on location the levitating trick
here’s how to magically create a shot of a person floating in mid-air…
01 TRIPOD
The shots we need for this effect have to be in perfect alignment, so use a fixed tripod throughout. Your tripod position is important too – get low to emphasize the gap between the subject and ground.
02 STURDY SUPPORT
Our subject should be perched atop a sturdy support in a floaty pose. For this project we used a foldable workbench, but a stool, stepladder or chair could work just as well. Use whatever you have available.
03 EMPTY Space
As well as a shot of our subject we also need a shot of the empty scene, sanssubject or support. In order to look realistic, the exposure and focus point should stay consistent over both frames.
04 backlighting
Moody lighting and the night-time setting boosts atmosphere in this scenario. Along with the car headlights, we also had two Speedlites in play. One was behind and to the right, and another was positioned to the left-hand side of the setup.
05 arrange THE CLOTHES
Clothes can make or break the effect, especially where the body meets the support. Make the clothes look as floaty as possible and not crumpled. Hide loose clothing over the edges of the support, or try using threads and clips to lift them up.
06 manual FOCUS
After focusing on your subject, switch to manual focus on your lens to lock it in place so that the focus point doesn’t jump around between frames. But remember to refocus if your subject moves significantly or you reposition the tripod.