DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

How I used a portable image projector to create an 80s themed photo

Dec 16, 2018 by Clinton lofthouse 3 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Now and again we get to play around with cool equipment that we wouldn’t normally use. I got my hands on the spiffy Lightblaster and managed to create a cool neon 80s sci-fi image which wasn’t as hard as it may sound.

As you can see from the video above on my Youtube (feel free to subscribe for more walkthroughs and tutorials) that most of the work was done beforehand in camera, using one light blaster and one gelled octa box. I set up the Light Blaster to shoot a cool orange/red pattern on the wall behind the model. I then shot some blue light directly on to the model to give it that cool neon 80s feel.

Here is the image straight out of the camera:

Already looking badass, but a little dark. I knew that I wouldn’t have to do too much to the photo in post. The only thing was to get that painterly 80s feeling. Dodge-and-burn was calling me. If you look closely at the SOOC image, you can also see the octa poking into the photo on the top left. If you look behind the model you can see that the Light Blaster is firing the slide onto the wall with great strength. To use the light blaster, all I had to do was attach it to a small strobe, and put a spare prime lens on the front. I did play around with different pattern slides, like this one….

But I felt for the stylized feel I wanted the first one fit better. It reminded me of the pattern on Karate Kids bandana.

Once I brought the image into Photoshop, I pulled up the shadows in Raw and then moved into PS. You can see that in the video. Before you edit, it is always a good idea to have a little bit of an editing plan. Mine was to have it look painterly. To do this you need to dodge and burn and stylize using lens flares or other styling techniques. I went for glowing particles, which could be embers from a fire. Who knows, though, the story is left open for the viewer to interpret.

As you can see from the images, sometimes its fun to try to add something into your workflow that you haven’t used before. The Lightblaster definitely gave the image a feel that would’ve been hard to get from another flash, if possible at all? If you have used the Lightblaster in any of your images I would love to see the results, leave a link in the comments and I will check them out.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

How to shoot ’80s-themed colorful portraits on a budget How To Create The Tastiest Vintage Themed Coffee Ad How I created a Star Wars themed image for a wedding Photographer turns to light bulbs for this fantastic “Yin Yang” themed image

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: 80s, Creative, Fantasy, photomanipulation, sci-fi, stylized

About Clinton lofthouse

Clinton Lofthouse is a Photographer, Retoucher and Digital Artist based in the United Kingdom, who specialises in creative retouching and composites. Proud 80's baby, reader of graphic novels and movie geek!
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page

« Mexican authorities are investigating an alleged drone collision with Boeing 737 passenger plane
DIYP reviews the WEEBILL LAB, probably best gimbal for small mirrorless cameras »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Apply to this Maldives resort to ‘win’ a 3 week job as Honeymoon photographer
  • Reviving a Legend: Repairing a Mamiya RB67
  • Sony’s ZV-E1 is a cut-down FX3 in a vlogging form factor
  • Watch: How good (or bad) is an $8.50 tripod?
  • How to light and photograph Lego building interiors

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy