Feat. Marina & Oleg at the Château la Louvière!
Of course, I had to share my version of this behind-the-scenes video posted last week on Fujifilm's Channel! So in case you missed it, last week Fujifilm posted a testimonial video of me, sharing my experience with the GFX100s. And the article is also available on their website with a selection of images.
Watch: https://youtu.be/RLl1cKd5_BI Read: GFX100s more than full frame
Some of you asked me if I would still do a review of the GFX100s on my channel. And the answer is: "kind of".To be honest, I feel I've already said a lot in that video for Fujifilm, and you probably have guessed my feelings about this camera already. But, I still want to use it on a few other jobs and projects, things that will be a little different from my usual stuff, and then give you a comprehensive definitive review and impression on the camera. But before all that, here is a deeper look at this 1st session I made with Marina Kudryashova & Oleg Rogachev inside the Château laLouvière!
This is typically the kind of location I love because it has so many different rooms, high ceilings, and you have more than enough space to create almost whatever you want. Sometimes I wish I had a castle like that at my disposal to create all my images. I rarely shoot duos, and it’s a shame, so I was really happy to do one during my stay there. Directing 2 dancers is a little bit different, especially in terms of lighting. Are we exposing both of them evenly? Or do we want to focus only on one of them? For this entire session, I want it something balanced or almost. I wanted to light them as if they were only one subject.
Marina Kudryashova & Oleg Rogachev (Château la Louvière - Léognan France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 23mm F4 R WR 1/30sec f/4.0 ISO 100
I also knew from the very beginning that we would include practical lights that would be visible in some shots. And some of the tighter spaces wouldn’t allow us to use more than 2 lights. The 2 fits images we created were made with only one light, with the large 90x120 cm softbox and a grid for more control. The whole thing was placed up above the dancers, just in front of the chandelier. I already knew that the light would be in the shot and that a 2nd clean image would be necessary without the light in the frame to make it easier to erase in post.
Marina Kudryashova & Oleg Rogachev (Château la Louvière - Léognan France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 23mm F4 R WR 1/30sec f/4.0 ISO 100
The ambient light was very low, so we tested different shutter speeds to see how much motion blur we could possibly let in the shot without it being too distracting. I wanted enough ambient light to keep a bit of the detail in the shadows. Of course, my flash did the rest of the job to freeze the movement. The more dancers in front of your lens the more time it takes to find the right poses, movements, or angles. A lot of trial and error, we rehearse for each scene. I only place my lights, once we have something we can build upon, a pose we all like or a movement. Once everything is dialed in we try different variations of the same pose until we get the one we all like!
Marina Kudryashova & Oleg Rogachev (Château la Louvière - Léognan France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 30mm F3. 5 R WR 1/100sec f/3.5 ISO 125
Marina Kudryashova & Oleg Rogachev (Château la Louvière - Léognan France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 63mm F2.8 R WR 1/100sec f/4.5 ISO 125
This final image was the most difficult one to make. Marina brought a strange accessory with her that we had to untangle for each shot… Just imagine the amount of time it took us to make it! I had a small but efficient team that day, Marlène and Damien helped me out a lot on the setups and accessories.
Marina Kudryashova & Oleg Rogachev (Château la Louvière - Léognan France) Fujifilm GFX100s - GF 30mm F3. 5 R WR 1/125sec f/4.5 ISO 250
Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below! If you have any questions on how these were made do not hesitate. More on these sessions inside the Château la Louvière in the next post! Huge thanks to the Château la Louvière for letting us create in such a beautiful place.