My new studio

This is my new studio in La Paz Bolivia, I got all my things from NY with no problems at all, -- there was one mouse in one of the boxes that came who know from where -- The good news is that this country has 220v but some old houses like this one kept a dual system of 110v and 220v, so I asked an electrician to change the old wires, install a ground rod, and put a separate breaker for the studio. It is not huge, 7 meters by 3 meters and a bit more than two meters high, but it is conformable, sunny and, at home so I can check on my 7-year-old Tito.

In the foreground you can see the light back that I made from scratch and that I want to talk about latter, it is 2 meters high --but a bit more if you measure from the tips-- and uses the Elinchrom design principle of having the flash head pointing to the center of what is a giant umbrella with no reflector on. I measured the output with my spot flash meter and it was remarkably even.

Tomorrow Friday I will have my first sitting and will probably post some images from it...

leonardobarreto.com said:

This is my new studio in La Paz Bolivia,
...
Tomorrow Friday I will have my first sitting and will probably post some images from it...

Click to expand...

Go Leonardo, go!

Given your 'change of location', I have respect of your level of organisation, given the time to get organized with the relocation of you, and your wife, and all.

Bart

How did you make the 'bones' of the structure? Where did you buy the silver fabric to line the interior?

All the best in this new studio/location, Leonardo.

Best regards,
Thierry

The difusser material I got at CALUMET but I had to get tree and send it to stitch, the reflecting material I got in a sports store. It is an emergency blanket. The bones are carbon rods that I found on Home Depot and are flexible light and strong. The center ring I asked a mechanic to make and is heavy duty. The stand head holds the center ring not the strobe, then inside there is a place to put the head.

At first I was not sure about the depth since the rods are flexible but not that much the bank is les deep than other I have seen, but because of the way the strob is positioned, the distribution of light works well and doesn't even need an inside difuser...

Leonardo,

Very nice studio. Congratulations! It looks like a very busy and creative space.

I think we should have a section dedicated to photographs of our studios. I've already posted some of mines, now Leonardo, then others. It's interesting to see the behind the scene aspects of what we do. Not only what we do or how we do it but where we do it.

Thank you Alain, I am so happy to have a place to work. My idea is to concentrate in doing stock images every day, I have the Digital Back, so don't even have to go out to buy/develop film (probably no body does that any more, but just wanted to say it)
This is what I did just testing some filters ...


PS I will elaborate on the light box later-

This is a 100% detail

leonardobarreto.com said:

I am so happy to have a place to work. My idea is to concentrate in doing stock images every day, I have the Digital Back, so don't even have to go out to buy/develop film (probably no body does that any more, but just wanted to say it)
This is what I did just testing some filters ...

Click to expand...

Tell us about the filters? On the lens or in post processing?

Anyway, the image is gorgeous! Your dad would be proud! I'm thrilled to see you settling down to work so fast after such a huge move. I wonder if you have acclimatized yourself to the height already?

Asher

I have a set of filters that I place on the flash heads, the seamles canvas is of a light grey color, so it reflects the color of incident light...

Thank you for reminding me of my father, I miss him...

Everything is good so far exept that we belived that I could get a work permit here in Bolivia, but discovered that this is not the case, so as plan B) I want to contribute to ALAMY, something I wanted to do from before. I have yet to apply. For that I will have to send 3 perfec images of more than 40 megas or something -- the instructions on how to apply and contribute are very clear in their web site--.

The good thing of this is that they pay me in at my bank in NY, and I could do this from anywhere in the world I could be sent to...

The other good thing is that I could do whatever I want, I would be my own boss and the more creativity the more profit --at least I hope so--.

Take care Asher...

leonardobarreto.com said:

I have a set of filters that I place on the flash heads, the seamles canvas is of a light grey color, so it reflects the color of incident light...

Click to expand...

People note: get a grey card (WhiBal™, the best, perhaps) before the gels are added!! Otherwise, the magic will be lost!

leonardobarreto.com said:

Thank you for reminding me of my father, I miss him...

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Leonardo,

We are fortunate to have excellent role models for our art. This is a personal relationship that endures. I often re-run movies in my mind of working with my late father-in-law in his studio and in the darkroom and also spending time in camera stores in New York, testing expensive lenses by the busy street door, LOL! They generally put two salesmen and a security guard nearby as I guess we looked suspicious. Sometimes when I'm working on a picture, something he said or did would come back to me. I often say to my wife, now what would your Dad think of this?

So our memories of love and artistry can be rewarding and "stand-ins" for a muse. I always want to know what he would have thought and imagine the arguments he'd give me still for using digital. Good people don't die when we remember them!

leonardobarreto.com said:

Everything is good so far exept that we belived that I could get a work permit here in Bolivia, but discovered that this is not the case, so as plan B) I want to contribute to ALAMY, something I wanted to do from before. I have yet to apply. For that I will have to send 3 perfec images of more than 40 megas or something -- the instructions on how to apply and contribute are very clear in their web site--.

Click to expand...

That's so ambitious and exciting! I don't know how hard it is to get in but for sure it must be highly competitive. I hope you will start a diary on this and once you are selected we could bring this to life!

Asher

I agree, we are reincarnations of our father-mother and transmit all to our children ...

look, just finished with my first sitting and got some keepers...

He is Guillermo Gamboa Huaylluku, born in 1927, 16 years dancer of MORENADA...