January 05, 2021 9:05pm This is just one photograph from a full set of the alphabet.
This concept was the brainchild of Australia's highly awarded and foremost body-paint artist, Julie Tattam of Skincognito.
Our success was truly a result of collaborative effort!
From concept to delivery, the project was Julie's. She art directed a team of body-paint artists as well as getting behind the brush herself.
About eight models were painted up then lay in poses on white vinyl.
The camera was suspended from a wooden platform using a rope and pulley system, up above. Four studio flashes were set up around the room with umbrellas to give a consistent, soft white light from all directions. The camera was fired using a remote trigger and the camera had an on-board speedlight which lit the ceiling. The studio flashes would then sense the camera's speedlight and simultaneously fire. Finally, a wifi SD card was used in the camera so that the shot was transferred wirelessly to my laptop "on the ground" so we could approve each pose before moving on to the next letter.
After painting from pre-dawn to late morning, the models were nearly ready when I arrived on set. We began with a test shot ... only to learn that my then-current wide angle lens wasn't able to fit the entire stage into frame! Fortunately I already had my eye on a new wide angle lens for some weeks, so it was a quick race off to the camera shop to pick up my new 16mm. By the time I got back, no project time was lost and the team was ready for the shooting.
Many thanks to Julie for the opportunity to work on such a creative effort!
Julie and I have worked on many bodypaint projects together - from private shoots for individuals, to a special project for a client who had just gone through chemo, to trade shows and shots of bodypaint brush techniques to be included in Julie's bodypainting instruction book.
If you are after a bodypaint shoot, get in touch! The possibilities are endless!
