Have you ever had one of those cool and a little quirky ideas, but wasn’t sure how to put it all together? I’ve had one of those sitting in the back of my mind for ages. Finally, it all came together just recently. Here’s how it played out.
Setting the scene
I pictured a gorgeous model in a fabulous outfit, sitting in a paddock of long grass, with the sun setting behind her. She is lit by a stand-alone lamp. And not a gas lamp, but something like a Tiffany or Art Deco lamp. Sure, it’s a little quirky, but I haven’t been able to drop the idea.
The lamp was one thing, the model and outfit were easy, and it was the location that was proving the problem. But just the other day it all came together. So here’s how we did it.
The location
I recently ran a Western Steampunk Photoshoot/Workshop at Longwarry Hill farm in Longwarry (Victoria, Australia). We planned the whole thing late in the day to culminate as the sun was setting. We took a chair and a small table, along with my lamp into one of the fields. Still in deep shade, but just catching the rays of the setting sun.
The model and styling
My model for this shoot was Charley in a steampunk outfit, complete with a top hat. I got her to sit on the chair and with a variety of poses, lit with the fading sun and my lamp. The giant clock/fob watch was a last-minute add-on. Isn’t it just perfect?
The lamp
Like I said, we traipsed out to the middle of a paddock, there was no power there. I took the chair, a little table, and my lamp. I removed the globe and popped in the Zhiyun Fiveray M20C LED light inside. As it’s small and magnetic, it clipped to the side of the lamp. So easy and completely hidden. I turned it on and used 5600K and 100% power. Between this light and the fading sun, it was all we needed for the perfect light for our photoshoot.Â
Want to get your hands on a fabulous little Fiveray M20C? You can grab one here!
- Model: Charley Cox
- Makeup: Em Mrietta
- Hair: Teighan Felton
- Styling: Janelle Thomas
- Staging, photo and retouching: Julie Powell
