Tub Thumpin'

My dear friend Jenna sent me an image of a woman in a bathtub that she wanted in her portfolio, with much apprehension and reluctance I agreed.  This would be my fifth attempt to shoot using the tub and each previous shoot left me dissatisfied with my lighting results (See a previous post Rub A Dub Dub).

One difference from previous sessions is that we would use colored water as opposed to Milk Bath, or no water at all. At first it was suggested we use food coloring, but if anyone has every worked with food coloring would know that it does stain your skin and with having a job I figured Jenna didn't want to show up to work looking like a Smurf.  Jenna found some Sesame Street Bath Tub color tabs for the shoot and also provided a Make-up Artist, Sydniiee.

The top image was shot with only a gridded strip box with diffusion.  I kept moving the strip box to get it out of the reflection, but with limited overhead space it ended up showing in the final image. So in post, I colorized the blown highlights.

Once we got the shot, I had to try a pull back shot once more and try to get more depth in my image. I plugged in the Fog Machine, set up my Beauty Dish with gridded diffusion and placed it about two feet from Jenna and at about 90 degrees to shoot across the tub, but with a slight upward angle to minimize spill. I moved the strip box over her back shoulders for rim and then added a kicker to light up the fog and also hit some of the black backdrop.



This shot is basically the same set-up, but with the grid removed on the Beauty Dish.  I shot between F/5.6 and F/8, at ISO 200, and at 1/125 shutter speed.  I switched between my 24mm-70mm and 70mm-200mm lenses. If this picture looks familiar, it should since it is basically the same set-up, just different light modifiers and less fog than a shoot I did in August with model Erica.

What Did I Learn?

• Communication is Crucial: Let models know upfront that some of the set-ups shot during the session are for personal education - As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the tub, blue light and fog was shot previously, and actually two times before.  This time I used less fog, gridded the beauty dish and changed the angle of the key light.  However, it is important to let the models know that they may see the same image, but with a different model. Get their approval before shooting.

I do have a lot of shoots planned, but with it being December I usually do charitable shoots so most likely this will be the last shoot for the year; most likely.