Green Screen Photo
- How To Shoot 'Fantasy Photos'
Easily With A Green Screen...
Here’s the thing… Green Screen Photography is gaining additional popularity, particularly among small photography studios that are looking to bring a little new originality to their business.
It’s nice to take advantage of tools that the larger photography studios don't bother with. What where talking about here is Green Screen, also known as chroma keying. This is usually the perfect edge a small studio can utilize to completely obliterate the competition.
Here’s part of the secret...
Go one step further and specialize in the fantasy photography niche by making use of green screen photo strategies.
Adding this easy to learn skill can truly separate you from the many other photography businesses.
You see, when starting out there is the fantasy niche known as "sword and sorcery". A number of other examples include "Dungeons and Dragons" and the "Lord Of The Rings". Understand that to take these kinds of pictures you’ll need to shoot your customer in full costume in front of the green screen.
Have them hold the weapon of their choice, like a sword, bow and arrow, or wand and then use digital backdrops such as nature scenes, an old architecture castles or anything gothic that may go with such a photo.
Here’s a quick tip…
If the customer desires that soft mystical look, use a piece of nylon and attach it to your camera lens using a rubber band to hold it in place. You now have Instant softness and mystery added to your photo.
Now there is another popular fantasy niche which is science fiction.
The audience for such a niche would be the enormous following of "Star Trek", "Star Wars", "Dr. Who" and things like "Babylon Five". The thing is with the people who are fans of these movies is that they love to putt on a costume whenever they have an excuse too…
And guess what?
They love having their picture taken while in costume.
Now I’ve got some good news for you along with some wonderful ideas for some magnificent pictures…
For the space travel fans (like Star Trek) think about creating the observation deck of their star ship enterprise (a large window looking out onto a new world). For Ten-Forward cantina (shoot a modern bar for the background). For steam punk, choose interiors of old Victorian homes and there you have your scenes.
Now here’s a special niche that is deserving of its own category, that of fairy tales. This category optimises pictures of fairy folk and other tender creatures.
What you should use here are mystical landscapes that give a sense of mystery with a snippet of naughtiness.
Just for the record...
Don't ever think that fairy tales are just for small children, or cos-players. The other large group of people who absolutely love these types of photos are female high school seniors.
Think about shooting their portrait while they are in their prom dress, and then put them in this mystical land of fairy tales. This is the kind of picture that will make sure they remember the moment as a magic and joyful time.
Lastly, the final niche which can include (yet also stands alone) is that known as Anime and video game cos-play.
To take these kinds of photos, look into Asian inspired locations (including exterior and interior) together with rundown locations like an old warehouse or the remnants of an ancient society.
Now listen closely because... the thing to remember when you’re taking photos of a fantasy script is that no matter how strange or outlandish the outfit is, and regardless of where these characters are supposed to be, always remember that if you can make the picture look believable to the customer, you will have repeat business for many years.
For many more complimentary ideas that you can use to build your photography business using green screen photo - Grab your FREE GUIDE below:


Mark Briody
Green Screen Help Guide
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