram by Kyran Tashea Makeup Artist

Warm-up Profile Shots

To get into the groove, we warmed up with a few profile shots that Kyran and Priya could use in their portfolio. As this was an unpaid collaboration, I feel it’s important for everyone to take something valuable home (apart from the fun we had on-set of course!).

Canon 6D, 1/160 sec at f /7.1, 58 mm, 100 ISO, Visico 300W Strobe to Camera Right with 80x120cm Softbox, YN 568 EX II model rear right with 30x30cm Softbox (no baffle). Makeup: Kyran Tashea. Model: Priya Wallabh. Photographer: Zhi Lee

Preparation

Having asked for permission from Corbans Estate Arts Centre (Henderson, Auckland), we set out to meet at 8pm on a Friday, despite the rain. Vijay and I pulled up in different cars to a lone car parked in the upper carpark. We knew it had to be our model, Priya Wallabh, or makeup artist, Kyran. It was Kyran.

To add to the challenging conditions, we had to push start Kyran’s car as her battery went flat while waiting with headlights on. Turning up to a shoot early, that’s dedication! Priya arrived shortly after and as it was still pouring, the best course of action was to have makeup done in the car. More trying conditions!

Makeup in trying conditions - What can you do in the rain, right? — Makeup in trying conditions – what can you do in the rain, right? Makeup: The talented Kyran Tashea.

Lighting

Finally, with a bit of patience and luck, the skies cleared up at 9pm. There were 2 walls to choose from – a low colourful wall that turned out to be too overwhemling with the sparks so I made it monochrome …

Canon 6D, 10.0 sec at f /10, 24 mm, 100 ISO, Visico 300W Strobe to Camera Right with 80x120cm Softbox. Makeup: Kyran Tashea. Model: Priya Wallabh. Photographer: Zhi Lee

… and a much taller black and white one. We decided to go for the latter because it gave us good height as a backdrop, and the top of the wall was conveniently the upper deck of the carpark, which allowed us to spin the steel wool from a height.

This was the final lighting setup, a powerful strobe at 3/4 power to the right of the model. Initially, we started out with a 20 second exposure, which was very challenging for Priya, as 20 seconds is a long time to keep absolutely still. We then dropped it to 10 seconds, but that required more fervour from the steel wool swinger, getting as much sparks flying as possible within the shorter amount of time.

Canon 6D, 20.0 sec at f /10, 5 mm, 100 ISO, Visico 300W Strobe to Camera Right with 80x120cm Softbox. Makeup: Kyran Tashea. Model: Priya Wallabh. Photographer: Zhi Lee

The Crew

Thanks to these outstanding people who made it possible:

Model: Priya Wallabh
Makeup: Kyran Tashea
Photographer: Zhi Lee http://localhost:8888/zlphotography
Assistants: Vijay Prema, Sirina

Safety

Precautions were taken with a fire extinguishing can on standby. Vijay and I had practised on a separate set beforehand so we knew what we were doing. Never attempt steel wool photography on dry grass or near flammable items. We had the safety net of wet walls and floors that were the aftermath of the rain.

Equipment

All you need is a bunch of steel wool caged within a whisk. Set it on fire and then swing the whisk around (carefully), with a lanyard clipped into the end of the whisk

For more information on how to do steel wool photography, check out one of these videos on Youtube.

Aperture: ƒ/10
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Flash fired: no
Focal length: 24mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 10s

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Creative

Chinese Martial Arts (Wushu) Photo Shoot

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015
by Zhi Lee

Promoting Chinese Wushu — Model: Zhi Lee
Photographers: Vijay Prema and Zhi Lee

Story Behind the Shoot

Martial arts has been a passion of mine since I started in the local school club back in 1997. Training in the sport since my teenage years has sharpened my motor skills (or so I would like to think) and given me the agility and strength to move on to more adventurous sports like rockclimbing. Really, the qualities that define you as a person get established through the activities you immerse yourself in. For me, that was Wushu.

After migrating to New Zealand in 2001, I felt a part of me missing and finally found the Chinwoo Athletic Association in 2004. At that time, we had a class of about 4 students. It’s now grown to at least a hundred under the coaching of Coach George Guo, and more recently my Wushu brothers who have gone on to take on some of the coaching. Duty called and I was conscripted into the Singapore army, during which I trained with the guys from NUS Wushu for a year. Unfortunately I fractured my right ankle and due to injuries from other sports, have “retired” from Wushu but it’s spirit lives on!

The reason for this shoot is to promote the sport within New Zealand. All athletes who participated did so on a voluntary basis for the same cause. We would like to see the next generation of athletes benefit from the same fun, rigour and discipline that is Wushu training. Thank you to athletes Michael Yip, Siu Yuat Wong and Jeffrey Wang for taking the time out to do this. Thank you to Vijay Prema for helping with the setup, and thanks to the Wongs for lending us the venue.

Wushu Promo Shoot

Behind-the-Scenes

Model: Vijay Prema Photographer: Zhi Lee Single 150cm Octabox to camera left and model top right. Visico 300W Strobe — Model: Vijay Prema
Photographer: Zhi Lee
Single 150cm Octabox to camera left and model top right. Visico 300W Strobe

Model: Vijay Prema Photographer: Zhi Lee — Model: Vijay Prema
Photographer: Zhi Lee
Stroboscopic effect created using Yongnuo 565 EX II flash on Multi mode

Athlete: Michael Yip Photographer: Zhi Lee Single 150cm Octabox to camera right and model front. Powered by Visico 300W Strobe. Single Yongnuo 565 EX II below model set on 1/4 power multi mode. — Athlete: Michael Yip
Photographer: Zhi Lee
Single 150cm Octabox to camera right and model front. Powered by Visico 300W Strobe. Single Yongnuo 565 EX II below model set on 1/4 power multi mode.

Aperture: ƒ/8
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Flash fired: no
Focal length: 24mm
ISO: 50
Shutter speed: 1/125s

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Creative

Behind-the-scenes Video – Photo shoot with Angels and Fire

February 26, 2015January 7, 2017
by Zhi Lee

What do you get when you put some adventurous photographers and models, and a dark firey concept together?

Some blazing photos!

For more images, check out these posts:

Fallen Dark Angel Holding a Branch

Fallen from Heaven

Credits

Venue

Evoke Studio (Thanks Sue for trusting us with your backyard).

Video and Pyrotechnics

Vijay Prema

Assistants

Don Chin & Vincent Chik

Creative

Creative Baby Photography As a Parent

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015
by Zhi Lee

Being a photographer dad has its bonuses. You get a cute little model to work with 24 hours a day, and baby gets her life documented with beautiful photographs.

If there’s one thing I’d say to new parents… take as many photos as you can because you can’t turn back time! Mikayla is now 8 weeks and growing at a phenomenal rate. Just looking back, we wish we’d taken more photos in week 1! We make it a point to mark every week with a unique photo, and we make the time for it. Every Sunday is photo day. Here are a couple of images and their lighting setups.

Intro to Parent Photography

Here are a few points to note about photographing as a parent.

1. Be a mobile ninja. With the added responsibility of feeding your model, bathing her and changing nappies, try to be smart about your post-processing workflow. With the power of wireless transfers and mobile apps, my photos are downloaded directly into my iPhone using the Canon 6D’s in built wifi connectivity. I then edit using Google Snapseed on the phone. Even blogging’s done on the phone while bub sleeps in my lap.

2. Think outside the box. After doing a few shoots, I began to realise they were all “stock standard” … You know – plain background, high key lighting, boring plush toy props. Possibilities are endless around the house when it comes to props. Below we used a netbook, headphones and a tri-pillow (great for propping them up while feeding) to tell an interesting story. Some day Mikayla will be as geeky as her dad. She will love her technology toys and love great music.

3. Be patient. While it doesn’t take much to set up a shot, it can be a bit of a wait till bub is calm and settled. Never do a shoot with a grumpy baby. They don’t look good and you risk making them very unhappy.

Home studio lighting setup — Lighting setup for baby headphones image – Visico 300w monolight at 4/5 power with 80x120cm softbox as key light (right diagonal above), blue gelled yongnuo speedlite at 1/4 power on laptop, yongnuo speedlite @ 1/32 in front to create reflections on laptop

Lighting Setup for Baby and Cupcake - Visico strobe with 80x60cm soft box from diagonal above as key light — Lighting Setup for Baby and Cupcake – Visico strobe with 80x60cm soft box from diagonal above as key light

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Creative

Planning your photography with a makeup artist

August 23, 2014August 23, 2014
by Zhi Lee

The Thought Behind the Makeup

When putting together a themed shoot, as we did with ours, it’s important to collaborate with the makeup artist on the concept. I had the privilege of working with Lisa Robb who not only grasped the concept, but added her own spin to it. Lisa is a qualified Makeup Artist who’s work ranges from weddings, special occasions and events to fashion shows, film/TV and special effects! Here are some tips from us, and Lisa’s rationale behind the hair and make-up which really made the shoot a success! Thanks to Lisa for contributing to this blog post.

Tips for photographers collaborating with hair / makeup artists (HMUA)

1. Open Communication – Exchange samples for what you are visualising. We exchanged a number of images we got from Google and discussed how to complement each model’s look with hair and makeup. We did this over a few weeks and Lisa even sent me sketches.

2. Agree on the theme – Use a few keywords to describe the mood, lighting and post-processing effects. For our shoot, the keywords were – “dark”, “angel”, “fantasy”, “mystery”, “fallen” and “elegant”.

3. Get to know them – We created a Facebook group for models, videographers, photographers and HMUA to get to know each other. It formed an open forum for discussions and agreeing on the schedule of the day, the storyboard, and who was bringing what props / clothes.

Rationale (by Lisa)

For this Dark Angel shoot I took inspiration from movies like Hunger Games and Underworld. I wanted to create something that was both dark and mystical but also angelic to portray both good and evil.

When developing my ideas for Alisha I wanted her eyes to be the main focal point. I achieved this by making them black and using white eyeliner to enhance their size. I went for black and white contrast to show rebellion and confusion. I chose to make her skin tone pale to show a lack of belonging in this world “Angel fallen from Heaven.”

Model: Alisha Fitzpatrick
Makeup: Lisa Robb

With Katrina I wanted to show her as a majestic creature, with fairy tale characteristics of innocence and mystery.

I wanted her intentions in this world to be questionable “is she good? or is she evil?”I used pearl and black rhinestones to add to the fantasy and bright pink blush around her temples and down her cheek bones to soften her appearance. To create a halo I used a soft fountain braid in her hair and then added random curls and waves to fit with the forest theme.

This is the face chart used for Katrina on the day of the shoot. After being shown examples of what the client is after I will draw up a face chart or two with my interpretation to show we are both on the same track. I will often mix and match aspects of each face chart as well as add or remove features to suit the model, theme and time allocations. I will also list down what colours and products I intend to use. This makes application on the day faster and straightforward.

“A makeup face chart is used by makeup artists to test out or plan a look. They are also used to record a look that has been tried on someone else, like for a photo shoot or bridal trial. Makeup face charts are useful to have because they help you keep track of all the different products and color combinations that were used, in the event that you wish to recreate the look again in the future.” Excerpt from Totalbeauty.com

Model: Katrina McCloy
Makeup: Lisa Robb

Final Results

Model: Alisha Fitzpatrick Makeup and Hair: Lisa Robb Photographer: Zhi Lee — Model: Alisha Fitzpatrick
Makeup and Hair: Lisa Robb
Photographer: Zhi Lee

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Creative

Vulnerable Angel – Katrina McCloy

July 25, 2014July 25, 2014
by Zhi Lee

After our main dark angel shoot, we took to a darker more shaded part of the forest and did some magic with just 1 large 80cm x 120cm softbox. To get a nice reflection on the angel wings, we bright the softbox right in close. A few branches and twigs were cloned out to declutter the image but as much was left in as needed to set the forest scene.

In this image I asked Katrina to get into character and portray a sense of vulnerability, gently holding her wings so she would be elegantly covered. Katrina was a great sport – it was probably about 10 degrees at that time of day. I wouldn’t want to be out in the open unclothed in those conditions!

Aperture: ƒ/8
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Focal length: 80mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/125s

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Creative

Hot Angel Photo Shoot – Lighting setups explained

July 22, 2014
by Zhi Lee

A little behind the scenes and explanation of our lighting setup for those wondering how it came together!

A 80cm x 120cm strobe with blue cellophane in front of the outer baffle, prepped cautiously on a ladder on top of the pergola. This gives off a blueish light, perfect for the night lighting we wanted to create. We wanted to create a rim light coming from high above slightly from the back. This would create an angelic effect around the model as if the light were from the heavens.

Testing the top lighting — Here’s the effect of the blue rim light from above the pergola. And our very charming and talented pyrotechnics man Vijay, without whom none of this would have been possible.

Setting up the source of fire — We ripped the top off a garden citronella oil burner which you can get from your local hardware store for about $5. It was perched on top of a ceramic pot. A funnel filled with fine cornflour (the cornflour was passed through a sieve to make it very fine) was placed against the base of the fire pointing upwards.

Dark Angel Photo Shoot - Lighting Setup Take 1 — This was one of our first takes with the lighting and photo setup. Looking good, Sean.

Dark Angel Lighting Setup — Now we decided, we wanted a bit of red in the flames to add a bit of heat and interest. This would also mask the parts of the cornflour dust cloud that hadn’t burned (shutter pressed too early) or had already burned (shutter pressed too late). The WHITE cornflour would be given a RED tint. A speedlight with a red gel was placed at the base of the flame pointing upwards.

Dark angel photo shoot - Behind the scenes with model Katrina McCloy — Shooting through the flames, we managed to create the effect that the angels were actually burning. Model: Katrina McCloy

Dark angel BTS with Katrina McCloy — An outdoor shoot doesn’t come without challenges. Not only was our gear splattered with mud, so were our models feet! Model Katrina McCloy being a great sport!

The Final Images

Creative Portrait lit with Fire and Red Flash Against a Black Backdrop. By Zhi Lee — Yours Truly, Your Creative Man Zhi Lee

Aperture: ƒ/5.6
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Focal length: 32mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/100s

Creative

Angel Fallen From the Heavens

July 14, 2014July 14, 2014
by Zhi Lee

Forsaken, banished, forlorn, the dark angel gazes into the heavens, angry but repentant.

This image was lit with a blue softbox above and behind the model, making it seem like lighting from the heavens. A red gel was added for slight accents to add to the surrealness in working with the fantasy theme.

The fire is real, created by dousing rags in alcohol and setting them alight on a wet leaf litter.

Canon 6D, 24-105mm @ f 4.5, 1/125s/ 45mm. Model: Alisha Fitzpatrick Makeup: Lisa Robb Photographer: Zhi Lee Pyrotechnics: Vijay Prema

Aperture: ƒ/4.5
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Focal length: 45mm
ISO: 100
Shutter speed: 1/125s

Creative

Fallen Dark Angel in Forest Creative Shoot – Katrina…

July 9, 2014July 10, 2014
by Zhi Lee

Katrina and I have worked together a few times, once on a body painting project and another in a life art workshop. You might recognize her from these other creative portraits!

Lisa Robb and I tossed around ideas for the makeup and this is what she came up with. Sequins were used to add elegance to that dark theme we were working with.

This is the first image we’re releasing from our Dark Angel shoot.

In order to block out as much of the forest background as possible, we lit Katrina with a 300W Visico strobe + 120cm x 80cm softbox from the left with a small reflector on the right for fill, in a shaded area of the forest during the day. As we were working in a very tight space in the forest, we used a wide focal length of 28mm, which allowed us to get in close to the branches. There were actually so many branches in the way and what you don’t see in the picture is Lisa holding back a bunch of branches in one hand, with a reflector in the other.

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Creative

Fallen Dark Angel Fantasy Shoot with Fire – Behind-the-Scenes…

July 7, 2014
by Zhi Lee

A Creative Collaboration with:

Models Katrina McCloy Alisha Fitzpatrick Vijay Prema
Makeup by Lisa
Hosted by Evoke Studio

Pyrotechnics by Vijay Prema
BTS Videography by Vijay Prema and Vincent Chik
BTS Stills and logistics by Don Chin and Vincent Chik

Model: Katrina McCloy Makeup: Lisa Robb Photographer: Zhi Lee Photography @__zhi — Model: Katrina McCloy
Makeup: Lisa Robb
Photographer: Zhi Lee Photography @__zhi BTS Image: Sean Dick

One day I was sick at home and watching BTS videos of other photographers. Then I came across Benjamin Von Wong’s fire shoot. For awhile now I have been wanting to do something collaborative with a few like minded people. I started thinking of a dark theme that would complement fire in the foreground or background. One thing led to another and I settled on a fallen dark angel theme in a forest location.

BTS Videographer: Vijay Prema Photographer: Zhi Lee Photography @__zhi — BTS Videographer: Vijay Prema
Photographer: Zhi Lee Photography @__zhi

The shoot required a lot of planning, reaching out to models and a makeup artist who understood the theme, illustrating the ideas by posting similar samples of other people’s work, searching for the right angel wings to buy, seeking out a suitable forest location that was secluded enough for privacy yet easily accessible, and practising generating and shooting fire. Vijay and I completely thrashed my garage with cornflour and for days it smelt like a bakery from the residue of firestarters and cornflour dust.

Model: Alisha Fitzpatrick Makeup: Lisa Robb Photographer: Zhi Lee Photography @__zhi — Model: Alisha Fitzpatrick
Makeup: Lisa Robb
Photographer: Zhi Lee Photography @__zhi

We experimented with different setups and came to the conclusion that a long lens had to be used to compress the background and make the fire seem bigger as we couldn’t really generate a huge fire.

Creating the fire effects required for the levitation scene.

We’ll be posting more images as our edits come through. But for now it’s time to get the gear thoroughly cleaned out. I learned that softboxes don’t travel well through bush.

Aperture: ƒ/4
Camera: Canon EOS 6D
Focal length: 105mm
ISO: 400
Shutter speed: 1/125s

The Images

Idea and Theme

Warm-up Profile Shots

Preparation

Lighting

The Crew

Safety

Equipment

Related Images:

Story Behind the Shoot

Wushu Promo Shoot

Behind-the-Scenes

Related Images:

Credits

Photographers

Hair and Makeup

Models

Venue

Video and Pyrotechnics

Assistants

Intro to Parent Photography

Related Images:

The Thought Behind the Makeup

Tips for photographers collaborating with hair / makeup artists (HMUA)

Rationale (by Lisa)

Final Results

Related Images:

Related Images:

The Final Images