Perfect Platforms

Perfect Platforms

Metal Matters

A cold slab of metal may not seem like the obvious choice for a boudoir studio prop. But it really does work brilliantly for arty nudes and is very popular with my clients – although they are never prepared for how cold it is when they first lie down on it! ?
Video:- Posing Platform Introduction

More Width Please

Researching poses, lighting and studio ideas I had come across some images that I wanted to draw inspiration from – not copy, but use the concept and adapt the idea for my own space and improve on the end result.  The images in question had a model posed on an almost mirror-like surface which appeared to be almost floating in a blacked out space.  There were several challenges facing me with this concept the first of which was the size of my studio.  With just under twelve feet of width in my studio creating a complete blackout set whilst still creatively lighting a subject is tricky enough.  Even with black walls and floors light still bounces around and renders them dark grey at best.  Add to the mix that I was probably going to be posing my subjects full length across the studio with limbs stretched out which would probably mean even the average five foot five client was going to be eating up around seven feet of my precious width.  It looked like I was going to be needing an infinity curve that wrapped around three walls.  On top of that could I really find a suitable, moveable shiny platform that I could use to pose my clients on to achieve my vision?  How big would it need to be? What would it be made of? How would I store it? Cost?  Oh yeah, what would it look like?  All of these questions sowed huge seeds of doubt in my mind as to whether it would be possible to create something worthwhile in my cosy studio space.

To Infinity and Beyond

Two seconds with the burn tool in Photoshop on the walls and floor is all that’s needed to turn almost black into total black!

Well the infinity curve wasn’t going to happen.  Any form of permanent infinity curve would mean sacrificing all of my other studio sets.  I already knew that by backlighting my subjects, when they were positioned in front of a black background I could lose the background completely. And with them on a black floor I could also replicate the “infinity curve” look. Just by moving the lights and subject even just a little bit away from the black background – to avoid lighting the floor and wall intersection –  the join simply disappears.  I knew it would be nigh on impossible to do the same with the side walls of the studio after all you can’t backlight something from the side…that would be errr…side lighting.  I resigned myself to the fact that not everything is achievable in camera and I’d simply have to do my best and then it would be Photoshop to the rescue!

So what of the mirror-like floor that I had envisioned?  Like most things in my studio it would have to be moveable and storable so it didn’t impact on my existing studio sets.  So that meant it would have to be fairly light and probably able to be stored upright flat against a wall behind my blackout panels.  An idea began to formulate…


The rest of this post contains a video about how I made and use my brushed steel posing platform. It is available to members only – not a member? Join here.

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