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Still Photography on a Porn Set
2002-11-12 08:17:14

Steve writes:

All video sets I ever worked for shot stills. But the way they do it differs a lot.

- Some productions stop for every position to shoot stills and continue than with video.

- Some production re-stage the positions before the cumshot.

- Some shoot all the stills (without cumshot) and than start video.

- One producer I worked with, shoot a complete photo-session, including cumshot, and than shoot the same as video after a lunch break.

Also technically you find all variations. Most photographers use Nikon or Cannon cameras. Digital photography becomes more and more popular. Most use flash, some even studio flashes. Very few work with medium format without flash. The last is most difficult but brings the best results for plotted movies. See the pictures from PRIVATE GLADIATOR as an example.

There are three ways to see the flying cum on stills:

- To shoot a separate photo session
- Use captures from the video material. This works quite fine for the little pictures on the back of the covers.
- fake it in post production

Most productions have an extra person for stills. In smaller productions the video guy also takes the stills. Usually they shoot a roll of 36 pictures "pretty girl" and than two to five rolls of "action".

Jim Gunn writes: I generally take a roll or so (36 shots) of 'pretty girl' stills of each girl or pair of girls before each scene. And then a few rolls of pics of the action occuring during the scene mostly by re-staging what was happening on video between the talent during each pause for a position change. That adds several interruptions for stills during an hour or so long scene, but since I film so many inexperienced and new models I normally would interrupt a scene to give some direction or perhaps to adjust the lights or something least a few times anyway in the space of 60 minutes. In the past I've also had some photographers on my sets take stills simultaneously while we are recording video, but it's a little tricky to get great stills depending on the lighting situation while being limited to stand in certain places, without using a flash and while the subjects' bodies are in motion. For most jobs I let the photographer I hire use his gear, otherwise if I'm on my own I use my gear- currently a Canon Elan IIe body and Canon lenses with a Quantum Turbo battery powering the on-camera Canon Speedlight flash. The cammera gear is not bigger than the digital video camera I often use- a Canon XL-1- and certainly not bigger than the Beta SP camera or JVC digital cameras that I sometimes use.

I like to use 35mm slide film like Fuji Sensia 100. Lately I have had a little call and also my own reasons to take digital stills on the set. Sometimes I will have the photographers assistant or someone else someone take purely digital still pics on the set in adition to the 35mm slide film. Maybe someday I'll go all digital, but right now both is better and more versatile for my purposes. Generally, one only needs to get within a few feet of the subjects to take pictures with a decent zoom lens. As you suspect, it is indeed difficult to capture a cum shot in mid-air so the photographer has to be right on it when that is going on. Usually he has a cue from the director or talent that the money shot is imminent for that reason. If you miss it somehow, then at least you can take pics of the aftermath as it drips down her chin.

Mike South writes: Im gonna give ya the shoet answrers to a lot of long questions

--- Yes we still use still photogs

--- Threy shoot stills during breaks in the video filming

--- You dont see cum flying because they arent allowed to shoot while the video camera is running on most sets

--- yes they use manual mode...good ones do anyway

--- fuji provia and kodac Ektachrome are the films of choise

--- Nikons and flashes are the 35s of choice

--- boxcovers are shot sometimes on medium format

--- yes all cameras are intrusive

--- yes it causes male talent that have no biz in porn anyway not to be able to get wood...can you say viagra.