Fiona Quinn Photographer

gabrielbosch asked: Hi Fiona, I follow your work for a while now and I love it so much, cause of you I just bought a mola setti. I have a short question, I have bought the opal-glas and now I am not shure to stack it with the PAD or not, is there a big difference with the opal or not, do you have experience with the opal? Thanks a lot and please keep on with that stunning work. greetings, gabriel

Hi,

Yes I find that the Opal makes the light a lot softer/flatter and more even and it also cuts the output back quite a bit. Some people like that as then you don’t have to use the sock but I find that I need to have both options able to be quickly changed -  the light being harder and softer throughout my shoots as the light in NZ is constantly changing. I think if you were shooting a lot of beauty or studio work then it would be handy to have it on and if you are wanting a more natural look then the output from the Opal is quite beautiful. I have used it in my “The Forest” Shoot and some of my beauty shoots.

Anonymous asked: Hi Fiona, love your work. What would you say is the difference between the Mola Demi and the Setti? Which one do you use more?

HI,

Thank you - I use the Demi more on my location work as often it involves a lot of trekking around and its a lot more portable.If I need more output and have someone who can carry it for me then the the Setti is preferable and I do use it more with my studio work if I need to light the model full length. With my beauty it depends on the look I am going for and how much modeling I want on the face. As the Demi is smaller there is more drop off and with the Setti there is a larger coverage of light.

Desert Sun

This is one of my favourite shoots I did for 2012 - it was shot two hours out of Sydney while I was in Australia for a very busy week in October. The shot was for m2 Woman magazine for the high Summer issue.

It was a long hot day we left Sydney at 6am and the temperature crept up to 36 during the day -something I am not used to in October!- All the rocks heated up so it was like being surrounded by a giant furnace.When I was planning the High Summer fashion I wanted to have a dramatic swimwear shoot using shapes and textures that were structured and clean. So the result would be strong and graphic to juxtapose the amazing textures and shapes of the rocks and the rich colours of the sky and location. I am really happy how it has turned out.

The beautiful model is Anna K from Chic - I knew when I saw her at the casting she would be perfect for the shoot I wanted a strong sleek look and her confidence, long legs and high cheekbones were just right.

It was great to work with fellow NZer Richard Kavanagh on this shoot - he worked his hair magic - makeup is by Chisato Arai and styling is by Leigh Dalton both at Debut Management with me. I also had two great assistants on the day Beth Fernley and Jonathan Dear who helped keep things in order. Retouching Monica Chamorro.

xx

Lumiere

This shoot was for the Winter issue of M2 Woman mag. I don’t really shoot fashion in the studio much and wanted to do something interesting with the lighting. I have used three types of lighting - tungsten HMI and flash to create a monochromatic look with both creamy white and soft nude tones coming through.I wanted the feeling to be quite ethereal but strong to work with the texture of the background fabric and the smoke. The model is Anmari Botha from Red11 - she is quite amazing and is doing incredibly well overseas with IMG having had a great show season and is definitely one to watch. Hair by Shontal Healey makeup by Kiekie Stanner and styling by Kiri Donaldson.

Colour theory

Hey to all the people who have messaged me about your colour theory assignment - have a look on my website . 

Anonymous asked: Hi, any plans on visiting Europe, Austria, buying some "sound of music" records and holding a fly-by workshop in Vienna?

Haha yeah I should be in Europe next year but am not sure about running Workshops there - possibly in the future.

Anonymous asked: Hi Fiona, What stands do you use with the mola's. Looks like they would have to be heavy enough to handle multiple types of lights.

HI, The small Demi mola is not heavy I just use a normal 004 stand with that one - the larger mola I use a more solid stand like a Matthews  beefy baby and I always make sure I use sandbags or an assistant to support the stand.

Anonymous asked: Do you post process your pictures or you have a retoucher do to it

HI I process all my own shots for my fashion work. I use Capture One and process my shots as hi res tifs.I don’t supply raw files unless the client specifically asks for them which is usually only on advertising jobs. I prefer to do my own contrast and base colour treatments along with any reshaping as I always shoot with this in mind. I don’t do the skin work though as this requires specialist skills especially with my beauty shots so I leave that to the experts. x

The Girl With The Heart Shaped Lips…..

This is Holly Rose - shes pretty special with the most amazing face I just love her doll like features so perfect for beauty. She has only been modelling for a few months and made her debut at fashion week this year with Red11 in Auckland. At 16 at at 5.11.5 and with the sweetest attitude the future is looking bright.

Makeup Abbie Gardiner, Hair Levi @ Raven, Styling Kiri Donaldson,Retouching Russel @ Shadow Illusionist.

xx

Anonymous asked: do you use only the mola setti dish or do you use any other modifiers?

I use Mola Setti and Demi along with various softboxes and dishes depending on what works best for the look of the shoot