We had some fun in the studio the other day. I had the idea to use silver Mylar emergency blankets hung all over the studio to reflect colored light to create some very cool creative portraits. Add in a VERY cool costume and some crafty hair and makeup, and we had a fantastic afternoon.
The set-up
I ordered a six pack silver Mylar emergency blankets. We hung some of them on a background stand and put the rest on the floor. I had mixed feelings about the folds in the mylar. While these bounced the reflections around, the creases were also a bit annoying. I think next time, instead of trying to squish them, I might just crumple them up and fold them.
Equipment used
We then installed two Neewer LED light panels with a blue and cyan gel on it, as well as two Lume Cube Mini Lights set to blue. We placed the lights around the studio. Two Lume Cube Mini Tubes on the floor and two Neewer LED panels shining down created a multitude of reflections on the silver mylar.
I used mine Sony A7RIII And Tamron 28-75mm lens, as the lights were constant unlike my usual studio flashes, it was a bit of a challenge. My settings were ISO 640, f/3.5, 1/250 second at 28mm. It was also a challenge to get enough light on the subject’s face. I was looking for a more slightly shimmering effect with lots of sparkling reflections rather than a regular portrait shot.
To process
Editing my images from this series in Photoshop, adding a little creative blur with Neural Filter — Depth Blur, adding some lighting effects and finishing with some Nik Color Effex. Aside from a basic cleanup and crop, I wanted the reflections and color to show through. Some were slightly brighter on the face by moving the Lume Cube Mini Tubes closer to the face.
Latest images
Just some of the last images from this series. I’m sure there are things that could have been improved, but overall we were quite happy with the results. Using constant light instead of studio flashes allowed us to really play with colors and bounce the reflections.
Model – Andrea Gardiner, HMUA – Em Mrietta, Designer – The Obtainery
Read more about the Lume Cube Tube Light Minis here.
