Tlaloc Villarreal

Tlaloc Villarreal, California based photographer was in our studio with the model Chris Davis making clean ambient yet warm shots and taking advantage of the contrast that a dark wooden floor and plain white walls create in our stage Art 2.

Chris Davis // Tlaloc Villarreal -wrongron, Wrong Ron, Tialoc Villarreal, stage Art 2, shot at FD Photo Studio, Rental Studio, Photoshop, Photoshoot, Photography Studio, photography services, photographer, Los Angeles, FD photo studio, fashion, E-Commerce, DTLA, Design, Chris Davis, blog, !done

Let us share a few words about the photographer:

“Tlaloc Villarreal is a fashion and portrait photographer born in Ventura, CA in 1981. He now calls Los Angeles home. His story is simple: Guy works in television casting for several years. Guy works for ‘America’s Next Top Model’ and gets inspired to try photography. Guy buys a camera and falls in love with taking pictures. Guy quits television and moves to Europe for a while. Guy returns to the U.S. after a few years. Guy continues taking photos. Guy is happy.”

The crew for this shoot was pretty small – photographer and the model. Have a look at the WEBSITE of Tlaloc Villarreal, the maestro behind the camera. The MODEL for the shoot was Chris Davis. Follow Chris for his daily photo updates on his INSTAGRAM.

Art 2, one of our clients’ most favorite stages, features a full rustic wood floor, as well as a platform that runs the entire length of the studio’s south side – flush with the windows. There is a wood staircase leading up to the platforms left side. The flooring is real wood throughout, and stained to a nice dark tone. Art 2 also features the same great equipment that adorns all of our studios – black, white, and gray photo backdrops as well as three strobes along with light modifiers. Take a look at Art 2 on our website for availability as well as rates.

by Wrong Ron

PRETTY IN PUNK

Pretty In Punk is the episode of sizzling photos for a fashion magazine LADYGUNN starring Roxanne Sanderson and directed by Sami Drasin. The quality of these images is perfect, flawless, finest, top-notch, astonishing, awesome, dope (LA slang here)… Ok, I am running out of my thesaurus but the point is Pretty in Punk has left me in awe and is one of my favorite posts I blogged about. This crew had visited our stage Art 3 before it was renovated, so you would notice that heavy industrial feel on the background the stage had previously had. So what is it that attracts me so much in these photos – model’s posture? Her countenance? The composition and angles? Or is it that single hair on the cover picture that sways across the model’s face and briefly coincides with the edge of her eyebrow? It is the last one! No. Ok, it all of them.

PRETTY IN PUNK -wrongron, Wrong Ron, stage D, Stage Art 3, shot at FD Photo Studio, Shannon Rasheed, Sami Drasin, Roxanne Sanderson, Rental Studio, PRETTY IN PUNK, Photoshop, Photoshoot, Photography Studio, photography services, photographer, Magazine, Los Angeles, LADYGUNN, FD photo studio, fashion, E-Commerce, DTLA, Design, Chaine Leyendecker, blog, !done

Here is a short bio about Sami Drasin, the photographer of the shoot:

“From the first time I picked up a camera in junior high, I have been obsessed with capturing in-between moments and turning them into larger than life moments. That second when someone doesn’t think their photo is actually being taken. That is where the life is. Lush colors, movement, youthfulness, and actual reality is what I strive for in my photographs. I love being able to create a fun and energetic environment for everybody. It is unpredictable how each person takes direction which leaves me with surprise and awe after every shoot.”

Find Out more about Sami Drasin and her artistic vision on her WEBSITE and INSTAGRAM. The MODEL for this session is young, gorgeous Roxanne Sanderson representing Next Models agency. The HAIR and MUA was Shannon Rasheed representing Celestine Agency. And STYLING was provided by Chaine Leyendecker. Make sure to check the original post on LADY GUNN HERE.

Even though this session was shot at stage ART 3, if you are after those concrete walls with frosted windows and the industrial background, then Stage D is your space. Working with both natural light and strobes this stage provides the best lighting solutions in any instance. With lots of space to encompass, stage D gives the opportunity for creating different diverse looks for photo and video projects. Towards the sunset the studio gets plenty of great, warm light through large south-west facing frosted windows. Have a look at our calendar for availability, prices and contacts on our WEBSITE.

by Wrong Ron

ANAMA Lookbook by Mathilde Bresson

Our studios offer a fantastic canvas to achieve the look that you or your brand desires. Mathilde Bresson created a fine example of this, while visiting our stage D and making these gleaming and inviting images for ANAMA Lookbook Holliday collection.

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Mathilda Bresson, a french fashion photographer has a unique and adventurous story of how her craftsmanship began:

“I was born and raised in France. As a child I was constantly creating art through paintings and drawings. Often times I would find myself daydreaming about shapes, colors and far away places. One day I picked up a camera and essentially fell in love. My friends and family joke that I can always be found behind the lens of a camera. I grew to love photography. I was able to convey my vision by the aid of a camera. I felt empowered.

At the age of 23, I packed up my camera and moved to Los Angeles. I have dedicated my life to photography, working for different fashion brands creating lookbooks/catalogs, lifestyle storytelling, launching fashion ad campaigns and producing magazine editorials.

Self taught and self made, I have honed in my skills and believe that they are now beautifully represented in my work. I enjoy working with natural light and movement in order to capture the magic of a single moment.

For me, being a photographer is a perpetual challenge, to create and present a variety of images, while in constant search of inspiration and new horizons.”

This session is an examplar of an extensive fashion portfolio that you can find on Mathilde’s WEBSITE. Take a look at her INSTAGRAM page for daily updates and to keep in touch with her mastery. The MODEL for the shoot was beautiful Riley Hillyer from fashion agency Photo[Genics. The MUA was Charlotte Prevel; make sure to check her INSTAGRAM platform. And the STYLIST for of the session was Jordan Rudd.

Find out more about ANAMA clothing and their Holiday collection on their WEBSITE and INSTAGRAM.

Stage D was chosen as a creative space for this session. Working with both natural light and strobes this stage provides the best lighting solutions in any instance. With lots of space to encompass, stage D gives the opportunity for creating different diverse looks for photo and video projects. Towards the sunset the studio gets plenty of great, warm light through large south-west facing frosted windows. Have a look at our calendar for availability, prices and contacts on our WEBSITE.

by Wrong Ron

HEALTHY HABITS | HAPPY HEART by Victoria Gold Photography

Here at FD Photo Studio we are blissful to work with clients who promote healthy, physically active lifestyle. Being its advocates ourselves, it was great to meet the photographer Victoria Gold and blogger Kennedy Meek in our stage F for a set of astounding, bright images of Healthy Habits, Happy Heart. A few words about the masterful photographer and her visit to our studio:

“My name is Victoria Gold. I am a trained photojournalist through the Ernie Pyle School of Journalism at Indiana University. I also studied Street Photography in Paris. After school in 2013, I moved back to my Los Angeles (my hometown) and began pursuing photography as a hobby. Recently I have begun my photography business, Victoria Gold Photography, as a lifestyle, portrait and fine art photographer. I am also diving into the world of wedding photography. This shoot in particular was for Fitness Blogger, Kennedy Meek of Healthy Habits, Happy Heart for an article about Pranamat. Pranamat is a special yoga mat with acupressure points to intensify your practice.”

HEALTHY HABITS | HAPPY HEART by Victoria Gold Photography -Yoga, wrongron, Wrong Ron, Victoria Gold Photography, Studio Photography, Stage F, shot at FD Photo Studio, rental stages, Photoshop, Photoshoot, photography services, photographer, modeling, Los Angeles, Kennedy Meek, healthy lifestyle, Healthy Habits Happy Heart, FD photo studio, DTLA, blog, !done

Find out more about Victoria Gold Photography through her INSTAGRAM page and her WEBSITE. And get to know more about HEALTHY HABITS | HAPPY HEART lifestyle blog by Kennedy Meek on her social media.

Stage F was used for this duo’s creative session. The studio is the smallest space we currently offer for our clients. Yet it is one of the most brightest stages with the tremendous amount of natural light coming from North West. It has gained a nickname – “light box” by some of our regulars and it truly fulfills it at any time of the day from dawn until dusk. This studio also features two section laminate floor of white and dark color for your creative needs. As with any of our stages, Studio F comes with 3 strobe lights already included in the hourly rate and backdrop seamless paper installed. Take a closer look HERE.

by Wrong Ron

Authenticity 50 and Jaxon the Pug

It is true, our studios are honored to have trusting and long lasting relationships with major LA model agencies, celebrity artists and fashion clothing vanguard. However, being a versatile creative space that we are also allows to accommodate a great scope of e-commerce product photoshoots, from handcrafted lowrider beach bikes to ready-to-cuddle teddy bears (and I am not making this stuff up, we actually had a shoot for both). This time we were proud to provide our studio for a very interesting product shoot of the top quality, domestically designed and manufactured bedding that the company Authenticity 50 had brought to our stage C, along with a nice crew of models, photographers, videographers and stylists, and the star of the show – Jaxon the Pug.

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Authenticity 50‘s mission has a powerful message that lies in the core of its business model:

“A50 was founded on the belief that we can make the finest home goods in the world, right here in America. We don’t compromise on quality. We don’t compromise on values. We don’t manufacture overseas – Never have. Never will. Our sheets are 100% ‘seed-to-stitch’ made in the USA. What does that mean? It means the entire manufacturing process – from growing the cotton, to spinning the yarn, to weaving the fabric – is done here.”

Jimmy & Steph, the Husband/Wife Co-Founders of Authenticity 50 were also kind to share a few words about their session in stage C:

“We shot at FD Photo Studio in February, and had the best time. Not only was this our first real company photo shoot, but this was our first time at FD. We had a lot riding on this shoot, and we were pretty stressed out beforehand. However, any nerves and apprehension were quickly removed, because FD had everything we needed to make the shoot successful. The staff were helpful and friendly, and had all kinds of extra things on hand to assist us. We had ample time and space to complete all of the looks we needed, and our amazing and talented team had a blast. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience, and look forward to more shoots at FD in the future!”

To purchase these top-tier, domestically made bedding products or find out more about A50, have a look at their WEBSITE or follow their INSTAGRAM for hot deals.

The team for the shoot had Maggie Zulovic for Photography, MNK Studio/Matt and Katie Allison for Styling, Pompous Cat Studios for Videography, and Jacquelyn Umof, Ryan Bertroche, and Jaxon the Pug as their models ( I know y’all want to follow IG of this pup but no luck there).

Stage C is one of our largest studios, both a favorite for photoshoots and video productions alike. Our clients love the dark concrete floors and high-key industrial white windows of Stage C. Equipped with standard 9′ seamless backdrop paper, Stage C also features a large cyclorama wall – a favorite option for our brands shooting e-commerce and lookbooks. Take a look at Stage C and all of it’s features on our WEBSITE.

by Wrong Ron

Maddy Welk + Holly Hicks

Maddy Welk, brilliant photgrapher based in Los Angeles alongside the dazzling redhead model Holly Hicks paid a visit to our stage Art 4 and delivered very genuine, clean shots to our liking.

Maddy Welk + Holly Hicks -wrongron, Wrong Ron, Studio Photography, stage Art 4, shot at FD Photo Studio, rental stages, Photoshop, Photoshoot, photography services, photographer, modeling, Maddy Welk, Los Angeles, Holly Hicks, FD photo studio, fashion, DTLA, blog, Art 4, !done

It is actually surprising to hear that it was Maddy’s first time doing a shoot at a professional studio. She was very kind to inform us about her experience of shooting in stage Art 4:

“I’m so happy with these photos and I personally believe that they are the magnum opus of my photography career. If someone were to ask me what made the photos turn out so well I’d say it’s about 80% lighting, 10% my editing skills, and 10% me physically taking the pictures. FD Studio pretty much revolutionized the way I do photography. Me and my model Holly had an amazing time and I’ll definitely be coming back soon!”

The crew was very small and comprised only the photographer and the model. Maddy Welk, empowered by her incredible talent, vision and simply being “Pisces af” brings you some amazing photos to enjoy on her INSTAGRAM page and WEBSITE. And be careful not to fall in love with Holly after seeing her INSTAGRAM page as well!

Stage Art 4, used for this shoot, is under a renovation process as of now. We are making sure to retain that high-key white industrial design that FD is notorious for, while enriching it with wooden floor section as well wall veneer and a portable blinds made of dark wood slats. As any of our stages, Art 4 comes equipped with 3 strobe lights and modifiers as well as backdrop paper of black, white and grey color. Take a look at Stage Art 4 HERE for its availability and pricing!

by Wrong Ron

Strong Confidence by Julian Morales

Julian Morales sure has unique taste and vision of how to make his photos stand out and allure. These series of beauty shots are to confirm the notion. Through the gelled light that worked so perfectly on models Levy Tran and Kim Lee the maestro has brought to you the “Strong Confidence.”

Strong Confidence by Julian Morales -wrongron, Wrong Ron, Studio Photography, shot at FD Photo Studio, RON MEY, rental stages, Pro Stage 1, Photoshop, Photoshoot, photography services, photographer, Los Angeles, LEVY TRAN, KRYSTAL RENEE, KIM LEE, Julian Morales, FD photo studio, DTLA, blog, !done

I had a pleasure to interview Julian and share his thoughts on our studio and his professional career as a photographer and MakeUp artist.

Me: How was your experience on shooting in our studio?

Julian: I’ve visited FD photo studio numerous times for various projects. I’ve had pleasant experiences at all three locations, staff is really friendly and helpful. The studios are always clean and prepped for the next clients, and lighting equipment is available for use. My only gripe is given the time of day it can get a little warm in some of the studios, so book your times accordingly.

Me: Could you please tell us in a few words about your artistic vision/mission as a photographer, MUA?

Julian: Growing up I always had a quirk for the arts and being creative. At a young age I picked up my fathers point and shoot camera which opened my eyes to the art of photography. I quickly became fascinated with automotive photography, thats where my love and passion for retouching began. From then on I worked on developing my photography skills in; Adobe photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe after affects, as well as artificial light. Assisting and working alongside talented photographers; whilst collaborating on creative ideas, my photography knowledge and skill sets developed greatly. Being the creative person I am in conjunction with the hunger to create visually photos, I’ve transcended my love of photography into the art of makeup. My goal now is to immerse my creatives into the fashion & beauty world whether it be makeup or photography.

Make sure to check Julian Morales’s WEBSITE, his INSTAGRAM for photography and his INSTAGRAM from MakeUp Art. For this project, the MakeUp Artist-Collaborator was KRYSTAL RENEE. The hair stylist was TEE, check her portfolio on INSTAGRAM. The photo assistance was provided by RON MEY. And the models for the shoot were gorgeous KIM LEE and LEVY TRAN.

Pro Stage I features large frameless north and west facing windows, with lots of natural light at any time of day. Adorned with a large seamless white cyc wall, as well as standard photo backdrops and studio lighting for stills, this studio is all you need to expand and fulfill your creativity. Since it is one of the largest stages we have, PRO I can accommodate crews of various sizes and needs for both photo and video shoots. Find out more about Pro Stage I on our WEBSITE.

by Wrong Ron

Using A Soft Box

Soft Box is undoubtedly one of the essential lighting modifiers in most every professional photographer’s toolkit. But why is it so vital? The answer lies in its adaptability for any style of shooting. Soft Box emits soft, even light appealing for fashion, product, portraiture, video, you name it. Let’s explore and learn more about what makes the Soft Box the most popular light modifier in the world. WHAT IS A SOFT BOX AND HOW DOES IT WORK? A soft box is a term that describes an enclosure or “a box” that confines a light source from all sides and diffuses the emitted light from the front side.

Mechanics:

Soft boxes are built of lightweight materials, come in all sizes, and are very portable. The lightweight box is made of translucent cloth, wrapped around a wire frame and attached to a light source, whether it is a studio strobe or speed light.

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The interior cloth is white or silver, while the exterior black cloth prevents light from spilling out. The light bounces around and scatters in all directions inside the box, and is then directed outward through a layer of diffusion material. The result is evenly distributed directional lighting that’s easy to control.

History:

Early soft boxes were large plywood boxes with an open front and tracks along the top and bottom where various diffusion flats could be slid into place. These cumbersome fixtures were used by motion picture lighting directors to achieve soft lighting effects since 1915. Yet the first photographers to design the modern soft box based on tent technology in 1979 were Gary Regester and Tom Frost. Early photographers loved to use a soft box to imitate the beauty of north light, since the square soft box had close to exact soft light qualities that old photo studios would get from having a large north-facing window.

The photo on the left shows a studio with a huge North facing window. At the end of the 19th century and until 1930s almost every photo studio had such a window for shooting portraits. The photo of the boy on the right was taken exactly by such window. Notice how soft and smooth the light is.

Sizes:

There are many sizes of soft boxes available on the market. Our Studio is equipped with just the right variety of soft box modifiers to fulfill a large spectrum of lighting setups. Adding up the various distances at which they can be effective, we end up with a lot of possible combinations and choices. In the series of photos below, we see how different sizes of soft boxes affect the same subject. Note that the soft box is very close to the subject in all the shots. This helps us to see the differences in performance between the various sizes. All of the displayed soft boxes and grids are available at FD Photo Studio!

Did you notice the difference in the light coverage area as well as its intensity? The rule of thumb is the larger the light source, in relation to the subject, the softer the light becomes. Soft light reduces contrast, conceals skin blemishes, and softens the edges of the shadows. Feel free to experiment with the position of soft box — move it to the side or center, up or down, closer or further — to see how the shadows, hardness of light change. If your images look flat, you can try placing the light at an angle. If you’re getting uneven or harsh lighting, try moving the box in front of the subject. Choosing lighting styles is largely a matter of personal preference, so any size soft box can be used for product and still life photography.

Examples of common lighting setups with Soft Boxes:

ONE LIGHT SETUP

1. PROFILE LIGHT (SOFTBOX AS A RIM LIGHT )

Profile shots are great for fashion photography, traditional portraiture, photographing children or brides—pretty much any model shoot. Place the light at an angle behind or in front of the model to create a rim light, just lighting the model’s profile slightly (See diagram).

2. SOFT BOX + REFLECTOR (CONTEMPORARY BEAUTY LOOK)

You only need one light and just a small white reflector to get this look. Place the main light up high, directly in line with the model’s nose so as not to produce any shadows to the left or right of the nose. Place a reflector down below to catch the light and fill in the areas under the chin, nose, and eyes, bringing out more detail in the shadows (See diagram).

3. SILHOUETTE (SOFT BOX AS A BACKGROUND)

Use the softbox as your background to get a nice, high-impact silhouette of your model. Place your model in front of the soft box. Try different poses to see which one looks best later on. You need to make sure your exposure is rich enough and deep enough to get complete black in the silhouette and ensure you don’t lose detail in the hair and neckline (see diagram).

TWO LIGHT SETUP

1. PORTRAIT SHOOT WITH HIGHLIGHTED BACKGROUND

Use one soft box to light up the backdrop from down bellow. Place another Soft box right above the model’ slightly to camera’s right. You might want to use a reflector to highlight the other side of model’s face (see diagram).

2. “CLAMSHELL”

This setup is very popular since it creates a smoothing beauty effect that hides skins imperfection and age related marks. It is called the “clamshell” due to a 2 light setup in front of the model’s face that angled towards each other and resembling the actual clamshell. It would be a good idea to use a reflector to highlight the shoulders and the back of the model’s head (see diagram).

3. “TWO AS ONE” SETUP

This setup is quite simple. All you need is to place two soft boxes very closer together facing the model and turn the corners of each soft box vertically so the fixtures would touch each other at its corner and create a 90 degrees angle. Place your camera right below the in-between the boxes to take a shot. You can play with the intensity of the lights to create more depth and have one side as Key light and another one as Fill light (see diagram).

THREE LIGHT SETUP

1. “CLASSIC” SETUP

This 3 light setup is among the most commonly used in both photo and video production. 2 lights are placed on both sides of the camera facing model at 45 degree angle. You can narrow or widen the distance between the strobes to play with the light. The third strobe is above the model highlighting shoulders and the back of the head. (see diagram).

2. “HIGHLIGHTED BACKGROUND” SETUP

This setup is somewhat the opposite of the “classic” 3 light setup. Point both side strobes to highlight white background and the top strobe in front of the model above (see diagram).

3. “FILM NOIR” SETUP

This style is easily recognized – deep dark shadows with hard edges, bright highlights, high contrast, – all that creates dramatic lighting. In this setup one light was highlighting the background from below. The key light, on a camera right was facing the model from a side, and the fill light, from camera’s left was on side above the model highlighting the back of his neck and the edge of his contour (see diagram).

These are just few examples out of infinite variety of light setups with the soft boxes only. As you can notice one can achieve very distinct character of the picture without using enormous amount of equipment. The best thing is, all of these soft boxes are available for your use for free at our studio as these modifiers are already included in the hourly rate. The creativity lies in your trial and error with precious moments of blissful epiphany. So get creative, inspire!

* I want to thank my friends for participating in this educational project and being the most awesomest models I could get to the studio at 12 am without prior notice. Denis Sharov and Diana Kotova you are the real MVPs! ** NONE of the pictures were color corrected or photoshopped (except film noir, for obvious reasons). What you see is what you get off the camera.

Singer Joshua Micah at FD Photo Studio

Vine star and a prolific musician Joshua Micah was visiting our Pro Stage 1 studio for a photoshoot with photographer Michael Giroux. This visit resulted in great ambient, clean shots of the singer, the kind of photos our Pro Stages are well known for. Joshua was very kind to share his experience of this session with us, as well as elaborate on what function and responsibility an artist/singer carries in our society:

I had a great experience at FD Studios by the way (My friends did too) Vine is the platform I have the most fans on. My mission as a singer/artist is just to be positive and transparent with fans/listeners. In America, especially LA, there is this perception that we need to have it all together as people.. Who wants that pressure on them? Comparing yourself to people is super dangerous and can destroy you haha. I am a strong believer that your value as a person comes with being true to yourself and not “what you do.”

Find out more about Joshua’s artistic endeavors through his INSTAGRAM and VINE accounts. The photographer of this session was Michael Giroux. The stylist was Eric Schiffman.

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Pro Stage I is one of our largest spaces at FD Photo Studio. Featuring large frameless north and west facing windows, our shooters here can take full advantage of the natural light at any time of day. This studio also boasts a large seamless white cyc wall, as well as standard photo backdrops and studio lighting for stills. A favorite for both photo and video projects, we can accommodate crews of various sizes and needs. Take a look at Pro Stage I on our WEBSITE.