Playboy Lighting - For the photographers here...

SaltwaterServr

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Given that there are some photographers here, I'd thought it worth sharing.

I'm fairly good acquaintances with a internationally famous glamor photographer here in San Antonio, and we've talked about how Playboy does their lighting. He'd been on a few of their shoots with a model he discovered who was in a few pictorials, a centerfold, and had her own video as well. He mentioned once that he saw that at minimum they used about 10 strobes, and as many as 60.

Well, I found a thread on a photography website that shows the actual set up for a sailboat shot they did a few years ago...

1139215177_jZyE6-O.jpg


If you'll notice, those letters go up to "V" I believe. 21 lights.

As I read, one of their former photographers mentioned that they shoot all medium format, which isn't really surprising at all. What I failed to think about, was what kind of light they need for that, for the proper depth of field.

He said they ALWAYS shot at f32 or f64 to get the proper DOF, using mostly Broncolor equipment. FWIW, Tony Mandarich was chatting in that thread as well. The guy may have been an NFL bust, but he's a damn fine glamor, boudoir, and fitness photographer.

f32-f64???? That's some serious lighting, all across the board. You're looking at the 3200 watt/second heads, and they don't give those away, not to mention the power packs run about $10K for their 3200 w/s set ups.

I have a link to another shot set up that I cannot post that shows the big Broncolor parabolic umbrella. This one:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._33_486_00_Para_330FB_Reflector_Umbrella.html

I had heard through the grapevine that it isn't uncommon for a Playboy centerfold shoot to have a quarter million dollars of equipment lighting it, but this is the first time I got a good look inside of one of their "smaller" sets.

Oh, and Pam with Butter non-stick cooking spray is widely used to give the skin the right reflectivity to it.
 

Longboysfan

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Like you said some serious lights and some serious dollars in the equipment.
 

SaltwaterServr

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hipfake08;3937794 said:
Like you said some serious lights and some serious dollars in the equipment.

Fo' sho'. I wish I could include some of the studio set-ups here, but the images are well beyond acceptable forum guidelines.

It's almost intimidating to see what they use, and to realize how far advanced it is beyond what I have in my current wish list of equipment.

All I really want for Xmas are 3 Hensel Pro Integra 500 w/s, 1 1000 w/s, and 1 250 w/s. And all of the soft boxes, beauty dishes, snoots, grids, barn doors, gels, gobos, c-stands, and kitchen sinks I can fit in the cab of my truck.
 

SweCowboy

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Here's something for you to slobber over...

[youtube]c4oVa1c67Bs[/youtube]

Never been into studio photography. I mostly do macro and landscape stuff. On my personal wishlist is the Sigma 150/2.8 OS Macro which is finally coming for Pentax soon.
 

SaltwaterServr

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SweCowboy;3939463 said:
Here's something for you to slobber over...

[youtube]c4oVa1c67Bs[/youtube]

Never been into studio photography. I mostly do macro and landscape stuff. On my personal wishlist is the Sigma 150/2.8 OS Macro which is finally coming for Pentax soon.

Seen that video awhile back on TPF.com. That cat does some of the best stock photography in the world.

To be perfectly candid, except for the number of heads/power packs he has, that's what I'd consider my eventual basic inventory for light modifiers. Only need half the number of beauty dishes, but add on a 7' octabank.
 
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