I was contacted to provide a photo shoot for Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 Kimberley Leggett for the run up to the Miss Universe 2012 finals in Vegas in December. Part of the experience for each contestant are the photo shoots in evening gowns and swimsuits so we simulated this experience to help Kimberley for her build up. Most Miss Universe contestants are not professional models (but many go on to become one) so these types of shoots are valuable. I found Kimberley to be excellent to work with through out the shoot and has nailed her poses well. After the hair and makeup was completed it was then on into the shoot which was for another 3 or so hours with a total of over 700 photos being taken. I can only post up a few of the images here as it is for internal use only, but I would say we had a very successful shoot.
Behind the scenes photos kindly provided by Selvam of Creative Imaging Works whose studio we rented for the shoot. Special thanks to Andrea Fonseka for providing the team and artistic direction.
We wish Kimberley all the best for the finals.
Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 Kimberley Leggett checking her poise
Fun on the set
Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 Kimberley Leggett with the team including Andrea Fonseka, Swimsuit designer Steph Tay, Photographer Grant Corban and the support team.
Great lighting setup! Do I count a total of 5 flashes?
Intention was to use 7 but due to the final requirements of the client (and running out of pocket wizard multi-max units!!!) I settled on 5 lights in the end. Originally I wanted a beauty dish as the main light (replaced with gridded soft box [LIGHT 1] once I got to the studio) with a smaller fill soft box to the right of camera which I abandoned as it did not add much. There was a light on each side of the model [LIGHTS 2+3] to catch her cheek bones, one light on the back drop [LIGHT 4] (a second back drop light was also abandoned due to reflections catching from a HUGE mirror I did not trust us moving without breaking) and finally an SB800 overhead [LIGHT 5] as a hair light and spilling onto the back drop.
It was more complex than it needed to be, as I was hoping to zone the lights and switch different ones on and off, but the requirements were for practice, not portfolio, which made the shoot a very relaxed.
Good catch in counting them accurately!