New Wave Photography Brief: Shot List, Lighting and Locations

Q: What shots should I get for a New Wave photo shoot?

For a New Wave shoot, capture: High-contrast portrait with heavy grain and blown highlights, the face half consumed by shadow; Subject posed against a pasted-bill wall or fly-posted environment, urban authenticity unmediated; Close portrait with strong geometric graphic elements in the background lines, angles, halftone; Action shot at a small venue, camera close to the subject, wide-angle lens, no flash available light only; Flat-lay of zines, 7-inch sleeves, polaroids, and cassette tapes on a darkroom-textured surface.

Q: Where should I shoot New Wave photography?

Good locations for New Wave photography include: Small venue back room or loading dock, Record shop with floor-to-ceiling vinyl, Urban parking structure with brutalist geometry, Subway or underground station.

SET

The setup

Shoot briefHD[new wave      ]00:00:00:00Stop ■
Brief Int(new-wave____.BRF)
✎New Wave
01 LightAvailable light pushed to its limit ISO 3200 on digital or HP5 pushed to 3200 on film; the grain and noise are the aesthetic, not a problem to be solved
02 WardrobeAsymmetric cuts, black and white with one accent color, band badges, geometric accessories; the look is assembled, not bought
03 LocationSmall venue back room or loading dock
04 Palette
SetupNoteFinderShotsLightSave

DIR

Director's note

Print an intermediate proof and photocopy it before the final scan the generation loss adds a layer of texture that is impossible to replicate accurately in Photoshop

All 151 director’s notes, printable: Director’s Briefs, $8 →

Viewfinder

Live

Four controls on the brief's own plate · the meter is real, so you can blow a frame

Standby50mmMeteredf/5.6 · 1/125 · ISO 400

Aperturef/5.6Shutter1/125ISO400White balance5200K

Use your own photo

Running the list sets the camera for every shot in turn. Load your own photo to light and expose a frame you actually shot.

LGT

Light the set

3 lamps

Drag a lamp and watch the frame above change. The brief's own note is the preset

KeyThe light that makes the pictureSoft, farEye level

FillHow far into shadow you can seeMediumEye level

BackRound at the front, where it is just another fillOffEye level

On the brief

Contact sheet

00 / 12

Nothing on the sheet yet. Set the camera, then take a frame.

SEQ

Shot list

00 / 05

Tap a pad to mark the frame shot · saved on this device

High-contrast portrait with heavy grain and blown highlights, the face half consumed by shadowportrait85mm

Subject posed against a pasted-bill wall or fly-posted environment, urban authenticity unmediatedsetup50mm

Close portrait with strong geometric graphic elements in the background lines, angles, halftoneportrait85mm

Action shot at a small venue, camera close to the subject, wide-angle lens, no flash available light onlywide24mm

Flat-lay of zines, 7-inch sleeves, polaroids, and cassette tapes on a darkroom-textured surfacedetail100mm

Rolling

Take it to set: all 151 briefs as one PDF · $8

LOC

Locations

Small venue back room or loading dockRecord shop with floor-to-ceiling vinylUrban parking structure with brutalist geometrySubway or underground station

REF

Explore the aesthetic

Style guide Color palette

DOC

About this brief

How do I photograph the New Wave aesthetic?

Xeroxed manifestos, angular haircuts, and the aesthetics of a band that only played three gigs.

Print an intermediate proof and photocopy it before the final scan the generation loss adds a layer of texture that is impossible to replicate accurately in Photoshop

Director's note

What shots should I get for a New Wave photo shoot?

Leave with every frame on this list.

Shot list

High-contrast portrait with heavy grain and blown highlights, the face half consumed by shadow
Subject posed against a pasted-bill wall or fly-posted environment, urban authenticity unmediated
Close portrait with strong geometric graphic elements in the background lines, angles, halftone
Action shot at a small venue, camera close to the subject, wide-angle lens, no flash available light only
Flat-lay of zines, 7-inch sleeves, polaroids, and cassette tapes on a darkroom-textured surface

What lighting works for New Wave photography?

Available light pushed to its limit ISO 3200 on digital or HP5 pushed to 3200 on film; the grain and noise are the aesthetic, not a problem to be solved

Light

Where should I shoot New Wave photography?

Scout these before anything else.

Locations

Small venue back room or loading dock
Record shop with floor-to-ceiling vinyl
Urban parking structure with brutalist geometry
Subway or underground station

What wardrobe works for New Wave photography?

Asymmetric cuts, black and white with one accent color, band badges, geometric accessories; the look is assembled, not bought

Wardrobe

Omoro Studio · Creative System

Generate shoot references in the New Wave style

Omoro reads your visual references and generates images in your exact aesthetic. Build a mood board before the shoot or create composite references for your client.

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