Hold the Glamour

NYC – Studio set

NYC – Back shot of a model

I’m sitting on the sidelines, waiting for my turn to get on set and start shooting. The hair and make-up station can be seen peeking through the first picture on the left-hand side. The round lights are blinding sometimes and the station can’t be missed.

Studio sets are typically black and white as can be seen above. Reflector boards are always present allowing the light to dance about on set. Sometimes they face me as black boards and other times as white – it depends if I’m wearing light or dark colours and the setting the lights are on.

The wind machine is tilted, waiting to blow ‘Victoria Secret’ like hair. They can make your eyes water like rivers when turned up too much. This is not good for make-up and when I’m not shooting, I step out of the direction of the machine or the hairstylist angles it away.

Above, the model is patiently waiting and ready to start shooting. She waits for the photographer to check with the digital technician to make sure the light is correct. Computers and digital photography have made this process faster, easier and immediately accurate.

In the second picture you can see the power pack (small box sitting on the ground to the right-hand side with lots of electrical cords coming out of it). A power pack connects with the base of a camera to add more power – it is designed to provide a power boost.

It’s a glimpse of some behind-the-scenes action I get to see and experience when shooting in studio.

Have you ever been on a studio set before? What aspect of your experience or the set interested you the most?