Photographer Sebastian Nagel has around 117,000 followers on Instagram, whom he regularly provides with aesthetic and creative images. He has Halloween with ours Lumen Sticks worked. He told us what is important for successful Halloween photos, how he edits his pictures and what inspires him to do this work.
Motif 1: Flame Gaze
| cover | exposure time | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 |
1/250 |
160 |
When it comes to Halloween, dark locations in the evening or early in the morning are of course advantageous. Whatever comes out very well is fire or smoke. Spooky makeup is great too, but it all depends on what you want to do. Personally, I also think extreme poses and facial expressions are important, so no normal run-of-the-mill posing. It can also be posted in a cramped or totally psycho-like way.
Motif 2: Color accents in the dark
| cover | exposure time | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| 2.8 |
1/100 |
400 |
What applies to the posing also applies to the location
Of course, this can also apply to the location. Most of my Halloween pictures were taken on an abandoned building complex in Kaiserslautern. I deliberately chose the location because it is empty and there was a fire in the building, which of course looks impressive and is extremely suitable for the Halloween theme. The flame picture was taken indoors. I have the left and right for that Lumen Sticks placed, which glowed blue and orange and I added the flames later. I photographed them that same evening in my driveway. For this I bought bio-ethanol at the hardware store, lit it and then placed it in the picture with Photoshop. However, I primarily used the Lumen Sticks to create split colours. So, for example blue-orange or blue-pink. Depending on the mood, I also created complementary or warm-cold contrasts and illuminated the model to get the best possible result.
Motif 3: Corpse Paint Beauty
| cover | exposure time | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5 |
1/100 |
640 |
Lumen sticks for background, model and great contrasts
I always had two sticks tripods (Rollei Compact Traveler Star S2). For my photos, I always placed my face in the middle between the sticks, using the Lumen Stick Bundle. Every now and then I also illuminated the background and in dark lighting situations also the model.l.
I took the photos with my Sony Alpha A7 Mark 1. So with a fairly old camera. Mostly I use a 1.8 lens from Sony (50 mm), whereby the camera is basically in my hand. I actually never shoot on a tripod, at least not when it comes to people photography. If I now photograph landscapes or stars, then of course I do it with a tripod. The biggest goal I have with my photos is that I want to convey to my viewer the mood that I want to achieve myself. And preferably in my very own style. The greatest inspiration for me is actually my own ambition, because I want to constantly and continuously improve myself.
„My art is not just classic photography“
Overall I just love what I do. And I love it even more when I put the viewer in front of me and then see that wow on their face. And I also love connecting with my followers and getting their feedback too.n.
Motif 4: General Ghost
| cover | exposure time | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| 2.8 |
1/100 |
500 |
I would say that my art is not only classic photography, but also digital image processing. For this I use Photoshop CC and for viewing I use Bridge or Lightroom. I always do some presets in Lightroom to see how the image looks. But I mainly use Photoshop. Later work steps for the Halloween pictures were above all professional skin retouching. I usually do that with a mix of frequency separation and local dodge and burn, then of course I set contouring and light accents, which I do with global dodge and burn. And then I put my personal look on the picture. These are Lightroom or Photoshop presets. For the flames, I added the Multiply Negative mode.t.
You don't need the latest or most expensive camera to take great pictures
What's also important to me about my pictures is that I want to show the viewer that you don't need the latest or most expensive camera for great pictures and end results. This is also possible with cheap cameras. My Sony, for example, is now available for 750 euros and it is a full-frame camera. While the autofocus isn't the fastest, it's not wild. It depends more on your own style and technique.
Motif 5: Reaching out
| cover | exposure time | ISO |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5 |
1/250 |
200 |
Note: Please note that the Lumen Stick RGB shown in the photos is the previous version without an integrated and non-removable handle. The technical specifications of the new model with integrated handle are identical. You can use the new Lumen Stick RGB for a shoot in the same way as described and shown here.