Miss Z was in the studio for her first year photos. I started photographing Miss Z when she was a baby bump.
We ended the session with a Cake Smash.
And she’s done. She was not thrilled about getting messy. Happy Birthday Miss Z!
XO-S
Archive for March, 2010
Birthday Cake Smash | Dayton, OH | Photographer
March 30, 2010St. Patrick
March 17, 2010In honor of today’s holiday I thought I would post a little something green… I’ve spent the day pondering what I wanted to photograph. The vintage shamrock pin I was wearing earlier that was given to my be my great uncle Jerry McCarthy, some of the vintage green buttons I have from my grandmother… Then I remember what I had photographed last night!
Ike broke his collar bone a week ago today. Last night I asked if I could document his injury. He willing obliged (he is over having his photo taken). Injury occurred on the first nice day/evening we’ve had this year. A game of hide & seek in the back yard. One nasty spill landing on his right shoulder. Spike came running in the house with an accurate diagnosis “I think he broke his collar bone, I heard it snap”. Thankfully our neighbor was home. She is a PA who works ER. We were able to get him in a make shift splint and head to the pediatricians office. X-ray’s confirmed Spike’s diagnosis. It is a complete separation.
How this was shot: One strobe light with a 10 degree grid on cyc wall. Modified ghetto style… whole cut in black construction paper.
They put him in a figure of eight splint which he wears under his shirt.
How this was shot: Three strobe lights firing. Key light with a large softbox. Shot on cyc wall.
If you’re enjoying green beer tonight, hope you stay on your feet!
XOX-S
Cyc Wall | Peek
March 17, 2010This winter M&M decided he wanted to build a cyc wall for me. I was blown away when he suggested this. It opens up so many opportunities. I am no longer limited by time of day, weather, etc… And I can shoot high key photography. I set out to learn about studio lighting. The plans for construction came together. The process has taken longer than expected. We were able to make adjustments along the way based on what we were learning & experiencing. Have a peek at the cyc wall.
From the beginning we knew our space had to be multifunctional. I think we’ve accomplished that.
Our space has a cathedral ceiling. So height was not an issue. We were limited by the width of the room. The overall size of the cyc wall is roughly +7.5 feet high x +10.5 feet wide x + 13 deep. The wall is a platform with a deck, we were limited in our space and could not build out the floor to be level with the existing floor. We also decided to not go with a cove design, we didn’t want to slow the process.
You’ll notice at the top of the wall a seamless roll of paper and room for another roll. I want to execute a couple of creative ideas and the seamless paper will save us M&M from painting the wall after the project. I’ll be adding a roll of black seamless soon. Under the paper holder running the width of the wall is a steel cable. I knew I wanted to be able to hang backdrops. Just gives us more options.
The space has 3 windows which allows an amazing amount of north facing natural light. We have two rows of steel cables. Sheers to diffuse the light and black panels to cut the light. Plus I have open wall space that I can hang additional backgrounds.
Behind the wall is much needed storage. Camera left is where I have props…vintage baby scales, rugs, etc. Camera right is all the tech gear…strobes, light modifiers, cords, etc… We originally had the cyc wall positioned against the structural wall, thanking my lucky stars we changed that. I filled up the space in no time!
I had no idea when I showed M&M photos of ATJ’s studio and cyc wall he would be inspired to build one for me. I think he was missing the smell of sawdust… or was up to a challenge. Either way… I think he’s awesome and I love my new cyc wall!
If you notice the tape on the floor I was doing some lighting studies. All the scuff marks on the floor are going to be a pain. That’s what I’ve heard from fellow photos who have cyc walls. Always painting the floor.
Do you want to know what materials M&M used, paint finish, how he built it, etc… leave a note in the comments are send a direct email. Maybe we can get M&M to do a guest post.
In the coming days look for posts with lighting set ups.
XOX-S