MUA Again

[Loose Canon]

I think the reason they call it “make up artist” is because I have to make up stuff as I go!

F/8.0
1/200th shutter
ISO 1000
One shot, one frame.
Two lights fired.

[Mike Buckley]

I like this one even better than the other one for three reasons:

• I'm a sucker for diagonals and this image has no fewer than three of them.
• I like the swirls in the powder.
• It's a really dynamic image that both stops the action and strongly implies motion.

[DigitalScape]

Stunning image, Terry. Really catches the eye.

[Shadowman]

Very nice.

[Nicks Pics]

Really well done!

[NorthernFocus]

I like this one even better than the other one for three reasons:

• I'm a sucker for diagonals and this image has no fewer than three of them.
• I like the swirls in the powder.
• It's a really dynamic image that both stops the action and strongly implies motion.

That pretty well sums it up.

[IzzieK]

Now that I know you did not use wifey-do's makeup, I am all for this shot. Good one on the splatter of the coloured corn flour. Really nicely done. I just took note of your EXIF and will remember that...high ISO 1000, 1/200 and F/8 for a nighttime shot. Now all I have to work out is the lighting and direction. Thanks Terry...you got me thinking...

[PhotoByTrace]

Another gorgeous image. While you've frozen the movement it feels so full of energy still... dynamic as Mike put it.

[Loose Canon]

Thanks guys!

Mike you always seem to hit the nail right smack on the head.

When I decide what I want to shoot, first thoughts always go to “how do I set it up?” Next is “how do I best light it?” I know how to stop it if there is motion so that is a matter of getting some good even settings on the lights/camera going on.

Shoot. To test the original theories you come up with. Adjust to see if you can get them. Take something into post. This is where I get some more ideas and get to see the results of the trials up close and personal. Plus try any ideas you might have had about processing. The one thing that is always the same is that I just can’t get the subjects clean enough! The powder thing is especially problematic!

From there you tweak. See if the composition can be improved. Re-shoot! Eight squillion shots, many hours, and a huge mess later you might get something you like! But it causes you think about it and that is what its about. You know two things. You don’t stop until you get the way you like it, and you will do it again. The rest you may not immediately know. Everything you learn with every shoot will come in handy next time! If you wake up every day, and learn something new every day, then that is a day worth living!

I have to get the powder down to dust. I now know I can stop it enough to show the swirl patterns you mentioned and even the dust particle detail (to a degree).
If I get the chance to shoot it again this is what I will be looking at.

I like the composition so I might try to replicate it and work on some of the other elements in the scene. I have some lighting issues in this scene that I would like to work out but it may not be possible due to the unpredictable motion the scene requires!

Thanks Mike.

[Loose Canon]

Thank you Trace.

That means a lot coming from you.

If I could shoot 'scapes like you I could sell all of the stupid crap I deal with and get into the Big Out There with you!

Well, if I could sty up late enough or get up early enough!

[Loose Canon]

Izzie, please take into consideration that I shot these settings for what I was doing.

I had to stop motion. Fast moving powder and fine particles. To get all the detail of that I could. And in focus. I needed an extremely fast flash duration, which meant I had to set my flashes at low power to get that out of them. To do that I had to set my camera to handle this in what might be considered a low light situation to get a proper exposure. So a high ISO. I needed a certain DoF to get the entire scene in focus, which was necessary, and meant I decided on and set that in the beginning and it was not negotiable. Shutter is always at x-sync, which kills all ambient in the environment. Also not negotiable but really has less to do with the overall.

This means I have two setting variables to consider with this shoot. Flash power and ISO. I set the flash at what I think is fast enough to stop the motion, then adjust ISO to get the exposure happening!

Less flash power output means higher ISO values to get the proper exposure. High ISO doesn’t scare me and the reason is because I can expose it properly. Do that and no noise worries!

It is not a nighttime shot. I shot it in the mid morning close to noon. It is a studio shot and you get to control whether it is nighttime or daytime or any time in your studio.

If I were shooting a still shot, meaning no motion stopped, I would have lowered my ISO for sure. I could have upped my flash power, meaning flash duration longer, but who cares! Nothing is moving so no need!

[IzzieK]

Thank you for the explanation. Now I need to move my black-out curtain in my studio where it rightfully belongs anyway...so I can control what comes in from the little window there...the first thing that comes to mind each day is, what do I shoot today? Unlike before that at first chance, I'd go to CiC and see who I can annoy that day... I like the way you think and do your shoots. This last one is really good. I love the diagonal set-up here, much more stronger. I have taken note of your response to me so i will remember when I go to my studio tomorrow...Thanks.