Genlux Editorial - Art Issue
2, January 2009Back by Popular Demand, Our 2nd Video Tutorial! Behind the Scenes Exclusive Melissa Shoots the Art Issue Fashion Spread for Genlux Magazine! Photography by: Melissa Rodwell.
Genlux Editorial - Art Issue from Melissa Rodwell on Vimeo.
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Hi Melissa, very interesting and inspirational report, thanks for show it in video, I like very much that style of moved zones and blur duplicated subject.
hugs from Spain
Juan
I love those bts thingies. Very relaxed to watch and very inspirational! One thing, what is name of the first song we hear?
All the best from the Netherlands,
Marcel
Hello from Australia,
Thank you for these videos Mellisa, I find them very informing and enjoyable, keep up the amazing work.
regards, Ben.
Very nice… I really enjoyed it! I’m assuming that your husband shot the video… a great collaboration between the two of you!! More please!!!
– Scott
Mellisa, thank you for sharing the process of the art creation. The final results are fantastic.
Yulia
Happy New Year, Mellisa. Very didactic video. Thanks for all that.
Claudiu
Going out on a limb here, but all the reflection/motion affects were done in post right?
Lovely shoot. Your work is so inspirational and your Blog is my favorite Blog on the net! Keep the post coming.
Thanks,
Clint
Hi Melissa,
Nice to see this new video. Really good idea to use that tripod, didn’t even think about it when I’m shooting a portrait!
And for 2009: all the best, good health & wisdom!!
Take care,
Niels
Gracias por compartir, tu manera de hacer arte
besos
Great stuff and very inspirational.
Marcel, that first song is Beautiful Girl by INXS
John
thanks for the look through the keyhole
Clint: yes, all blurring, mirroring, ghosting effects were done in post! My husband, David, does my retouching for me. And while I had the concept of what I wanted my final images to look like, he’s the one that has the skillz to realize my vision! And Niels: yeah, I try to get that tripod out every once in awhile and put it to use. I thought I’d leave the shutter open longer but then I lost the tripod in the end. Sometimes its good to have on hand, but honestly, I find it a bit restraining as you can see how I move around quite a bit when I shoot!
And thanks, John, for giving a heads up to Marcel. Yep, that song is Beautiful Girl by INXS. And thanks everyone else for all the great comments! And Claudiu…didactic….that’s a GREAT word! Love it!
Fabulous work and very inspirational. Thank You Melissa.
Fabulous video. I really enjoy seeing how things happen behind the scenes and appreciate the time and effort you take into helping us get a glimpse into your shoot. Thanks!
great video Melissa and David. im still trying to “get it” but Im having fun playing with the editorial style. This was very helpful in may ways. The model was Beautiful ! as were the clothes and styling.
wonderful video.
Very interesting Melissa, top notch work as always. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Melissa,
I really enjoyed the video and I’m very inspired by the transformation you gave to the photos from the camera to the final image. The idea and execution is marvelous. I do have a question
Were the photos intended to be in black & white from the start or was it decided during post processing to go b&w?
Again, many thanks for sharing & God bless.
You are my hero, always inspiring to come by this blog. And such amazing bts!! can’t wait to see more!
I really enjoy watching you work with those models. For a guy like me who just bought some studio equipment to start shooting portrait with models (amateur) you are inspiring. As the final result I prefer those where the ghost effect is a bit distant from the subject or in a different point of view. Otherwise for me it looks a bit distracting so I wont stay long and rapidly go to the next one.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Great final results! I totally adore this shot where you used a fan, the model and the dress were beautiful.
Melissa, I love how those photos ended up. So beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing not only your destination but the journey there as well. I’ve been learning more about telling a story with my work so your piece is very timely.
Happy new year!
Thanks for the great video Melissa, it was really interesting to see a little of the behind-the-scenes set-up, and quite an eye opener to see what goes in to a shoot. Great to see how much you move around shooting with the camera in your hand.
So, do you have the D3x on order yet??
Great Video Melissa,
I really liked the editing and the choice of music.
The video itself and the additional blog post were very informative.
Great stuff!
Have a awesome week.
Cheers, Joris
I love the blog, and the videos. They give insight into your shoots, and set ups. Is there any way you can give links to the final images outside the videos, or processing tips?
Great work!
Inspirational, educating and entertaining at the same time. I have now managed to get toghether a portfolio-website. You can check it out if you like. www.jnilsson.com
/Johan - your friend from sweden
Awesome video, it was great to see all the behind the scenes stuff that goes into a shoot like this. The model really did have a beautiful face, and a lot of the costumes worked really well.
Quick question about the fan, did you envision using it and have it already? was it part of your friend’s studio for ventilation and you made use of it?
Melissa,
Awesome video! Really like the way you take us bts for staging and set ups. I also really liked seeing the camera shots and finished work.
Very inspirational! I look forward to many more tutorials.
Tahnks again,
glenn
I love how you use light. In one of the middle photos it looks as if the softbox is not even pointing at the model. When you see the final image the model is fully lit from the right even though the softbox is on the left. You used the entire wall as a reflector and turned a good sized softbox into a huge one. This is one of the things I’m working on. Learning to see the light and shadows rather than just the model. Many times a model is well lit but the picture looks flat because the photographer only considered the model rather than the light.
It’s also interesting to see how involved the editor is and how you need to balance your creative vision with what he’d like.
I was surprised at how static the model is during the shoot. Once you have her set where you want her there are small adjustments to look, limb positions, head direction, etc. But none of that dynamic stuff you see on the “TV” version of a model shoot. Very interesting.
Sorry, one critique… Can we loose the music soundtrack? I know it makes the video a little more palatable to watch for the general public, but I’d rather hear the discussion even if it is completely boring and mundane. Very few of us have access to a fashion shoot like this and I’d love to eavesdrop on the discussion.
Extremely interesting video. Thank you very much for sharing with us.
Ah Geoffrey! Thanks for your comment! The music? yeah, it’s a big debate, even on our end. I go back and forth on it. Sometimes I think the discussions are so banal and boring that I add the music over it. And then I wonder if it is indeed something that the readers/viewers would want to hear! I think until we get a better video camera with better sound, the music will stay. But more videos are coming. I just did one on my portfolio presentation and there’s no music, just me talking. Let’s see if you like that one better!
And thanks for the compliment on my lighting. I love how I use light too! I love light! Thank you so much for recognizing that. You are right on target with your learning how to SEE the light and shadow rather than just the model! Congrats! That’s photography, my dear!
I enjoyed this so much - thanks so much for sharing! You are a huge inspiration for me - and I wish I had your husband’s processing skills as well!
Oh! And my two cents on the music - I love the mood it helps us feel - maybe the debate could consider playing music while there is shooting and while showing end results as you’ve done and then its off for the discussion? I really enjoyed the music!
Hi Melissa!
Thanx a lot for the video! It si so educational! And such a wonderful chance to visit a fashion shoot… Thank you!
I absolutely love the final images! The blur, the reflections/embedded images, it gives an almost ghost-like impression sometimes! And i really adore it!
Indeed, you have a great eye for light.
Plus, you turn simple compositions into something so artistic… that I’m lost for words!
I agree with one opinion about the soundtrack. Maybe it would help if it was less obtrusive. The priority could be on the voices, and your own comments especially, and usually you are a bit far from the mic…
So again, thankt you for the insight of your day at work! Keep up the good work!
nd
Great stuff. You should get this up onto the itunes store as a podcast.
Hi there! Great work! I’m curious about the lens u used @ 12:10sec looked big like the 85mm f/1.4 but shorter
vic jr.
Right, very cool. Loved seeing your setup and all. My favorite was the shot where she’s in the corner behind the easel drop, really classy. Keep it coming!
Melissa, first of all, Happy New year and thank’s again to share your great experiences with us, your fans…
Great to see how simple it seems to be for you to create great athmospheres, with only a verry few light sources. You wanted to shoot in a old Hollywood style, and you have reached your goal, Bravo !!!
As I can see, you (your husband) did a lot of post prod on Photoshop. When we say that aboout 50% of the work is done during the shooting and the rest on post prod, this is the evidence once again…
Encore des Tutorials, j’adore ça !!!
Ciao
Jean xxx
Thanks for helping me kill my layover in Atlanta!! Sweet video. See ya in T-town!!!
Melissa,
Great video! Thanks for providing the insight you do and sharing your experience with us!
Stephen
melissa,
thank you for sharing this…the pix came out gorge!(ous) ….as always…that’s not a surprise!
peace,
g
Greetings from Karachi, Pakistan.
Amazing and inspiring work Melissa! loved the work totally… and have learned so much form these videos… thanks for sharing. Here in Pakistan the fashion industry is going every so global and we’ve got some brilliant fashion photographers. I’m one of the struggling photographers who’re trying to learn and making their way up there
and definitely i look up to great photographers like you. Thanks for putting up this wonderful blog and all that you share but not hide it from public 
love you for the very fact!
Great video, thanks for sharing with us. Great work as usual!
Great Video! We need more BTS! (kinda like cowbell.
)
Brilliant and very inspiring!
Hope to see more of your great works
Great work !
Thanks;)
I really enjoyed this video… learned a ton!!! Huge thanks. Props to your hubby too, the post processing was fantastic. I’d love to see you post something about the techniques he used here.
I also appreciated those moments in the video where you discussed what you were doing/using. For example, when he asked which lens you were using as you switched to the 85 1.4. I curious which lens you used for the wide shots. Was that a 24? If so, which one?
Thanks again. Really amazing video, and spectacular work.
Just to answer some questions here…..Adrian Tan: yes, I pretty much knew I was going to turn the photos black and white and I kept that in mind while I was shoooting…as far as choosing colors from the wardrobe that would translate better in B + W. What we decided while doing the post was the tone of B + W. We played with some sepia tones and settled on truer gray scale B + W. The magazine, however, went with the sepia effect. Paul: yeah, I want the D3x. That’s all I’m going to say on that. ; )Ben: the fan was part of her studio but I use them ALL the time. Every studio has one. If they don’t, I get one for the shoot. Vic: that is indeed my 85mm! Jason: you’re welcome for killing your layover! See you soon! FurSid: Pakistan?? You rock! Glad to have you here! Dan: the cowbell comment is still making me laugh! Hah! We need more cowbell! And Lloyd: that is my beloved baby, my Nikkor 24 2.8 lens!
Thanks to all of you for such great feedback! We’re working on the sound….we are all about improving the quality for all of you to get more out of the tutorials. Thanks!!
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Thanks,were interesting.Regards)
Thanks Mel. Wonderful. You gave me plenty of ideas. Love your work.
YOU ROCK lady
I’m late to photography having picked up a camera after twenty five years. Your blog’s About The Author hooked me. And now I see this video. Looking forward to going back in your blogs archives. Stunning post work and love your rather relaxed California style. Looks like you had a wicked hangover that morning but managed to create a terrific BTS!
Really nice. I reaaly like the video. a lot of information.
First of all i would like to say your work is so inspirational! I recently came across your site from flickr and i must say it is now under my favorite sites.
Hilarious comment, Tiger Cosmos!
Melissa, just wanted to say thanks for the Flickr friend request and for this video. I’m very new to the Fashion Photography arena and really appreciate you creating this blog. Your videos are great and I look forward to seeing future videos.
Personally, I don’t mind the music or the conversation, boring or not. I like the technical aspects of it, knowing which lenses you’re using, aperture and shutter settings, and what your concept is for both the model and the environment in which your shooting. These are the things that make the videos most valuable. Thanks to your videographer as well for hanging over your shoulder and interrupting you in order to make videos of your shoots educational.
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Melissa,
Thank you for the education! Not being a regular fashion or glamour shooter I can get bored with this stuff easily but I find you and your work captivating. I would love to photograph you!
Dyrell: Nikon. Go with Nikon. Whatever model fits your budget.
and John: Come to LA. You can shoot me anytime. ; )
Love the video and images! I have been wanting to go off camera flash and this has has pushed me to take the dive. Thanks!
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Hello Melissa!
Thanks for adding me on Flickr and linking me to this blog. I really enjoyed watching your tutorial video and I have a question if you have some time. I noticed in the LCD of your Nikon that the effect of the final photo, the doubling,blurring, b+w and so on was not there. Did you do all these effects in PS in post?
Hi Melissa, Great video and very inspiring. couldn’t wait your next tutorial video. hmm.. do you always take your shot from low angle like in this video ? And did you do you postpro for final result by yourself ?
Thanks for sharing everything; concept, setup, etc. It’s good to see that the ‘way’ I do things isn’t totally off base. I loved the simplicity in your lighting setup. Avail light, one softbox one dish. Awesome. And your postprod work is inspiring and beautiful. You’ve made a fan of me!
Hi Melissa, AWESOME to see some BTSfootage…Love the way you work
woooo~~~~this is wonderful shoot ！thank you share！！！！！！！！
We all love bts, Melissa. Thanks for sharing. I think your video is both inspiring - it’s interesting to see how some of those amazing shots are created in some of the more “mundane” locations - and educational - there are a lot of talented individuals paying attention to all the details in order to make that shot look magic. I’m also happy to see how you post-produce your work into a format digestible for commercial use.
Cheers!!
Amazing and inspiring work Melissa! The results are magic! love your lighting technique and I have learned so much form these videos… thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Hi M, I’m a bit late coming in here. I watched this video when you first posted it and have been trying to pick out the pre editing imagery from the post work. Did you have a vision of the Photoshopped imagery when you shot or was that experimentation on top of your work? Either is fine and I don’t believe in right or wrong in these matters.
The result is truly magnificent and your client must have been all smiles.
Hey Melissa,
An very interesting and educating post. I saw the video with much enthusiasm. I’m a hobby-photographer myself and always on the run for the best shot. Your tutorial video gives a good insight to the basics of photography!
Thank you for that. I’m looking forward the next video
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viagra
Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!
Melissa:
Thanks so much for inviting me to your blog. This was an inspirational video. I have just started shooting humans after 30 years behind the camera and one can never have enough ideas.
Melissa,
Great video! I really, really enjoy watching BTS videos, and this one had me absorbed in it for the entire length. As someone who always tries to evolve his photography to the next level, seeing all the little “golden nuggets” of information/lighting/etc. is always a joy.
A question, though: How often do you push your “boundaries” in utilizing light? Obviously one always wants to know what can work for them in a given situation, but do you find yourself trying new nuances (or radical changes) often in your shoots?
Many thanks are in order for inviting me to this blog, I’m absolutely LOVING it!
Cheers!
Such an amazing gal you are, Mellisa, fabulous work.
I got one Q: I’m just getting into photography and I don’t have the budget for a D3. I want to get the D90. Is that a good choice for a beginner? Also should I buy it with the lens that comes with it, the 15-105mm or get it body only and buy something else? (for fashion use mainly)
Thanks for the great posts, you’re fantastic!
Hey yallz,
if you want better sound, try wearing a remote mic, although i fear in suggesting it, it would get in your way. The benefit is your voice will come through loud and clear, and the conversations you have with your counterparts will also be clearer. Try it, for the BTS stuff. Your camera will want to have XLR sound inputs. good luck.
And a fashion photo question:
In shooting fashion, if you are not a fashionphile but are into expressive lighting and lensing, and you love the idea of fashion photography, but lack the history of fashion or the designer knowledge, can you still find your way into the world, being new eyes, and allow the fashion brains around you to inform you? Would a design ethic be a reasonable replacement for fashion ethics and knowledge?
Thanks for the forum. Love your style.
Cool shoot Melissa!
Being a newbie its interesting to see a behind-the-scenes look at how other shoots go.
The shots you got are amazing! Looking forward to the next post!
Cheers,
Dave.
I really liked your blog! i read 4 others that are on similar subjets, but they domt update very often, thanks.
I just found your blog on the google search engine and saw a few of your other posts that you had done . I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the great work. i will Look forward to reading more from you again.
Beautiful images…wonderful creative finished product…congratulations to the team…
Thank you for sharing
Brent & Shirley
NakedArt
New Zealand
Hi Melissa,
Beautiful Beautiful work! Quick question tho, you said you were shooting at 1/4 to 1/60 sec for most of the shoot, were any of the double exposure images produced as a result of this camera technique?(i.e. the one where you shot through the easel), or were all they produced post production (i.e. through photoshop)?
Love your work and website! thank you so much for sharing
OMG, I’m a second year photography student and studying fashion before I finish in 8 weeks time and I’m blown away. I love your relaxed attitude to photographing your models and I’m begging you to adopt me so I can come to work with you! I love the videos and as much as I would like to evesdrop the music is awesome while watching the vids!
P.s I’ll pay for you to adopt me!
My God, how I miss LA already. I hope everyone is doing great down there.
Melissa,
great video . I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction , I’m interested in animating a logo for a slideshow , I see yours is animated. which sofware are you using , do you know a site i can learn to do it ? thanks melissa cant wait for your next video.
regards,
david
Hi David, Thanks for writing. This is David Melissa’s Husband… I actually did the logo in adobe flash, just because I am a designer and know it well. But if your looking for an easier way, you can use Final Cut Pro, as I here they have some great presets for titling. Or you can also try After Effects if your on a PC. I know firsthand they have some amazing easy-to-use effects for titling and you can use your logo!
Hope this helps,
David Skyler