Painting with light

I manage to book a photo session with a photographer I've used before.  Ben took some business photos of me a couple of years ago, and he also does creative photography.  He's keen to help me with an artistic shot for my cabaret poster.

The show is "Unbreak My Heart" - about my recent adventure with heart surgery.  I suggest that we "photoshop" a heart onto a picture of me.  Ben has another idea, which doesn't involve photoshopping at all.  I will "paint" a heart with light, with long-exposure photography.

I arrive at the studio in the early afternoon.  Krissy is cleaning her makeup brushes in preparation for my session.  She asks me if I like makeup.  I tell her I like makeup a lot.  In fact, I like a lot of makeup.  I think we are going to get along just fine.  She starts with the eyes, applying dark eyeshadow and adding lots of individual false eyelashes.  This takes quite a long time.  Then she fills an airbrush gadget with foundation and sprays my face, and finishes with some extremely red lipstick.  It's very heavy makeup, but I know that this is usually a good thing when having photos taken.  

Hair is next, and Krissy doubles the usual size of mine with lots of back-combing and hairspray.  All good.  I go off and change into my dress and jewellery, then we head into the studio.

My mission is to use a small torch to paint a heart on the left side of my chest.  Ben takes a photo of me, then leaves the shutter open while I play around with the light.  My initial attempts are very poor; the heart is not in the right place and it doesn't even look like a heart.  Ben suggests a different way of drawing the heart, so it will be joined up at the top.  After a few more tries I've learned to do it.  But the image isn't very impressive.  We try a row of hearts.  Better, but not great.  Krissy suggests I draw one heart on my chest and another around my head.  I have a go; I need to learn not to draw the light through my face.  Better again, but the image is still bland.  Ben asks me to project more energy.  I can't work out how to do this while I'm stationary.  Then something tells me to be more expressive.  I'm smiling sweetly, but I've seen other people's cabaret photos, and they often pull exaggerated faces.  I open my mouth and eyes a bit wider.  Yessss!   We've got the poster shot.

Ben invites me to try something else - writing with the light.  He photographs me, then I need to take a step back and use the torch to write something in the air.   I start with my name.  At first I tend to write over where my head is in the shot.  Need to step back a bit more.  The letters don't show up; I need to point the torch towards the camera and write with the other end.  There is stray light in the shot; Krissy covertly brings me the torch after the flash has gone off, so I can start my scribbling.

Finally, I manage to produce a shot of myself holding a microphone, with the word "Bossa" written in the air alongside me.  Not bad at all.  

Ben finishes off with some portrait-style pictures.  We go into the office and preview the photos.  By the time I leave the studio, it's getting dark.  I've been there for four hours.  

I've got the shot for my poster.