Hey, my name is Linda Blacker and I'm a
portrait photographer and self-portrait photographer.
I create scenes in my work which are both digital and physical sets. And today
I want to talk to you about how you can elevate your portraiture with set design.
In this video I wanted to take you on a journey with me
from the initial idea of my set design all the way to the photo shoot and
actually bringing the set to life. Set design can be something as small as
just hanging some different fabrics behind you
or having a play with simple props you have around your home.
Or it can be a full-blown set build. Last year I actually did a shoot where I
photographed a doll's house and then in post-production put mini versions
of myself as a doll in the doll's house.
I like the doll theme so I wanted to do a kind of larger set where the doll escapes.
Often I like to start with a drawing to get a good idea of what I'm
going to be doing in real life and kind of work from that.
When I'm at this point I like to think about
all the different elements and components that are going to make up my set.
So when I'm drawing it I'm also thinking
about the color palette who the model is going to be, what the model's going to
wear, where they're going to be in the image
and also my lighting.
It doesn't mean you can't change it around when you actually do the shoot,
but I think to have that idea at the start really really helps go
from your planning to bring it to life if you just focus on the set design
and then don't think about what your model is going to look like, what her sign is going to be and where she's going to go
then it can be a bit mixed match and make it
quite difficult.
I think there's three main things I like to think about.
Planning.
To plan is very important when you're you know going to be the photographer and the set designer.
Being adaptable. So when I'm working on stuff, things don't always work out, things go wrong,
you kind of just have to be flexible.
And then finally experimenting.
So this time I decided I wanted to build a doll's house like the exterior of a doll's house
there are times when maybe I wouldn't have wanted to do that but
it's really important to kind of experiment and push yourself a little bit
because you don't know what you're going to be able to create.
after I've got my initial idea and know where I'm heading
I like to start thinking about materials props you know where I'm going to find them what I'm going to use.
I think you can do this in different ways I think it depends on your budget it depends on what you have access to.
So don't be worried about thinking that you've got to find all these
amazing things. So for this set I decided that I want to
have my backdrop made up from a dust sheet.
They're really easy to get you can paint on quite easily. When I do that it means
I can create a completely unique background to me.
You can paint them messy and it can still look really cool, you can add to them
loads of colours. I really think you don't need
technical or artistic skills to do it to be honest.
I literally think about the colour I want to create, get a few paints,
it's not specific, literally just playing with colour and I really think a lot of people
can have fun with it and create like really unique backdrops for them. I also
suggest having a play with bedsheets. You can do it in your house
you can do it in your garden, I've done shoots in my kitchen, my lounge
that you know you wouldn't necessarily know having done those spaces. I really
think that set design can be adaptable to
to your needs and your budget. So once I have the
scene in mind I start thinking about props. So
often I will go to charity shops I find that can be really really handy really
really affordable and you can find some really
aesthetic cool stuff. Also stuff around your own home.
The rocking chair was something that i ended up finding on an online
marketplace really really affordably. Literally just down the road for me
which was great. But also in addition to that I wanted to get the
rocking horse if it was kind of within budget and it wasn't something that was
too difficult to get. I was really pleased I could get
both those items, because I think having both means that today I can have a play
around. Because sometimes until you're actually there on the shoot
you don't really know what's going to work best.
So the third thing is actually being able to make your own props.
I thought that it would be quite fun to kind of make my own
doll's house and have that as part of the set. I made this from
wood, two side panels a front panel and then a roof.
I also used a block of wood for the chimney of course. I literally stuck on
some dried moss. I painted most of the house
using a sponge because I kind of wanted that cement texture. Before when I had
the ideas I was like that's gonna be really difficult and then
you know I did it and afterwards, I was like oh I'm so happy with it I couldn't
stop looking at it I was like yes I did it.
I've got a smoke machine like a small one for school discos
and I attached it to the back of the chimney. And then when I want the smoke
in the shot I just press up so I think it's quite
effective. So I'm really really happy with how it looks I definitely recommend
having a play with creating your own props and seeing what's possible.
so now I'm going to start bringing together the set. When I'm putting
together the set the backdrop was maybe a little bit
stronger in colour than I planned originally but I know that in
post-production I'm going to reduce that and play around. I like to arrive before
everyone else so I can really have a play with the set
and also account for when something might go wrong, because that does happen.
So to have that time is really really helpful and it kind of takes the
pressure off you. These are the clothes that I'm going to
have my model in. When I was thinking of the idea of for the shoot,
this dress came into my mind. I actually have this from like a shoot
that I did previously. I always like to kind of
reuse stuff and maybe see it in a different way. So I've got this
dress which I think is quite a scape doll in my mind anyway.
So can i get you to come over here for me? When first planning
for the shoot, I really think about the styling of the model, who the model is
going to be and all those elements. And also where the model's going to
be placed in the shoot. Exactly what you were doing just shuffle
this way a little bit. That's it, you're such a doll. Tthat's it a
little bit. Okay one more time just chin up and like
a face. Perfect um so I tend to prefer to
use a zoom lens. So i'm using the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens. It's
my favourite lens. Prime lenses are super popular and they
are great for many different things but for me how I work I prefer just to work
with a zoom because it just gives me the option of
when you've got a set sometimes you want to zoom in and zoom out sometimes you
want a wider view, sometimes you want to bring stuff in
bring stuff out. So having a lens that can be flexible at the same time
for me, it's just really really handy. Tilt your head towards me a little bit
more but straighter that's it and then that's it like you're surprised that you've
just escaped the doll's house. I do think about the lighting from the
start, because I think it's a massive part of the final picture. For me I like
to use studio lights but also your natural light can be really really
beautiful especially when you bring in like a reflector.
I've done many fun portrait shoots outside playing with
the sunlight. You have to be really conscious of what time of day you're shooting but
you can have really really different results.
There's also stuff like you know using lamps or torches. I did a shoot for a
client, I had all my lights, all my studio lights and I was trying to
create that moonlight falling in from a window, but it just looked rubbish.
And I was like oh no what do I do? And then I literally picked up a torch and
it was just so much more effective. So I really think that you don't have to
worry about once you've done all this amazing set design you haven't got
the means to light it because there's so many different things you can do and it
can be super super flexible. A little bit higher. So as I'm shooting
and as I'm looking at the final images I'm really thinking about
post-production. So I like to have a really you know clear idea of what I
wanted the final images to look like. Having said that it's always good to be
adaptable as that can change. So I like that. Well that's kind of
I kind of think I prefer it, the last shot. I like that shot.
I'm happy. So we've just finished this shoot it
went really really well. It's always really fun when you when you've designed
a set to actually see it when it's brought together and actually see it in
front of the camera. So that was really really fun and I'm really really pleased
how it turned out. I was really happy that I decided to get both the rocking
chair and the rocking horse I think having both options was really really
important because I was able to get shots with both. It actually diversified the
images really well. I'm really pleased that for this idea I
decided to create a set. The setting provides like a context to the story.
It builds up a story that perhaps I wouldn't have had achieved with
like just a plain backdrop. So for me it really helped take the idea
that I had in my mind to the next level and complete the initial vision
So I hope today you can see how accessible set design is, if it's
something you haven't yet tried. The fun thing about being able to create
your own sets is that you don't need access to a big studio for a shoot like
this. You can easily make a set in your living room
or even in your garden. I think that it's important to remember that set design
can be something simple and it can also be something really
really complex. And it's really up to you what you want to do how far you want to
take it. You can start anywhere, you can really make it your own. Try not
to be intimidated because every idea starts somewhere. Have an idea
and give it a go and have confidence in yourself because you never know what
you might create.