i originally setup and shot something completely different for this shot and hated it so much i went in a complete opposite direction and i am glad i did.
for the lighting i kept it simple with a strobe in a strip bank directly overhead to give an even downward light. since i knew i was going to add the element of a candle burning in the final image i knew i also needed a light source that would mimic that light so i added a speedlight approximately where the candle would be burning. the speedlight was gelled orange and had a dome diffuser to soften the light.
after taking the basic shots of myself with my hands in my lap i knew i would need a shot of my shirt's collar without a shadow, so i put my clothes on my skeleton dummy and removed it's head so that i could get even light in and around my neck and shoulder areas. i then laid flat in a position on the floor looking up and shot my face that would eventually end up in my hands in the final shot. i then shot the candle at various stages of burning for what would become my head and neck area
i began my editing in photoshop and although i liked some of the dripping wax i was able to create, i didn't like the drips on the chair and floor so set my camera back up and shot real wax that i melted and dripped off the edge of the chair. i then went back into photoshop and finished up my editing of the final piece
as always if you have any questions feel free to ask away
...enjoy
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One of my fave songs from the 80's by Modern English. Great image