Stage lighting in the living room!

Had a fun photo shoot last week with Janet Rayor - an effect of Janet stepping out onto a stage. Here's the final image:

Our final image of Janet as she appears to step out onstage

Our setup was a tiny corner of a living room:

Our setup for the stage effect, a small corner of a living room

I got the inspiration for this shot from a Adorama video by Gavin Hoey ("Bring the Circus to your Studio"). We set up first a black backdrop to cover the window and to give the impression of a cavernous audience (or backstage, depending which way your eye interprets the image).

Janet had some shimmering curtains which we hung on a separate rod about 3 feet in front of the black background. A smoke machine in the middle (Chauvet Hurricane 700) to pump out some quick-dissipating smoke, and a blue gelled flash directly behind Janet to add a bit of theatrical atmosphere. Janet's eye-catching red dress, choker necklace and stage presence made the final image a success!