This shoot only cost us $100 to produce

My team and I were given the task to shoot the crew of a nightclub for their “summer” theme, where they open up a huge balcony for partying. While the nightclub organized everything neatly, unforeseen circumstances “killed” the set we were going to use. We took it upon ourselves to still give them a great set to match their summer theme, while still not completely breaking their budget.

Building a set on a low budget

To create a summer feel, we decided to go with Pink, so we gathered the materials needed to create a solid pink backdrop. We bought three boards of wood at about $20 each to build a set from. Another two cans of paint made for $40 more dollars.

We took a wooden cube that was laying around and painted it pink as well. Now, we were able to use found objects from the club to complement the swimsuit styling. Here are my two (slightly edited) test shots from the setup

Gear & Lighting

I shoot with a Canon 5DmkIV which is what I used on this shoot as well. My lens of choice was the Canon 24-70 f2.8 II, it’s a great all arounder. The lens is sharp for a zoom on one hand, but it allows moving around. So its a good balance between sharpness and flexibility.

For light, we used two Godos AD600 strobes. The first mounted on a boom right above my head, pointing at the model, and fit with a 140cm octabox. It’s a huge lighting modifier that gives very soft results and allows for some movements. We needed that leeway, as we were dealing with the club’s stuff and not with pro models. (And you know that I love a good octa). We also had very little time for each subject as we had to shoot all thirty staff members on the same day. The other AD600 was a bit to the right, bouncing from the ceiling for fill.

Conclusion

Overall we shot over 30 people that day, each with a slightly different outfit and object keeping the set in the same look for the entire shoot. Here is a taste of our favorite photos.

P.S. about that first photo…

How you look has a lot to do with how you pose. Remember that when you take your next fashion photo. (Thank Katya for playing along and helping me make the point)