Apprentice
Our Apprentice is invited to spend the day with professional portrait photographer Mark O’leary for a moody steampunk-themed shoot
Shoot unique steampunkthemed creative portraits
Mark O’leary’s enthusiasm for photography is infectious. He’s been shooting weddings and portraits for over three decades, and opened his Hampshire-based studio in 2017. The building was formerly a post office, and every inch of the modest space is used efficiently. Large backdrops are mounted on a wall, equipment and props are neatly stored away on shelves, and a tiny makeup station flanks the clutter-free studio space.
“It helps me pay for my passion, I’m a plumber by trade!” said Mark as he showed Nathan around the studio. The Apprentice was greeted by model Hannorah (@hannorahmodel) and makeup artist Amelia (@ameliajmua), who was busy adding the finishing touches to her subject’s hair. Mark began by talking Nathan through the lighting. “We’ll start with a clamshell setup.
I have a key light that illuminates the subject from above and a softbox
that sits on the floor below the model. That second light gives us more control than if we were using a reflector.”
Nathan readied his D800 and Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, and attached Mark’s trigger. “I only use one trigger, even if I’m doing a workshop,” said Mark. “Two photographers shooting at the same time just doesn’t work. The model doesn’t know which way to look and you just constantly get in each other’s way.” Mark controls his lights using a channel selector and uses four separate channels. “To prevent unnecessary wear and tear on the lights, I don’t use high-speed sync,” he explained.
No sooner had Nathan familiarized himself with Mark’s setup, Amelia had finished the hair and makeup, and Hannorah was ready to shoot the first scene. As you’d expect from a working studio, Mark spends a good deal of his time photographing families and producing conventional portraits. However, he also has a passion for art, and it’s through fantasy portrait shoots and editing that he really allows his creativity to flow. As such, much of the day’s shoot would be centred around a moody steampunk theme, which was right up Nathan’s street.
PULL UP A PEW
It was immediately clear that Mark’s clamshell configuration was proving a challenge for the well-over-six-foot Nathan. Despite the key light’s position atop a boom arm, it was still creeping into Nathan’s frame and forcing him to hunch his back awkwardly. Mark chuckled while slightly raising the light. He suggested that Nathan sit on a chair and handed him his Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. “Why don’t you try my zoom lens. You won’t have to keep moving the chair around then.”
Nathan chose to shoot a slightly tighter frame and reviewed the images on his camera’s rear LCD. “I also use the histogram to check that I’m in the right ballpark,” said Mark. “I also always expose for the highlights. It’s much easier to pull back detail in the blacks, than the whites. Darkening the highlights too much will give the skin a greyish tint too.”
The two photographers decided that while Hannorah’s face was exposed perfectly, the skin on her makeup-free
décolletage was ever so slightly overexposed. Thankfully, Amelia came to the rescue. She quickly applied a thin layer of makeup below Hannorah’s neckline and balanced the tones perfectly. This was the last piece of the puzzle and so Nathan proceeded to capture Super Shot #1.
GET THE STEAMPUNK LOOK Between scenes, Amelia took the chance to touch up Hannorah’s makeup. She explained that the order of a shoot is always intentional to complement the hair and makeup itinerary. “I build looks as much as possible. This means I always start with less makeup and build up to a more extreme look. The makeup required in the first setup was relatively basic, but as we continue, I’ll increase the intensity of the hair and makeup.”
Mark had placed a large vintage-styled chest into the studio space and was busy setting up a smoke machine. “I got the chest from my dad’s house and thought the smoke would add a bit of atmosphere.”
“Why don’t we fill the chest with smoke,” Nathan suggested.
“Good idea,” said Mark. “When Hannorah opens the lid, the smoke will billow out of it.”
Nathan took some test shots of Hannorah opening the box without the smoke, so he could dial in the correct settings. Once he was ready, Mark shot a blast of smoke into the trunk and shut the lid. Nathan counted down from three, and on one, Hannorah opened the box and
cycled through a few poses as the smoke dispersed into the room. All the while, Nathan kept shooting.
“Let’s try putting a flashgun in the trunk,” said Mark. He wrapped a flashgun in a clear plastic bag and popped it in the box. The idea was to emit a flash of light as Hannorah opened the trunk. Unfortunately, inside both the plastic bag and trunk the light wouldn’t fire. “That’s a shame, but you’ve got to try these things,” said Mark. “I’ll add the light in post, but if I’m able to, I’ll always try things in the studio first.”
The studio was beginning to fill up with smoke, so both photographers checked that Hannorah was happy to continue before shooting the scene one last time. With Super Shot #2 in the bag, Mark opened the back door in an attempt to clear the smoke. “I think this is the perfect time to break for lunch,” he laughed.
A WORK OF ART
“We’ll try a Rembrandt lighting setup for this one,” said Mark. The key and fill lights were used to flank either side of Hannorah, creating a triangle of light beneath one eye (synonymous with Rembrandt lighting). Nathan took a few test shots and Mark suggested that he showed Hannorah the back of the camera. “That’s really useful,” she said. “I can see what I’m doing as I pose, then. For example, I can see whether my hands are splayed out properly.”
Mark explained why building a relationship with models is so important.
“We’ve done nine or 10 shoots,” he said. “I know Hannorah well now, and she knows what I’m looking for. I might take 10 good pictures without asking her to do anything.”
To add interest to the scene, Mark gave Hannorah a vintage suitcase to hold. He then moved the two lights behind the model further back, so Nathan could fit more background into the frame. “I’ll fire off a few bursts of smoke, while you shoot,” he told Nathan. “Getting the smoke right is a challenge. Just keep shooting and we’ll review the images afterwards.
With Super Shot #3, Nathan managed to capture a good portion of the moody background, the suitcase and plenty of Hannorah’s period-style costume. Just enough smoke is present on the left of the image to add an extra layer of atmosphere, without distorting the subject.
FANTASY COUTURE
The final setup would be a more conventional fashion portrait on a blank background. Mark changed the background to grey and placed the fill light in front of Hannorah. A light with an umbrella was placed on the floor, directed up towards the model’s chin and high above her (on her right) was a single softbox.
“We’re going to use one of the lights to add a gradient to the background,” said Mark. Initially, he placed an Interfit Strip Softbox right up against the background, on its side, and set the brightness to maximum. This cast an attractive gradient, with which to frame Hannorah. “I like the way this effect shows the texture of
the paper,” he said when looking through Nathan’s shots.
The pair decided to use a spotlight to create a more focused, circular gradient, which Mark achieved using a Bowens XMS750 with a honeycomb grid. Nathan carefully composed the image so that the spotlight framed the model’s head. Mark asked Hannorah to drop her chin slightly and stare directly into the camera. “You want to convey your vision to the model, but a good model will have their own ideas as well.” Nathan continued shooting and during an impromptu moment when Hannorah played with her hair, captured Super Shot #4.
MARK’S VERDICT Nathan’s a great portrait photographer. Today was about imparting bits of knowledge and giving him a different perspective. I hope I’ve also proved that if you have a passion, there’s no reason why you can’t follow it.
NATHAN’S VERDICT Shooting with a pro model and makeup artist was great. Mark explains everything very clearly and is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to lighting. I can’t wait to get into the photo studio again!