Hadia with veils

[pixel pete]

2 down perhaps 5 more to go to complete "Dance of the Seven Veils"

[Manfred M]

Wow! Another great image I really like how you captured movement in this image.

The warm tone background has an interesting impact as it reduces some of the impact of the model amd accentuates the veil.

[pixel pete]

Hello Manfred,
Thanks for the feedback. And especially for articulating my intentions so well. Going into this I knew I had to minimize the belly dancer's form so I used a Color Temperature Orange gel on the background strobe. The blowing fan and the repeated movement and timing did the rest. Hadia is a wonderful, very easy-going dancer whom I've collaborated with on many occasions.

[Manfred M]

Peter; can I assume that the background was neutral and all the colour comes from hitting it with a CTO gelled strobe?

The background itself looks mottled, and with the hot-spot in the middle, I assume the strobe was right behind the dancer?

[pixel pete]

Hi Manfred,
You are correct! The background is a grey-color muslin, so it was neutral. The strobe was placed directly behind her. I told her to try to stay in the same spot if possible. When she wasn't, I moved to keep the background light hidden behind her. The main light is a WL x800 strobe in a softbox on the right (not gelled)

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, has a look of a fantasy illustration.

[Mike Buckley]

In addition to everything already discussed, I like the nuance that the background and the dancer's tattoos complement each other.

[Mark von Kanel]

Great colour, movement, truly inspired, well done.

[John 2]

Great movement. You captured it at exactly the right moment. Can't have been easy.

[bnnrcn]

+1 to John's comment

[Marie Hass]

Very well done, Peter. Everything about this picture is complimentary.

'Rie

[pixel pete]

Very kind of you Marie to leave such a nice comment. The pressure is on now to come up with some more images with belly dancers and veils. lol. I'll have to get out of the studio next since I actually prefer working on location.

[ST1]

Very nicely done Pete, your explanation of the lighting and fan setup helps me to understand the technical aspects that come together to create this image.
Just one little thing for me is that the dancers right hand has been cropped off just a little bit. I'm not surprised that earlier responses haven't mentioned this as there are more interesting bits to look at.
Hands are the first thing I look at in paintings, they are difficult to get right, check it out if you ever go in to a portrait gallery which has old "masters" art displayed. Sorry I went a bit off track there, I'll get my coat 😉

[Donald]

All I want to do is add my compliments. A joy to look at the results of such accomplished photography. The light on the veils and the woman's body is magnificent.

[rpcrowe]

I like this image very much. All my attention is first drawn to her face and then my eye wanders around happily through the rest of the image...

[pixel pete]

Peter,
Thank you for the suggestion about hands. This is really all I got. It's full frame. My instincts are usually pretty good when it comes to cropping, so I didn't worry too much about it. It sounds like you have a painter's background.

Mackenzie,
Thank you so much for those kind words. I have made inroads with a lot of belly dancers locally, now I have to leverage those connections to see what else I can come up with.

Richard,
Thanks for helping this dumb photographer articulate what he accidentally captured

[pixel pete]

Peter,
Thank you for the suggestion about hands. This is really all I got. It's full frame. My instincts are usually pretty good when it comes to cropping, so I didn't worry too much about it. It sounds like you have a painter's background.

Mackenzie,
Thank you so much for those kind words. I have made inroads with a lot of belly dancers locally, now I have to leverage those connections to see what else I can come up with.

Richard,
Thanks for helping this dumb photographer articulate what he accidentally captured