Check back with ISO in the coming weeks to read our in-depth interview with the artist behind these viral splash photographs: Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz of AurumLight Studio. In it we talk technique, challenges, the Splash Tour 2015 and so much more!
A superhero isn’t much of a superhero without a proper costume; whatever your stance on the controversial subject of capes, that much remains true. But the ‘splash heroes’ in talented commercial photographer and 500px user Jaroslav Wieczorkiewicz‘s latest series are wearing costumes the likes of which you’ve never seen before.
They’re not wearing latex, they’re not wearing kevlar, they’re not even wearing armor. Nope, these costumes are made of colored milk… and nothing else.
Which makes the resulting portraits of these superheroes both awesome, and a bit Not Safe for Work. Consider yourself warned (and probably intrigued).
If you’re wondering how photos like this are even done, you’re in luck. Jaroslav is very open about the entire process and has even created behind the scenes videos that SHOW the shoot in action.
The basic premise is simple: your model, who is striking an appropriately ‘super’ post, stands perfectly still while you splash them over and over again with freezing cold milk (the temperature is important) in a variety of colors.
The setup looks something like this:
And by the end of it all, your model looks something like this:
All of those splashes are then combined in post to create the final images you see here and on Jaroslav’s 500px profile. Keep in mind, all of these splashes happened AS THEY ARE SHOWN. He doesn’t manipulate the splashes in post, only combines different exposures together to create the final “costume.”
Still confused? No worries. Here are two behind the scenes videos that show how the splash heroes images are captured in-studio. The first video shows the lighting setup, the second the whole process:
Finally, after hundreds of splashes and a whole lot of freezing cold colored milk, you get the final series, which is also available to purchase as a calendar or as individual poster prints:
To see more of Jaroslav’s work, be sure to follow him on 500px, visit his website, check him out on Twitter and Facebook, or read more about these projects on his blog.
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