Urbex in Belgium with Sheena Williams ~ NSFW

01. The shoot got off to a bumpy start when one of the team was challenged at gunpoint by an elite team of anti terror police but after that mix up we kept our heads down and gained access to our first chateau. I lit this frame with a Lupo LED 1000 with a Scattergel. The Lupos run on batteries or mains so they really can go anywhere. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/1.4, 1/125th second, ISO 800.

02. Chateau one has quite a lot of opportunity for photographs within the main reception areas. Lighting: Lupo 1000 with Scattergel. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f/4 at 1/30th second and ISO 400

03. ‘Art Nude’ Sheena is again lit with the Lupo and Scattergel. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 16mm, f/1.4, 1/30th at ISO 400

04. Chateau two has an interesting interior. It is in a really bad state of disrepair and that adds some crumbly magic to the pictures. I used the Elinchrom ELB with a Lastolite Ezybox and grid to light Sheena. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 14mm, f/4.5, 1/60th second at ISO 500

05. The same scene lit using the ambient light on a bright April afternoon. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/1.4, 1/60th second with ISO 500

06. I changed the shooting angle and posed Sheena in a slightly surreal fashion to mimic the look of a 1970s album cover. I employed the wonderful calmness that comes from pushing the ambient exposure to reduce the contrast and trickling in the flash to taste. Elinchrom ELB, Fujifilm X-Pro2, 14mm, f/4.5, 1/60th second ISO 1000

07. We kicked off day two at an abandoned sanitarium. I love shots like this that deliver an eerie narrative. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 16mm, f/2, 1/125th second with ISO 400

08. I lit this frame with the Lupo from just out of shot on the left. You can see the shadows from the Lupo on the wall on the right of frame. The Lupo 650, 1000 and 2000 are all dimmable so controlling the light is really easy. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 16mm, f/9 at 1/125th second

09. I love it when I come across a bit of creative artwork. Sheena must think I’m a bit nuts but we had some fun here. Natural light. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 16mm, f/1.4, 1/125th second at ISO 400

10. Next up was the Lime factory. This frame is lit entirely with the Elinchrom ELB and the shot below taken from the same position is lit using just available light. Fujifilm X-Pro1, 35mm, f/16, 1/250th with ISO 200

11. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 56mm, f/1.2 at 1/250th second

12. The top picture this time is lit with natural light and the bottom one with the Elinchrom ELB with a gridded soft box. Top: 90mm, f/2, 1/250th at ISO 2000.  Bottom: 23mm, f/4, 1/250th second with ISO 200

13. I used the Elinchrom ELB to blast light in from beyond Sheena at an abandoned railway station. I like lighting from beyond or an up stage position as in shots 01, 03 and 07  above and 14, 15 and 16 below. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/250th second and ISO 200.

14. The railway station is in the middle of nowhere and has 4 very long platforms, waiting rooms, ticket halls and abandoned offices. I would have loved to spend more time there shooting but we had other venues to see.

15. Before we left the fabulous tour hotel on day 3 we did a mini 10 minute bedroom shoot as the light was fantastic.

16. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/125th second with ISO 200

17. There are all sorts of abandoned places in Belgium including chapels. I lit the bottom frame with the Lupo and Scattergel combination. I couldn’t get the light far enough to the left because we ran out of choir loft so this is a bit of a compromise.

18. We ended our mini adventure in a coal mine. We got underground and managed to stay out of troubleThe top shot is strangely alluring while the bottom shot reminded me of the opening titles for a James bond movie. I saw this ventilation shaft when we were in the mine tunnels and I directed Sheena into the best spot for  composition. Top: 23mm, f/4, 1/125th second with ISO 200. Bottom: 35mm, f/1.8, 1/80th second with ISO 640

19. There’s something exciting about underground railways. We had just one hour in the mine before we left for the airport but that was long enough to get a few shots that captured the spirit. Pushing these wagons around was a noisy process so we had to be careful. Available light. Fujifilm X-Pro2, 16mm, f/1.4, 1/125th second, ISO 1250. I should have had my monopod down there but we had loads of other kit with us too and sometimes in these places you have to move fast.

20. The shot on the left was lit with the Elinchrom ELB using output B on minimum power. The one on the right was available light from the tunnel fluorescent tubes.

21. With more time and a second lighting stand I could have created something magical here. It’s nice to leave something more to capture on a return visit.