Day 299 - Project365

"I'll be doing a simple shot tonight since I'm so busy building the horror set for friday's shoot" Ya ok… says the man who can't peal himself away from photoshop for more than 2 minutes. Joyce got her costume together for this friday's event and I decided to shoot it as it was interesting enough. I originally planned on just having her on white but that all changed the second a composite idea popped into my head. I turned around the two soft boxes aimed at the backdrop to become edge lights. That was all it took and I was then committed to a composite or at the very least a full masking session.

After the shot we went straight into painting the backdrop for fridays shoot. I had gotten word yesterday that we were approved a budget for the Ghouls Gone WIld Party. I will be setting up another elaborate photo studio for the party guests similar to the one last friday for the 80s prom shoot. I'm happy I get another shot at it so soon. I have so much I learned from the last one. I can't wait to put it all into action and watch the machine run smoother than James Bond Picking up a woman! This time though, the backdrop is up to me!

Joyce and I decided to go all out and build a set from an abandoned house. Complete with all wood floors and holly walls! Since it all has to be transported we opted for the lightest material we could find. 8x4 foam core insulation would best suit this situation. We picked up two pieces, 8 feet of floor molding and 8 feet of chair rail molding. Additionally we got 2 quarts of paint. Tan and Red and will be painting the boards to look like a wall from a house. Tomorrow we will be aging and pretty much destroying the wall. The floor is where it all comes together. We picked up 4 wooden pallets to make the old wood floor from. I tore my hands up attempting to dismantle these fricken fortresses of wood and nails. the first pallet I selected looked as if it was built for nuclear testing. 15 nails per board made damn sure that not a freight train, astroid or wrecking ball would be able to break it. Well being stronger than all three of those, I was eventually able get through the thick wall of defense and separate the boards from there death grip the over zealous pallet architect deemed necessary to instill in these things. This of course tore apart my hands and thoroughly exhausted me. "I don't think I've ever seen you do this much physical labor" Joyce sarcastically said to me as I was breaking my back with a sledge hammer in one hand and claw hammer in the other. Sure she picks the easy job of painting. "I just didn't want to show you up, so I chose to paint" was her witty retort.

I managed to finish breaking apart 4 pallets in under one hour and we were all packed up before 10pm. Good thing because I certainly wasn't keeping it quiet. You'd of thought I was attempting to tear down the house with the sounds the sledge hammer was making. The echo through the neighborhood most certainly awoke a few sleeping seniors!

Tonight was one of those genus nights as I used my Alien Bees Modeling lamps to illuminate our work area. I boomed one with the 7 inch reflector over my work area and it was perfect! I love multi purpose gear!

So… how come I put Dorothy in the middle of a deserted road? um… cuz I can! I really have no explanation other than it looks cool. Sure the perspective may be a little off and the focus is a little further back on the background than I'd like. All in all Its not half bad. WOuld I give it to a client? NO would I want to blow it up 6 feet wide… nope. I'm not saying I'm not cool with it because I would never put anything up I'm not happy with. ok, ok, i'm done!

Time to get back to preparing for Friday….

Lighting:

AB800 Med Softbox at both 10:00 & 2:00 3/4 power
AB800 Beauty Dish Boomed over head and slightly in front of subject 1/2 power
Triggered Via Cyber Syncs and Commander.

Sneak Peak at the set pieces.