PLEASE tell me how he does it!

[Tara]

Can anyone tell me how David Lachappelle achieves his saturated/vivid look!? It's almost exactly what I'm after for some images I'm shooting! I'd like to know how he gets the skin to look so mannequin-like and how he manages to get those amazing colours! What materials do you think he uses!?

http://www.davidlachapelle.com/gallery/index.shtml
http://www.davidlachapelle.com/portraits/index.html

[Not Neve]

Sorry, Tara, can't help ya with this one, but those are some interesting looking pics.

[voodoocat]

Makeup, lighting and airbrushing.

[drlynn]

Makeup, lighting and airbrushing.

And probably a super-saturated portrait film, such as Kodak Portra UC-400.

[emski]

Sorry, I don't know, but those pics are great :) He has a real talent for capturing people's personalities through the portraits and the use of colour is amazing :D

[MDowdey]

when i was watching him take pictures of carmen electra and dave navarro, he had some crazy ass medium format camera that had a big wooden handle on the side and a poloroid back...


and alot of airbrushing and digital enhancement..


md

[ZERO]

http://www.davidlachapelle.com/gallery/David_LaChapelle_Studio_Inc.gif

montage composition... each element lit individually then assembled
and the whole thing equalised and retouched.. the muscleman's torso is
more burnt. the uniformity of the orangey-red worktops definately looks
like KPT equaliser or similar tool...(it's sharp @ 1 pixel radius, softned @
2 and 4 pixel radius, and boosted @ the 64 -128 pixel frequencies, which
gives this fusing-together look).

[ZERO]

http://www.davidlachapelle.com/gallery/David_LaChapelle_Studio_Inc.gif

??i couldnt link it.

(eggs)

[tomholland]

I forgot the name of it...but there is this magic little filter that you can buy that will help you get the exact composition, correct lighting and hours of retouching with a click of a mouse. try searching google.

[Tara]

Oh my sides...my sides! Sarcasm will get you everywhere!

[ksmattfish]

when i was watching him take pictures of carmen electra and dave navarro, he had some crazy ass medium format camera that had a big wooden handle on the side and a poloroid back...
md

That was a Pentax 67 modified with a polaback.

[Cuervo79]

Can you say , airbrushed? I don't like that kind of style, I prefer the more dark Helmut newton style....

[ksmattfish]

Helmut Newton rocks!

[steve817]

Can anyone tell me how David Lachappelle achieves his saturated/vivid look!? It's almost exactly what I'm after for some images I'm shooting! I'd like to know how he gets the skin to look so mannequin-like and how he manages to get those amazing colours! What materials do you think he uses!?


There is contact information on his site. Try asking him, it can't hurt.

[manda]

Id say a huge part of that would be make up.
Skin doesnt glow naturally like that.
Them purty girls have been glossied up!

[tomholland]

He cross processes alot (E6 >> C41 and then corrected for skin) and uses a lot of ring flash. Thats on top of lots of retouching, colour tweaking, photo montage, very expensive sets, the best H&M money can buy, large crews, and of course a creative vision that we all envy.

Why not suggest a particular photo of his that you like and then everyone can suggest what techniques and processes were used.

[MyOwnPath]

We have one of his books and there's a long bio at the end in which he claims he uses no computer stuff and tries to get everything on the camera.

Props, makeup and crystal lighting, along with scale models for much of his work. He also designed the Elton John in Las Vegas concert which looked incredible.

--Trav--