portraiture unplugged: natural light photography
TRANSCRIPT
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThankstomywife,Theresa,forthetitleideaforthisbook.Also,thankstoherandmywonderfulchildrenWyattandValerieforgivinguptimewithmesoIcouldworkonthisproject.Iloveyouallmorethanyouknow.
IdidnotgettowhereIamtodaywithouthelp.Therearemanyfinephotographicartistswhohelpedgroomme.Iespeciallywanttoacknowledgeafew:ScottDupras,DartonDrake,MilleTotushek,DonnaSwiecichowski,TeriShevy,DanStoller,FuzzyDuenkel,RandyPeterson,andJonAllyn.AspecialthankstomytwophotobuddiesDanFrievaltandMichaelMowbrayforkeepingmecompanyandsaneviaFacebookwhileworkingonthisproject.Weallseethingsverydifferently,butintheend,goodportraitureisgoodportraiture.
SPONSORSThankstomysponsors:WhiteHouseCustomColor(WHCC,www.whcc.com),KodakAlaris(www.kodak.com),SweetlightSystems(www.sweetlightsystems.com),andG.W.Moulding(www.gwmoulding.com).Withoutthesefolks,livephotographiceducationcouldn’texist.
Copyright©2015byCarlCaylor.
Allrightsreserved.
Allphotographsbytheauthorunlessotherwisenoted.
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NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.Theauthorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.
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CONTENTSAbouttheAuthor
Preface
SECTION1.
THEBASICSANDBEYOND
TheNaturalLightCameraRoom
Strobe/NaturalLightCorrelation
JUMPPAGE:WhatIstheInverseSquareLaw?
ToolsoftheTrade
UnderstandingExposure,ManualStyle
WhiteBalance
ReflectorPlacement
PortraitLightPatterns
TheRhythmofLight
OutdoorSubjectPlacement
SECTION2.
UNPLUGGED:NATURALLIGHTINPRACTICE
1.TooTuff
2.TheTilePainter
3.DowntheRoad
4.Camouflage
5.StairMaster
6.YellowandBlue
7.SkaterBoy
8.AlleyGirl
9.GiveMeThreeSteps
10.RiverWatch
11.GoingDown
12.PlayingPool
13.WindowSeat
14.WinterWoods
15.FlowerGirl
16.TheseBootsWereMadefor
17.SweetLightontheBeach,Part1
18.SweetLightontheBeach,Part2
19.GlamourGirl
20.Red
21.AllAboard
22.Let’sJam
23.DoveGirl
24.TrainDoor
25.ThoughtsandDreams
26.Dreadlocks
27.“CocaineLighting”
28.ALittleHelpfromHerFriends
29.BlackRocks
30.TrainStepGirl
31.PianoLighting
32.MountaineerFootballPlayer
33.YellowFlowers
34.FootballClose-Up
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35.BluePallets
36.BehindBlackRocks
37.Prom’sOver
38.SweetLightFamilyPortrait
39.Cheerleader
40.PointerSisters
41.DiagonalDoorTrim
42.TrainHang
43.GrassyBeach
44.SkaterBoySky
45.LakeSwimmer
46.BlackOre
47.WatercolorGirls
48.WeddingRapids
49.TheBrownLounge
50.JackandJill
51.PapaBear
52.TrainWheel
53.OntheRocks
54.LakeAntoineatSundown
55.PurpleDitch
56.FoundontheDoorstep
57.PeopleWatching
58.OpenDoor
59.PiecesofMe
60.GettingFancy
Conclusion
Index
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ABOUTTHEAUTHORCarlisaKodakAlarismentorandhasbeeninvolvedwithphotographyforovertwenty-fiveyears.Hestartedhisphotographiccareerinthedarkroomasacustomprinterandtechnician.HeisPPACertified,aMasterPhotographer,aCraftsmanwithProfessionalPhotographersofAmerica,andaninternationalphotographicjudge.Hehaswonnumerousnationalawardsforhisphotography,includingtwenty-fourPPALoanCollectionimagesandseveralKodakGalleryandFujiMasterpieceAwards.HehasbeentheWisconsinStatePhotographeroftheYearthreetimesandhasreceivedamultitudeofstateawards.In2014,theWisconsinProfessionalPhotographersawardedCarltheprestigiousNationalAwardforhiscontributionstothefieldofphotography.Youcanseemoreofhisworkonhiswebsite:www.photoimagesbycarl.net.
Asmuchashelovescreatingportraits,healsohasapassionforhelpingothersbecomebetterportraitartists.Carlisoneofthemostsought-afterinstructorsinthecountryandabroadduetohishands-oncoachingapproach.Don’tplanonjustwatchinginhisclass!Carlwillchallengeyoutobecomeabetterphotographerthanyoualreadyare.Hisphotographicskillsarejustpartofwhatwillhelpeachstudent.Hisgreateststrengthishisabilitytoseewhatskillsothersalreadypossessandthenfindwaystohelpenhancethoseskillssothatphotographerscantaketheirworktoanewlevel.
TPREFACE
hisisabookofinformation,notfluff.Whenyoureadthroughthepagesandstudytheimages,youwilllearntofindandusenaturallightforyourportraitneeds.
Embracetheideas.Theyhaveworkedformanyyearsandwillcontinuetoworkthroughtheendoftime,asnaturallightportraiturehasbeenaroundsincethebeginningofphotography.
Ourindustryhaschangedrapidlyasoflate.Withallthenewlightingequipmentonthemarket,whyusenaturallight?Thereareseveralreasons:(1)Biology.Theeyesofthesubjectaremorecolorfulandpowerful.(2)Education.Thelightisconstantandcanbeseenbeforetheimageiscaptured.(3)Cost.Naturallightisfree.Howaboutthat?(4)Subjectpsychology.Thesubjectdoesn’thavedisturbingflashesgoingoffeverytimeanimageiscreated.(5)Viewerpsychology.Thescenetheviewerseesinanimageisnatural.I’llelaborate.
First,let’slookatthebiology.Oureyesarelikealensonacamera.Thepupilwillexpandandcontracttoletinacomfortablevolumeoflightinagivenarea.Inmostcases,weworkinopenshade,whichoffersamplelightforthehumaneye.Thepupilwillcontracttoasmallapertureandmoreoftheiriswillbevisible.Theiris,ofcourse,isthecolorfulpartofoureyes.Morecolormeansmorepower.Inadarkarea,suchasadimlylitstudio,thepupilbecomeslargeandcoverstheiris.Ifastrobeilluminatesthesubjectatthistime,theeyeiscapturedwithalargepupilandalackofcolorandpower.
Weseecatchlightsintheeyesofoursubjectswhenviewinganimage.Ifthelightsourcewashandledinappropriatelyorthereareseveralcatchlightsfromdifferentsources,itwillbebothersometotheviewer.Foryoustudiostrobefolks—ifyouneedtoworkwithstrobesandstillwantpowerintheeyes,turnontheoverheadlightsandgetastrongermodelinglampinyourstrobes.Thebottomlineisthattheconstantlightneedstobebrightenoughforthepupiltocontract.It’sBiology101.
“Oureyesarelikealensonacamera.Thepupilwillexpandandcontracttoletinacomfortablevolumeoflightinagivenarea.”
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Thisisaclose-upofaneyeinanaturallightarea.Noticeallthebeautifulcolorintheiris.
Whatabouteducation?Whenlearningtheartofplacinglightonasubject,Ifeelitiseasierwithnaturallight.Thelightpatternsusedtosculptahumanfacecanbeseentheentiretimebeforeandduringanexposure.Thereshouldbenosurprises.Onceyouseetheshape,form,andtextureofyoursubject,justrecordit.We’llgetbacktothistopiclater.
Naturallightiscost-effective;it’sfree.Nobatteries,nowireconnectionsthatfail,nocords,notriggeringdevices,transmitters,receivers…yougetthepoint.Therearetimeswhenweusereflectorsorpanelstohelpmodifythelight,butagain,therearenobatteriesrequired.
Let’stalkaboutsubjectpsychology.WhenIfirstbegancreatingimages,Icoveredsportingeventsandyearbookassignments.Ididn’thaveastrobeatthetime,soIhadnochoicebuttorecordwithnaturallight.Inoticedquicklythatmyimagescapturedamoretruerepresentationofthesubjectcomparedtothosemadeusingstrobe.Inoticedthatmost
peopleacteddifferentlywhentheyknewanimagewasbeingtaken.Withstrobe,afteronepop,yoursubjectisawareofthecamera.Naturallightislessintimidating.Evenwhenpeoplearesittingforaportrait,itishumannaturetoblinkwhenaflashgoesoff.Infact,manysubjectsanticipatetheflashandblinkbeforeithappens.Thatisnotacomfortablesituation.Inanaturallightstudioorsetting,therearefewerdistractions.Naturallightallowsforamorecomfortablescenario,andyoursubjectslookmorelikethemselves.
Next,wecometoviewerpsychology.Whenlookingatanimage,whetherwerealizeitornot,ourbrainisscanningtheimagefornaturaltruth.Whenthereislightonapersonthatcouldn’thavebeentherenaturally,alittleredflaggoesup.Whentherearecatchlightsfrommultiplelightsthatdon’tmakesense,there’sanotherredflag.Themorenaturalandcomfortableanimage,themoretheviewerwilllikeit.Okay,strobescanproduceasimilarresult,butitismoredifficulttore-createa“natural”sceneelectronically.Yes,therearetimeswhenitbecomesnecessarytousestrobe,butyouneedtothinkabouthowviewerswillperceivetheimage,notjusttheexposure.Forthepurposeofthisbook,andtheunderstandingthatyouwanttolearnnaturallightportraiture,Iwillnotusethe“f”wordforourlearningexamples.“Flash”willonlybeusedtocomparetherelationshipofthestrobestudioandthenaturallightstudio.Allimagesampleswillshowhowtousenaturallight.
“I’mgoingtoshowyouhowtoworkinthismediumsothatyoucanmakealiving;fromthere,youcanaddyourowncreativitytotakeyourartistrytothenextlevel.”
Beforewemoveon,Iwanttomentionthatthisisabookof“breadandbutter”portraitsdoneduringclassdemonstrationsorforactualclients.Ineithercase,theyarealwaystreatedwiththesamerespecttoartisticideals.Thereareafewaward-winningimageshere,butaward-winningimagesdon’talwayspaythebills.I’mgoingtoshowyouhowtoworkinthismediumsothatyoucanmakealiving;fromthere,youcanaddyourowncreativitytotakeyourartistrytothenextlevel.AllIaskisthatwhenyoubecomefamousforyourwork,pleasecontactmeandshareyourideassothatImaygrowaswell.
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SECTION1
TheBasicsandBeyond
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Inrecentyears,thenaturallightphotographerhasbeenlosingcredibility.Weareseenashobbyistsinsteadofportraitartists.Partofthisisduetotheinfluxofbeginnerswho
don’twanttospendmoneyonlightsanddon’trealizethereismoretoportraiturethanjustcreatingacorrectexposureofachildrunningaroundinayard.Pleasedon’tthinkIlookdownonthesefolks.Istartedthesameway.Ihopethisbookwillopeneveryone’seyes;myaimistohelppeoplegrowartisticallybylearninghowtousenaturallighttoproduceprofessional-levelportraits.
Mynatural-lightcameraroom.
THENATURALLIGHTCAMERAROOMIamgoingtobeginwiththenorthlightcameraroom.Thisismymainindoorstudioroom.IsaythisbecauseIusewindowsandoutdoorlocationsallovertheworldasmycameraroom.That’sanadvantageofnaturallight.Youdon’thavetocarryitwithyou,it’severywhere.
Thisroomhaswindowsfacingdirectlynorth.Forthisreason,directsunlightwillnevercomeintotheroom.Theceilingsare20feethigh.Thetallestpartoftheglassis18feettall.Theheightisimportant.Thelightneedstomovetheentire21feetacrosstheroomtothesouthandstillbejustaboveheadlevelwhenitgetsthere.Thisallowsportraitstobecreatedanywherewithintheroom.Thelengthofthewindowscombinedis26feet.SoonIwillexplainthesignificanceofthislength.Asyoucansee,Ihaveabalconyinmycameraroom.Thisispartofmyhome-basedbusiness.Theupperpartofthebalconyisattachedtothemainlevelofourhomeandisusedasaworkoutareaandlounge.Icanalsouseittophotographfromdirectlyabovemysubjects,andithascomeinhandyforseniorsandcommercialworkthroughouttheyears.Thebalconyissupportedbypillarsdesignedtobeapermanent,classicalsetinmystudio.ThefloorisItalianporcelaininneutralcolorswithdesignworkthatcanalsobeusedinportraits.Outsidethewindowsisaclearedareawithlightdecorativerock.Thishelpswithcolorissueslaterinthedaywhenthesunisonthegroundoutsidethewindows.Onemoreimportantnote:Thereisawalloneithersideofthewindow.Mywallsare4feetlong.IfIhadittodoover,theywouldbe12feetlong.Thewallsallowsyoutocontrolthedensityandfocusofyourbackgroundwhileyoursubjectremainsingoodlight.Nomatterwhereyougo,indoorsor
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out,lookforalightingscenariosuchasthis:aceilingtoblocklightfromabove,lightallowedinfromonedirection,andanareaofcontrollablebackgrounds.
“Thelightneedstomovetheentire21feetacrosstheroomtothesouthandstillbejustaboveheadlevelwhenitgetsthere.”
STROBE/NATURALLIGHTCORRELATIONIusethesewindowsasIwouldusestrobes.Asyoucanseeinthediagram,theprinciplesoflightingapersonarethesameineachapproach.Alightshouldbeplacedatabouta45degreeanglefromthesubjectonahorizontalplaneandabouta45degreeangleonaverticalplane.This“mainlight”producesdirectionallightthatwillcreateshapeandformonthesubject.Themainlightshouldbeevidentinthesubject’seyesasacatchlight(awhitehighlightintheeye).Thecatchlightshouldbeatabout2o’clockor10o’clockintheiris,dependingonwhatsideofthesubjectthemainlightisplaced.Afilllightcanbeusedtobringtherelationshipoftheshadowandthemainlighttoadesired,printableunity.Remember,themainlightgivesdirection.Thefilllightshouldn’talterthatdirection.We’lltalkaboutthatingreaterdetailsoon.Thenthereareaccentlights(alsocalledkickerlightsorseparationlights).Theselightscreateseparationandareusedtokeepthesubjectfromblendingintothebackground.Theyalsohelpcreateathree-dimensionalfeelingtotheflatpieceofpaperwecallapicture.
Studio-windowdiagram.
Asyou’llnotice,theselightsourcesdonotpointdirectlyatthesubject.Theyskimthesubject.Yes,notonlydowewantadirectionoflightthatgivesusshapeandform,wealsowanttextureonthesubject.Theonlythinginnaturethatwillcreatetextureislight
skimmingacrossasurface.Agoodexample:Ifyouwanttophotographripplesinthesandonthebeach,whendoyougo?Sunsetorsunriseofcourse—butyouwillgetthemostoutofthescenerightwhenthesundisappearsoverthehorizon.Thisiswhentherewillbeadirectionthatshowsthecrestsandvalleysoftheripples,andalsothegrainsofsandwithinthescene.Thehumanfaceisareflectivesphere.Withinthatsphereareothershapes:eyes,nose,cheekbones,hair,andporesintheskin.Asanartist,Iwantitalltobeseen.Sono,it’snotaseasyaspointingalightatsomeoneandrecordingtheimage.Thereissomuchmoretoitthanthat.I’llgettotheuseoflightinamoment,butfirstweneedtotalkaboutthephysicsoflight.
Lightwillalwaystravelinastraightline.Forthesakeofunderstanding,let’sjustassumethelightfromagivenlightsourceisabeamoflight.Inthebeamitself,thecenterismostconcentratedandintense.Anytimethebeamtravelsdirectlyatareflectivesurface,suchasthehumanface,thesurfacewillreflectthatbeamdirectlybackatitsorigin.Thiswillcauseaspectralhighlight(awhitereflectionwithnodetail).Thisiswhyweusetheedgeofourlightsource.Itkeepsusfromlosingdetailinoursubjects.
Youwillfindthattherearesmalllightsourcesandlargelightsources.Eachproducesadifferenteffect.Alargelightsourceisonethatislargeinrelationshiptothesubject.An8-footwindowfacingnorthwithasubject2feetawayisalargelightsource.A2x2-footwindow10feetawayisasmalllightsource.Anopenskyontheshadowsideofabuildingisalargelightsource.Thesuninanopenfieldatmiddayisasmalllightsource.Asmalllightsourcewillproduceverydefinedshadowsandagreatdealofcontrast.Alargelightsourcewillcreatesoft-edgedshadowsandmorenaturalfillfromhighlighttoshadow.Bothcanbeusedinanaturallightportrait,butItendtofavorthelargerlightsourcesoratleastsmalllightsourceswithoutdirectsunlight.MostpeopleIphotographcan’tkeeptheireyesopenindirectsunlight.Sounlessmysubjectsarewearingsunglasses,Isticktoworkinginopenshade.
“Alargelightsourcewillcreatesoft-edgedshadowsandmorenaturalfillfromhighlighttoshadow.”
Lightwillalwaysfalloffinintensityasittravelsfartherfromitssource.(Thisprincipleisknownastheinversesquarelaw.)Iwillavoidbeingoverlytechnical,butyoushouldnotethatthefartherthelighttravels,thelessthereistoexposeanimage.Itisthisprinciplethatwillexplaintheuseofdifferent-sizedlightsources.I’llstartwithasmallwindow.Ifthesubjectsitsontheedgeofthewindow,thelightfromthewindowwillshowontheperson’sface.Thelightmayonlyshowononesideoftheface.Thisisbecausethefaceitselfblocksthelightfromhittingtheotherside.Ifthesubjectsitsontheedgeofalargewindow,thefaceisstillingoodlight,butthelighttravelingfromtheoppositesideofthewindowcanalsoreachtheoppositesideoftheface.Thisiswhatwecallwraparoundlight.Becauselightfallsoff(ataratedescribedbytheinversesquarelaw),thelighttravelingfromtheoppositeedgeofthewindowfromthesubjectislessintensethanthatonthehighlightsideoftheface.Thisisanimportantprincipletounderstand,asitwilldictatehowyouwilluseanygivenlightsource.
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WhatIstheInverseSquareLaw?Theinversesquarelawforlightintensitystates:“Theintensityoflightisproportionaltotheinversesquareofthedistancefromthelightsource.”
Forthoseofyouwhodonotlikemath,justunderstandthatthefartheryoursubjectisfromthelightsource,thelesslighttherewillbeonyoursubject.
Mostofuswouldguessthattwicethedistancefromalightsourcewouldcuttheintensityinhalf.Thatisnotthecase.Doublingthedistancewouldchangetheintensitybythesquareofonehalf;inotherwords,wewouldendupwithonefourththeintensity.Ifyoumovethesourceorsubjectthreetimesthedistance,theintensitywouldchangebythesquareofonethird,oroneninththeintensity.
Thecloserthesubjectistothelightsource,thegreaterthechangeinintensitywithasmalldistancechange.Inotherwords,ifyoustandonefootawayfromalightandtakeareading,thenmovebackonestep,therewillbeagreaterchangecomparedtoifyouweretwenty-fivefeetawayandtookonemorestepback.Thisisgoodinformationtoknowforgroupportraits.Ifyouhavethreerowsofpeopleandwantthelighttobethesameintensityonallrows,moveyourlightasfarawayfromthemasyoucanwhilestillachievingtheexposureoutputrequiredtousetheapertureneededtocarrythefocusthroughoutallthreerows.Incontrast,ifyouplacealightveryclosetothesubjects,thepersoninthefrontrowmaybemuchbrighterthanthepersoninthebackrow.
Therearesomeexceptions.Youcanusetheinversesquarelawtopredicttherateoflightfalloffforspeedlightsandstudiostrobes.Umbrellasandsmallsoftboxeswillfollowthelawquitecloselyfordistancesgreaterthantwicetheirdiameter,buttherearesomeexceptions.Lightsourcesmodifiedbyfocusingunits(likeafresnellens)orthoseoutfittedwithagridwillnotfollowtheinversesquarelawaspredictably.Alsolarge,diffusedlightsourceslikeanorthlightwallofwindowswillfailtofollowthesameequation.Thatsaid,still,thefartherawaythelightsourceisfromthesubject,thelessintensethelightwillbe.Thewiderthewindow,thelargertheworkingportraitarea.
Largelightsource.
Smalllightsource.
“Youcanusetheinversesquarelawtopredicttherateoflightfalloffforspeedlightsandstudiostrobes.”
TOOLSOFTHETRADEReflectorsareveryimportanttoolsforworkinginnaturallight.Iuseseveral,rangingfromwhitetoverybright,mirror-likesilvermaterials.Idonotusegold.Reflectorsareusedtoaddaccentlightortofill(lighten)shadows.Shadowsarecoolincolortemperature.Goldisaverywarmcolortemperature.Thetwodonotmixwell.Theonlyexceptiontothisisonapastelsandybeachatsunset.Wheneverythingseemstohaveawarmglowtoit,agoldreflectorcanbeofsomeuse.
ThereflectorsIusecomefromacompanythatisnolongerinbusiness.Inthefuture,checkoutSweetlightSystemsatwww.sweetlightsystems.com.Theycreatelightmodifiersandarelookingtogetintothereflectorbusinessaswell.Ihavealsoused,andstilldoattimes,insulationboard(availableatbuildingsupplystores).Itworksjustfine,thoughitdoesn’tlookasniceandtakesupmoreroomwhentraveling.Ilikeareflectorwitha“kickstand”sothatIdon’tneedassistants.Thereflectorwithakickstandalsoworksfineasanunder-reflectoroutdoors.IliketohavetworeflectorsalongonanoutdoorsessionifIcan.Atleastoneshouldhaveblackcoveringoneside.Thisway,Ihaveareflectorandagobowithmeatalltimes.WhenI’minside,Iuseabrightsilverreflectorforaccentlight,asoftsilverreflectorforfill,asmallreflectoronagoose-neckstandforanunder-reflector,andagoboonagoose-neckstandasshownintheimagesonthefacingpage.
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Agoodtripodisanessentialpieceofequipment.IuseaBogenManfrotto#058Btripod.Itisaheavybutveryeffectivetool.Thelengthofthelegsarecontrolledbyleversupwhereyouhangontothetripoditself.Bypressingthemiddlelevers,allthelegsareloosenedandmoldtoeventhetoughestterrain.Whenyoureleasethelever,thelegslock.Youcanalsoadjusteachlegindividuallywiththesmallerleversasshownintheclose-upimage(facingpage).Nomoremissingtheimagebecauseyou’remessingwithtripodlegs.ThisisonethingIcannotlivewithout.
Idonotcareforcamerastraps.Theypullonyourneckandshouldersandtheyallowyourcameratobecomeawreckingballeachtimeyoubendovertofixhairorclothingonaguest.IprefertheSpiderHolster(www.spiderholster.com).Thisbeltandholdingdevicesolvesallissuesandcanlockthecameraintoplace.Ihaveranandjumpedoverrockswithmycamerainthisholster.It’sgreattohaveasafeplacetostoreyourcamerawhileyouaresettingupashot.
Indoorbrightandsoftsilverreflectors.Thebrightsilverisusedforaccentlighting.Thesoftsilverisusedforfill.Bothstandalonewithoutassistants.
Blackbackforsubtractivelight.AtleastonereflectorIcarrywillbeblackononeside.Thisway,IalwayshaveagoboalongwithmetoblocklightwhereIdon’twantit.
Outdoorlargereflector.Thisisamoredurablereflectorforuseintougherenvironments.Itcomesapartandrollsupforeasytraveling.Ithasaself-supportingstand.
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Under-reflector.Thisisagreattoolforuseinthestudio.Itisusedonthehighlightsideofthesubjectandfromunderneath.Itisfacedtowardthewindowandfeatheredbacktothesubjectuntilyoujustbegintoseethecatchlightintheeyes.Becareful!Thisisthemostoverusedlightsourceinnaturallightportraiture.
Gobo.Thisisablackpanelonagooseneckstand.Useittokeeplightoffsmallareaswhereyoudonotwantit.It’slikecustomburningin-camera!
Tripodandtripodclose-up.TheBogenManfrotto#058Bwithaball-jointhead.Thistripodallowsthelegstobeadjustedwithgravity.Bypressingtheredleversshowninthephotos,thelegsfalldownuntiltheyrestonsolidground.There’snoneedtoreachdowntounscreweachlegsection.Thismodelallowsyoutoworkquicklyovereventheroughestterrain.
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Spiderholster(www.spiderholster.com).Thisismypreferredreplacementtotheneckstrap.Itiscomfortableandsafeforyourcameraandyoursubject.Itdoesnotallowyourcameratoswingatthemwhenyouleanovertofixtheirhairorclothing.
Canon5DMarkIIIwithCanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlens.Thisismygo-tochoicefornaturallightportraiture.
Lastofall,thereistherecordingdevice.WhyisitthelasttoolIlisted?Becauseitisonlythat—atool,arecordingdevice.Workingwiththerelationshipofthesubject,thelight,andthebackgroundiscreatingphotography.IcanrecorditonmyiPhoneormyCanon.Yes,myCanon5DMarkIIIissomethingtheywillneedtopryfrommycold,deadhandssomeday,butitdoesn’tcreateanything.ItjustrecordswhatIdo.Thatbeingsaid,itisafinepieceofequipment.ItallowsmetoworkathighISOsettingsformyportraitsandgivesmewhatIexpecteachtimeIpresstheshutterreleasebutton.Iuseseverallenses,butmyworkhorseistheCanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlens.Youwillseemoreofmylensselectionslaterinthisbook.
UNDERSTANDINGEXPOSURE,MANUALSTYLENextontheagendaishowtocreatethecorrectexposure.Thisisacamerathing.Whenyouwerejustlearningtotakepictures,youprobablysetyourcameratoautoorprogrammodeandletitdoallofthework.Forfullartisticcontrol,you’llneedtosetyourcameratomanualmode.Askyourselfquestionsaboutthescene.Forinstance,doyouwantalotinfocusorjustasmallarea?Doyouneedtostopthemovementofachildrunningacrosstheyard?Theanswerstothesequestionswilldetermineyourexposure-settingselections.
Ofcourse,gettingaproperexposureiscritical.Therefore,let’sstartourdiscussionwithmetering.Therearetwowaystometeryourscene:youcanuseareflectivemeteroranincidentmeter.Themeterinyourcameragivesyouareflectivereading.Ahand-heldmeterwillgiveyouanincidentreadingor,whenfittedwithanattachment,areflectivereading.Thereflectivemetermeasuresthelightbouncingoffthesubject.Anincidentreadingtellsyouhowmuchlightispresentatthesubject.Bothwillworkwithpractice.
Themeterinyourcameraisareflectivemeter.Itshouldtellyouwhetheryourshutterspeedandaperturesettingsharmonizetogiveacorrectexposureforanygivenscenario.Tousethismeter,yousimplylookthroughyourviewfinderandwatchthemeterreadout.Youcanadjusttheaperture(f-stop)orshutterspeeduntiltheexposureneedleappearsinthecenterofthegraph.Ofcourse,youmustbepointingthecameraatthespecificareaofyourscenethatyouwanttoexposefor.Inportraiture,thatwouldbethehighlightsideofthesubject’sface.Yes.Exposeforthehighlights.Ifyourhighlightisoverexposed,thereisnovisualinformation(detail)there.Youneedtoexposeyourhighlightsproperly.Note:Notalllightmetersarecalibratedcorrectly.Youneedtotestyourequipment.Yourmetermayneedtobecalibratedtoaknown,correctreading.Intheend,youshouldbeconfidentthatyourmeter,hand-heldorin-camera,willgiveyouanaccuratereading.Ifyouareusingahand-held(incident)meter,positionthemeteronthehighlightsideofthesubject’sfaceandpointthemeter’sdomeatthelightsource.Entirebookscouldbewrittenonexposure.Forthepurposesofthisbook,letmefinishbyadvisingyoutopractice!
Thereisn’tenoughspaceinthisbooktogettoodeepintof-stopsandshutterspeeds,butIwilltouchonthosetopics.
Let’simaginethatameterreadingofahypotheticalsceneyieldsrecommendedcamerasettingsof secondatf/8(atISO400).Thiswillcreateacorrectexposure.However,othersettings(calledequivalentexposures)willallowforthesamecorrectexposure.Whywouldyouusedifferentexposuresettings?Well,insomescenarios,you’llwanttouseawide-openaperturetoblurthebackgroundandeliminatedistractions.Inothers,you’llwanttoshowthebeautyofthenaturalenvironment,andyou’llwantthebackgroundsharp.Whenyouchangetheaperture,youreduceorincreasetheamountoflightusedtorecordtheimage.You’llneedtoreduceorincreasetheshutterspeedtomaintainthecorrectexposure.Therearetimeswhenstoppingthemotionofarunningchildwillrequireafastshutterspeed.Youmayneedafastershutterspeedifyouareworkingwithaheavylens,aswell,topreventblurfromcamerashake.
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Thelightmeter.Thisisahand-heldlightmeter.Itisusedtomeasuretheambientlightfallingonthesubject.Noticethedomepointstowardthelightsource.Therearealsoattachmentstousethismeterforareflectivereading,justlikethemeterinyourcamera.
Now,let’sassumethatyourmetergivesyouareadingof secondatf/8.Thissettingmighthelpyoupreventmotionblurthatstemsfromanunsteadyhand.F/8offersagreatdepthoffield.(Note:Depthoffieldistheamountofthescenethatappearsinfocusonahorizontalplanefromthecamera.)Thataperturesettingmaywellkeepthedistractingbackgroundelementsofthesceneinfocus.Lookingatthechartbelow,youmightconsiderchangingyourexposureto secondatf/4sothebackgroundislessinfocus.
AthirdcontrolusedtoadjustexposuresistheISO.TheISOgovernsthelight-sensitivityofthesensor.AhighISO,say1600,makesthecameramoresensitivetolight.AlowISOsetting,sayISO100,reducesthesensitivityofthesensor.Alowsettingisagoodchoiceforverybright,sunnyscenes.
ISO400ismygo-tosettingfornaturallightwork.Itusedtobetruethatyou’dseemorenoiseinanimageshotatISO400thanISO100,butwithtoday’ssensors,thereisnorealdifferenceinquality.YoumayaswelltakeadvantageofusingahigherISOsothatyoucanchooseafastershutterspeedtostopmotion.TheISOperformanceinnewercamerasisimpressive.Ihavenoproblemworkingat3200ISOonmyCanon5DMarkIIIcamera.Yes,thereisadifferenceinnoise,butitisn’tobjectionable,evenforthemostcriticalofeyes.Ihaveevenusedsettingsbeyond3200.NoiseispresentinextremeISOsettings,butit’snotasnoticeableasthegrainwesawinhighISOfilms.Ifyouneedthe
exposureandthelightislacking,don’tbeafraidtouseeventhehighestISOsettingyourcameraoffers.
Exposureequivalentchart.Onceacorrectexposureiscalculatedforagivenscene,manyoptionsareavailableaslongasyouareworkinginthemanualcameramode.Thistableshowsalltheapertureandshutterspeedcombinationsthatwillworkinthisareaandstillproduceacorrectexposure.Somewillallowforstoppingactionwhileotherswillallowmoredepthoffield.
LENSESImentionedthatIusetheCanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMformostofmywork.Ifavorthenarrowangleofviewthatthelensallows.Thisallowsmetofindsmallbackgroundareaswithouthotspotsanddistractions.Italsocompressesthebackgroundandhelpseliminatedistractions.
Therearetimeswhenawide-anglelensistherighttoolforthejob.Youwillknowitwhenitcomesup.Afamilygroupingoraweddingpartyisnotoneofthosetimes.Awide-anglelenswilldistortandcreateunflatteringsizerelationshipsassubjectsareplacedbehindoneanother.Thesubjectinthefrontrowwillhavealargehead,whiletheguyinthebackwillhaveatinyface.Don’tbeawitchdoctor.IrecentlyboughttheCanonEF85mmf/1.2LIIUSMlens.Iloveit!Onelasttip:Usethelenshoodthatcamewithyourlens.Youhaveabigexpensivepieceofglassinyourhands.Thehoodhelpsprotectitandpreventslensflare.Ifyouwantflare,takeitofftogettheshot,thenimmediatelyreplaceitandcontinueshooting.You’llbeamazedatthedifferenceinclarityyouwillseeinyourworkbyusingthelenshood.
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Customgraycard.
Close-upofcustomgraycard.
WHITEBALANCE
Innaturallightphotography,itisveryimportanttounderstandwhitebalance.Thecolortemperatureofthelightmaybedifferentinanygivenscene.Whenshootingoutdoors,Itypicallyworkinopenshade.WhenI’minthoseareas,settingmycameratotheshadewhitebalancepresetworksfine.Buttherearetimeswhenthelightchanges—acloudmovesoverhead,aredcarparkswhereitreflectslightinyourdirection,orrawlightbouncesoffayellowbuilding.Alltheseareasneedtobecustomwhitebalanced.Thesamegoeswhenyou’reworkingwithwindowlight.Glasshasacoloredtinttoit;oureyesdon’tseeit,butthecameradoes.Bydoingacustomwhitebalance,thecolorbalanceinthatareabecomescorrectforyourrecordingandyoursubjectsarerenderedtherightcolor.
Thefirststepistometerthescene.Ifyoudon’thavethecorrectexposure,youcannotachieveacorrectcustomwhitebalance.Tobeconsistent,Irecordanimageofaspecialgraycard.Youneedtofilltheframewiththiscard.Ifyoucan’tfocusthatclose,don’tworry.Thecarddoesn’tneedtobeinfocus.Oncethegraycardisrecorded,checkyourmath(i..e.,doublecheckthatyourexposurewascorrect).Youcandothisbylookingatyourhistogram.Thehistogramisagraphicalrepresentationofallofthetonesinyourframe.Whenyouphotographagraycard,thehistogramshouldlooklikethegraphshownhere.Themiddlespikerepresentsthegraycenterofthecard.Thespikeontheleftandrightrepresenttheblackandwhiteareasrespectively.Noticethespikeinthecenteriswiderthantheoutsides.Thisisbecausethehistogramshowsthepercentageofthatassumeddensitythroughouttheframe.Thereismoregray,sothatspikeiswider.OnceIseethiscorrectgraph,Iflipthegraycardovertowhite,filltheframe,andrecordit.Donotchangetheexposure!Youmustdothisinmanualmodeorlockyourexposurefromthegraycard.Inyourfirstimage,thecardmayappearoff-color.Next,gointoyourcamera’smenu,findthecustomwhitebalanceoption,andselectit.Yourcamerawillaskyouifyouwanttousethelastimage.Yes,youdo.Yourcardshouldnowappearwhite.Yourcamerawillnowtellyoutochoosethecustomwhitebalance(ifyouweren’talreadysetonit).Recordanimageofthepersonholdingthecardjusttobesurethecolorslookright.Youarenowreadytocreateimagesuntilthenextcloudmovesoverhead.
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Histogram.
Beforecustomwhitebalance.
Aftercustomwhitebalance.
REFLECTORPLACEMENTReflectorsarelightsources,justlikewindowsorstrobelights.Theplacementoftheselightsourcesiscritical.Alightshouldn’tbepointeddirectlyatoursubjects.Rather,theedgeofthelightshouldbeused.Thesameistrueofareflector.Iplacemyaccentreflectorfirst;itispositionedbehindandtotheshadowsideofthesubject.Asyoucanseeintheimagesonthispage,ifalinewasdrawnperpendicularfromthereflectorsurface,theveryedgeofthelightsourcewouldskimacrossthesubject.
Thefilllightreflectorisplacedinasimilarfashionbutinfrontofthesubject,asshown.Inmystudio,itactuallypointsdirectlyatthewindows.Donotanglethisreflectortowardthesubject.Ifyoudo,youwillseeacrossshadowunderthenose,whichisnotflattering.Remember,filllightshouldn’tchangethedirectionofthemainlight.Itshouldjustfilltheshadowarea.
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Theaccentreflectorisplacedbehindthesubjectwithjusttheedgeskimminglightacrossheroutline.Itisusuallyontheshadowside,butonoccasion,canalsoworkfromthehighlightside.
Thefillreflectorisplacedacrossfromthemainlightinfrontofthesubject.Itisusedtocontroltheintensityoftheshadowinanimagewithoutchangingthedirectionofthemainlight.
Under-reflectorplacement.Thereflectorfromunderneaththesubjectactuallystaysonthewindowsideofthesubjectandtiltstowardthewindow.Featheritbacktothesubjectuntilitshowsintheeyes.Becareful.Thisreflectordestroysmoreimagesthananyotherlightsource.Again,itshouldjustaddalittlelightintheeyeandunderthechin,butnotchangethedirectionofthemainlight.
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Useagobotoblocklightfromfallingonareasyoudon’twantlit.Thegoboisyour“in-cameraburntool”;darkenareasnow,thentherewillbenoneedtotakecareofproblemslater.
Theunder-reflectorisanoftenmisusedtool.Itisusedtoputalittlelightintheeyes,underthechin,andintheeyesockets.Itshouldnotchangeorcompromisethemainlightdirection.Thisreflectorshouldpointbacktowardthewindowandisplacedonthehighlightsideofthesubject(seetheimageabove).Todeterminethebest-possibleplacement,startbypointingthereflectoratthewindow.Slowlytiltthereflectortowardthesubjectuntilyouseethelightintheireyes.Stopthere!Don’toverdothis.Whenit’soverdone,lightwillshootupthenose.Icallthis“cocainelighting.”Justsayno.
Youwillsometimeshearphotographerstalkaboutsubtractivelighting.Somethinkthisisthepracticeofusingablackpanelorfabricontheshadowsideofthefacetosucklightfromthesubject.Well,lightcannotbesuckedaway.Alltheblackpaneldoesiskeeplightfromcomingfromthatdirection—justasthesubject’sownfaceblockslightfromhittingthefarsideofthefacewhenyouareusingasmallwindow.Thetoolusedforsubtractivelightingiscalledagobo.Agobocanbeusedtoblocklightfromtheentiresubjectorjustpartsofthesubject.Intheimageabove,agobowasusedtoblocklightfromstrikingthesubject’schest.Agoboisusedineveryimageinonewayoranother.In
thecameraroom,myceilingisagobo.Thewallsaregobos.Yougettheidea.
PORTRAITLIGHTPATTERNSTherearemanyspecificlightpatternsthathavebeenusedinmasterpaintingsaswellasphotographicportraitsforcenturies.Thesepatternsareappealingtoviewersandhelptellastoryofthesubjectatthemomenttheimagewascaptured.Thesepatternsareproventobeflattering.Trytousethem.I’veshowntheminblack&whitesoyoucanconcentrateonthelightanddarkareasratherthanthecolors.
Usetheedgeofyourlightsource.Inmystudio,placingthesubjectontheedgeofthelengthofwindowsproducesbetterwraparoundlightandbettertextureonthesubject.Italsokeepsthelightdirectioncomingfromthesideandthefrontofthesubject,ratherthanfromboththefrontandback.
Thisimageshowstheshortlightpattern.Themaskofthefaceislit.Afillreflectorwasusedtolightentheshadows,
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narrowingthetonalrangefromhighlightstoshadows.
Thisisthesameshortlightpattern,butwithnofillreflector.Noticehowtheshadowisabitdarkerthanbefore.
Subjectplacementwithinthelightisimportant.Forthefirsttwopatternsshownhere,shortlightandbroadlight,thesubjectshouldbeontheedgeofthewindow.Moreoftenthannot,thechestofthefemalesubjectisturnedawayfromthewindow.Thisway,thefaceisbrighterthanthechest.Fromthisposition,thesubjectcanturnherheadbacktowardthewindowtoproduceashortlightpattern.Thispatternrevealsthemaskoftheface.Itisespeciallynoticeableina¾viewofthesubject’sface.Thatiswhenacleancheekisvisibleonthehighlightsideofthefaceandoneearisshownontheshadowsideoftheface.Thisisahappylight.Smilesarewelcomehere.
Broadlightisthesame¾viewoftheface,butthistimethevisibleearandthebroadsideofthefaceisilluminated.Themaskofthefacegoesintoshadow.Thisisamoreserious,emotionallight.Thedeepertheshadow,themoresomberthefeeling.Theplacementofeverythingremainsthesameasintheshortlight,buttheheadjustturnsawayfromthewindow.
Therearetimeswhenthesubjectlooksmorecomfortableturnedintothelight.Thesamepatternscanbeused.Ijustaddagobotoblockthelightfromhittingthechest.Youcanseeintheexamplesthedifferenceawell-placedgobocanmake.
Hereyoucanseethecameraandsubjectplacementcomparedtothewindow.Thecameraisprettymuchparallelwiththewindow.Thisisthepositioningformost“shortlight”and“broadlight”portraits.
Thisimageshowswhata“broadlight”patternlookslike.Thefaceisturnedawayfromthemainlightsothatthemaskofthefaceactuallygoesintoshadow.Thislightmayaddweighttoasubjectsobecarefulwhenputtingitintopractice.Inthisimage,thefillreflectorwasusedtobringtherelationshipoftheshadowclosertothatofthehighlight.
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Nowyoucanseethesame“broadLight”patternwithnofill.Noticethedarkershadowsideoftheface.
Iusuallychoosetoturnafemalesubjectawayfromthemainlight.Insomecases,youwillfindyourselfinapositioninwhichsheneedstofaceit.Theproblemisthatthechestreflectsmorelightthantheface,anditisalargerarea.Unfortunately,thechestwilldrawmoreattentionthantheface.Thisisnotagoodscenario.
Here,agobowasusedtoblockthelightfromhittingthesubject’schest.Thisallowstheviewertofocusonthesubject’sface.Here,themodel’sfaceisinashortlightposition.
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Thisisthesamegobousageasbefore,butthistimethemodel’sfacewasturnedtocreateabroadlightpattern.
ThisportraitshowsaRembrandtlightpattern.Themaskofthefaceismostlylit,butshadowshelpdefinealighttriangleontheshadowsideoftheface.Thisiscreatedbythepositionofthecamera,subject,andlightsource.
Thisistheoverallviewshowingwherethesubject,camera,andwindowarepositionedtoachieveaRembrandtlightpattern.Ruleofthumb:ifyouwantatriangleoflight,makeatrianglewithyou,thesubject,andthewindow.
Hereisthesetupusedtocreateasplitlightpattern.IusuallyworkthesameaswhenusingRembrandtlight,butIhavethesubjectturnhisorherfaceawayfromthewindowuntilIseethelightstopatthemidsectionoftheface.
Thisimageshowsthesplitlightpattern.Afillreflectorwasusedtokeeptheshadowsideofthefacefromgoingtoodark.
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Thisiswhatthesplitlightpatternlookslikeinmycameraroomwithoutadditionalfillfromareflectorpanel.Remember,thewallsonthesouthsideofmycameraroomarereflectorsaswellandnaturallyfilltheshadowsideofthefaceinallportraits.
Rembrandtlightissimilartoshortlight,butitrevealsatriangleoflightontheshadowsideofthefacebetweenthenose,eye,andcheekbone.Thisisamoreseriouslight,oneforaproper,sturdyposeandexpression.It’seasytorememberhowtoachievethispattern.Ifyouwantatriangle,youneedtomakeatrianglewiththesubject,thecamera,andthelightsource.AsyoucanseeintheRembrandtoverviewimage(facingpage),thecamerapositionchangedfromparallelwiththewindowtofartherintotheroomtoachievethispattern.
Splitlightiswhatitsoundslike;halfthefaceisinlightandhalfisinshadow.Bynow,youcanprobablyguessthatthisisnotasmilinglightpattern.Itisoneusedtoshowattitude,intensity,orconcentration.Tomakethispattern,continuetomovethecameraawayfromthewindowandhavethesubjectturnherfacetofollowyou.Whenyouseethelightdisappearontheshadowside,stopandrecordtheimage.
Profilelightisusedtodramaticallyshowtheprofileofthesubject.Thislightcomesfrombehindthesubject,whoisposedwiththeshadowsideoftheirfacetowardthecamera.Thisisathought-provoking,emotionallight.Inmostcases,itisbestusedforamoreconservativeexpression.Manyphotographersareunsureastohowthispatternisproducedwithwindowlight.I’lldemonstratewithafewimages.
Moreoftenthannot,Iseeprofilelightingattemptedasshowninthisimage.Whenthesubjectisplacedinthecenterofthewindow,thelightengulfsherandcreatesspectralhighlightsonthefacedirectlyfacingthelight.Theclothing(andbouquetifthiswereabride)willbewashedoutandappeartoglow.Thishappensevenifexposedcorrectly.Thisisnot
howtolightaprofile.
Thisistheresultofplacingthesubjectinthecenterofthewindow.Noticetheflatnessofthefaceandthewashed-outhair.
Hereisthecorrectplacementofthesubjectforprofilelight.Thesubjectisonthesamesideofthewindowasthecamera.Ifyouweretostandinhershoes,lookingforward,youwouldseethewall,notoutthewindow.Thisforcesthelighttoskimacrossthesubjectfromtheoppositesideofthecamera.Thiswillproduceaniceprofilewithdetail.
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Here,youcannowseetheresultofproperplacementtocreateaprofilelight.Noticehowmuchmoreshapeshehasandthedetailthroughouttheimage.Note:Youstillneedtoexposecorrectlyforthis.Itiseasiertousealightmeterinthiscasebecause,fromthecameraposition,thehighlightisnotveryreadable.
“Singleaccentisadreamy,storytellinglightpattern.Themaskofthefaceisinfullshadow.Theonlydefininglightisjustskimmingthesideoftheface.”
First,thecameraispositionedparalleltothewindow,justaswithashortlight.Thesubjectisonthesamesideofthewindowasthecamera.
Profilewindowlightcanmakeforagreatbridalimage.Thedresswillholdallitsdetailandthebouquetwillnotbeblownout.Ifyouwant,youcanaddMomandDadontheotherendofthewindowwatchingher.ThelightfromthesamewindowcangiveDadabroadlightandMomashortlightastheystandtogetherandgazeattheirlittlegirl.
Singleaccentisadreamy,storytellinglightpattern.Themaskofthefaceisinfullshadow.Theonlydefininglightisjustskimmingthesideoftheface.Inmostcases,thesubjectislookingdownorawayfromthecamera.
Doubleaccentisjustwhatitsays.Thedefininglightonthesubjectisoneithersideoftheface.Usually,aswithasingleaccent,thelightcomesfrombehindthesubjectandskimsthesidesoftheface.Becausethemaskofthefaceisinshadow,thisisamore
somber,thought-provokinglightpattern.Therearetimeswheneyecontactismadefromthesubject,butonlyifyouaretryingtoportrayadeepandpowerfulstory.Foreithersingleordoubleaccent,thesubjectneedstobepositionedwherethelightjustskimsaroundtheedgeofthebackground.Inmycase,thebackgroundisagainstthebrightwindow.Iemployasecondbackgroundasa“slip”solightdoesn’tcomethroughthecanvas.
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Hereisanexampleofasingleaccentlight.Thefaceisinshadow.Theonlydefininglightskimsacrosstheedgeofthesubject.Thisisagoodpatternfordeepemotionalimages.
Thisisnotwheresheshouldbe.Becarefulnottopositionyoursubjectoutofthelight.Movethemawayfromblockingdevicesuntiltheyareattheedgeofthedirectionallight.
Nowsheisinaplacewherethelightcandowhatitneedsto.Findtheedgeofthelight.
Thisiswhathappenswhenthesubjectistooclosetotheblockingdevices.Noticehowflatthelightis.Itlackstexture.
Studytheimagesonthesepages.Youwillseeexamplesoftheselightpatterns.Eachandeverypatterncanbecreatedwithsmallorlargelightsources.AsIstatedearlier,thedifferencewillbetheharshnessoftheshadowthatdefinesthepattern.Theimageswillalsohavevariousamountsoffill.Youwillseeallofthesepatternsputtouseinthenextsectionofthisbook.
“Everypatterncanbecreatedwithsmallorlargelightsources—thedifferencewillbetheharshnessoftheshadowdefiningthepattern.”
Nowyoucanseetheresultofadoubleaccentlight.Mostofthetime,Ihavethesubjectlookawayfromthecamerato
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helpwiththemoodfromlackoflightonthefaceitself.
Theexceptiontotherule.Thisimagewasalsomadewithadoubleaccent,butthistime,thereiseyecontact.Sometimesthesubject’sexpressionandbodylanguageallowsit.Itcanmakeapowerfulimage.Istillwouldn’tsuggesthavingthesubjectsmilefrombehindthisshadow—itcouldbekindofcreepy.
Hereisanoverallviewfromthecameraposition.Thissetupcanworkforsingleaccentordoubleaccentpatternsdependingonthesubjectplacementandthesubjectpose.
THERHYTHMOFLIGHTLightrhythmreferstotherelationshipbetweenthehighlightandshadowareasofthesubjectandwhatisdirectlybehindthesubject.Thehighlightsideofthefaceshouldhave
adarkertonebehindit.Theshadowsideofthefaceshouldhavesomethingrelativelylighterthanthatofthehighlightside.Thissendsapush-pullmessagetotheviewer’sbrain.Anythinglightonaflatpieceofphotographicpaperwillappeartoadvance.Anythingdarkwillappeartorecede.Inourminds,whenthesubjectandbackgroundcontrastwitheachother,depthiscreated.Also,sincewearenotworkingwithbackgroundlights,ensuringthatlightrhythmexistswillallowforseparationbetweenyoursubjectandthebackground.Noteverybackgroundwillallowforthisopportunity.Ifitcanexist,itwillmakeyourimagesmorepowerful.Shownhere(page28)isthesameimage,withthesamebackground,indifferentlocations.
Ipaintedthissimplebutwell-thought-outbackgroundyearsago.Ineededabackdropthathelpedwithoverallshapeandform.Remember,innaturallightphotography,thereisnobackgroundlight.Thereisonlysubjectplacementandbackgroundrelationships.Weneeddarkareastocontrasthighlightsandlightareastocontrastshadows.
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Toshowexactconditionswithonlythebackgroundchanging,Icreatedthisphotoonthegreenscreen.Byextractingthesubjectandchangingherrelationshiptothebackground,Icanshowtheimpactthatlightrhythmcanhaveonyourimage.
Anexampleofgoodlightrhythm.Noticehowthehighlightonthesubjectislinedupwithadarkerareaofthebackground.Ontheshadowsideofthefacethebackgroundtransitionsintoalighterareaascomparedtothehighlightside.Greatdepthiscreated.
Nowthesubjectismovedintoanareathatisjusttheopposite.Noticethelackofdepth.Infact,thesubjectseemstoblendininsteadofjumpingoffthepage.
Toshowhowlightrhythmworks,Iphotographedmysubjectagainstagreenscreen,thencutherimageoutandplaceditinapositionagainstthisbackdropthatallowsforgoodlightrhythm.Inthefirstimage,wehavearhythmofdark(background)againstlight(subject),dark(subject)againstlight(background).Theotherhasjusttheopposite.Whichonestandsout?
OUTDOORSUBJECTPLACEMENTCloudydaysareoftensaidtobebetterforportraitsbecause“youcanphotographanywhere.”Thisisnottrue.Idolikecloudydaysbecausetheyallowformoreoptionsforbackgrounds,astheystayinaconsistenttonalrange.Theartoflightingasubjectstillremainsthesame,whethercloudyorsunny.Youneedtoworkinanareathatallowsforgooddirectionallight.Thequestioniswhere.Hereisasimpleanswer.First,findacovertostoplightfromabove,justasyouwouldindoors.Becarefulnottogotoodeepunderthecoverandlosethelight.Second,makesurelightcanonlyenterfromwhereamainlightwouldbepositioned.Thisisahardlessontolearn,soIwillgiveyouasimple-to-remembertrick.Gositwhereyouwereplanningtoposeyoursubject.Lookaround.Ifyoucan’tseeamainlightsourcewhereitshouldbe,orwhereyouwouldhaveplacedastrobe,youareinthewrongplace.Findanewarea.Thinkintermsofwherethecamerawillbe.Whenthecameraisthere,isthebackgroundacceptable?Whenthebackgroundisacceptable,willthelightpatternyouwanttoachievebepossiblegivenwherethelightiscomingfrom?Justbecauseyouareoutsidedoesn’tmeantherulescanbethrownoutthewindow.(Okay,thatwasabadchoiceofwords,butyougettheidea.)
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Whenyouplacethesubjecttoofarunderthetree,thelightgetsflatandthecoloriscontaminated.
Thesubjectisinanopenyardonacloudyday.Noticethedarkeyesocketsandwashed-outhair.Thebackgroundiswithoutspottylight,butthisisnotthemostappealingplaceforthesubjecttoexist.Thefactthattherearecloudsintheskydoesnotmeanthatwecanworkjustanywhere.
Whetheryouareshootingonacloudyorsunnyday,trees,overhangs,bridges,andcanopiesaregoodoptions—justbesureyoursubjectisnottoofarunderthem.You’llneedtomakesurethatgood,uncontaminatedlightisabletoreachyoursubject.
Here,thesubjectisunderthecoverofthetreeandthebackgroundisconsistentbecauseofthecloudcover.Noticethebrightereyesandtheaddeddetailinthehairontopofherhead.
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Thesubjectistoofaroutinthesun.Therearehotspotsonherhead,shoulders,andthebackground.Theseareaswillbeimpossibleto“fix”inPhotoshop.Thisisnottheareatoshootin.
Theimagesbelowandonpage29showyouwhattolookforandwhattoavoid.Readthecaptionsandstudytheimagesforfuturereference.
Remember,findagoodbackground.Makesurethereisgoodlighttousewiththatbackgroundandthepotentialsubject.Letthesubjectexistwithinthatspace,thenrecordtheimage.
TherestofthebookcontainsmanyimagesandthethoughtprocessesIwentthroughtocreatethem.Ihopethatduringyourtimewiththissection,somethingwillhelpyouinyourjourneyintheartofnaturallightportraiture.
Here,wehavebetterplacementofthesubject,butthebackgroundstillhasproblems.Sheisoutoftherawlightandtheimagewillholdtogetherforprinting,butthebackgroundiswashedoutoveralargearea.Thisbrightnesswilltakeawayfromthesubject.Itwouldbeverytime-consumingto“fix”inPhotoshop.Evenifthetimewasspentfixingtheimage,chancesareitwouldneverlookquiteright.
Thesubjectisstillinagoodlocationandanunder-reflectorwasusedtogetjustalittlelightinhereyes,butthebackgroundisstillsunny.It’snotasobjectionablebecausea70–200mmlenswassetata195mmfocallengthtocompressthearea.
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Nowthesubjectisinagoodlocationandthereisalightcloudcover,buttherearetoomanydistractionsinthebackground.Thiswasdonewithawide-anglelens.Manytimesawide-anglelenscanshowtoomuchofthesurroundingsanddistractfromthesubject.
Hereisawell-placedsubjectwithabackgroundcontrolledbycloudsandagoodchoiceoflens.Thesubjectisinthesameplaceasinthelastimage.Justthelenswaschanged.Nowhereyesarebright,therearenohotspotsinthebackground,thereisdetailonthesubjectinhighlightandshadowareas,andthelongerlensbothnarroweddownwhatyouseebehindthesubjectandcompressedthebackgroundtohelpseparatethesubject.
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SECTION2
Unplugged:NaturalLightinPractice
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1.TOOTUFFTHECONCEPTThisimagewascreatedtoshowdedicationandworkethic.Iusedthesubject’sfootballhelmetasaproptohelptellhisstory.Ikeptawayfromthefulluniformanddecidedtokeeptherippedjeans.Ifeltthejeanstoldthestoryofhisworkethicoffthefield.Itismyopinionasacoachthatanathleteismorethanwhatweseeonthefield.Onewhoiswillingtohelpothersandworkshardonhisownwithoutbeingaskedisawinnerinmybook.
THESETUPIpositionedmycanvasbackgroundagainstthewindowsinmystudio.Ioptedtopointmycameradirectlytowardthelight.Thekeyhereistopositionthesubjectrightwherethelighttravelsfromeithersideofthebackground.Thebackgrounditselfisasubtractivelightsource.
Ifthereisarockinthemiddleofariver,waterwillflowaroundeachsideofitinaVshape.Lightwilldothesamething.Knowingthis,IpulledthesubjectforwardfromthebackgrounduntilIcouldseethedoubleaccentIwaslookingfor.Ialsobroughtintworeflectors.Iplacedthemoneithersidebetweenmyselfandthesubjectandfeatheredthemtowardhimasafilllight.Inthisway,Iwasabletokeeptheshadowsandhighlightsinaprintablerange.
Thelightfromthewindowcameoverthebackgroundandservedasahairlight.Thisisoneofthebenefitsofhavingtallwindows.
Asthemaskofthesubject’sfacewasinshadow,Iaskedhimtolookatthecameraintensely.Withsomemistfromaspraybottle,thestorywascomplete.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat90mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
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I2.THETILEPAINTER
n2008,IwasinvitedtodoaprogramfortheMexicoNationalPhotographer’sConventioninPuebla,Mexico.
Alocalphotographertookseveralofusonadrivetoseeandrecordthearea.Westoppedataceramicsshopwherevisitorscouldwatchartistsmakepieces.Icameacrossthisgentleman.Hisjobwastohand-painttiles.
LIGHTINGANDEXPOSUREThesubjectwasseatednexttoatall,narrowwindowinasmallroom.Itookastepintotheroom,thenasteptomyright.Ilookedthroughmycameraandthought,“I’mseeingthemeterreadf/4at second,butIknowthehighlightisatleastastopoverthat.I’llsettheaperturetof/5.6.”Thiswasaprofilepose.Sincethelightwascomingfrombehindthesubject,itwasaprofilelightsituation.Theposeandlightmatched.
Theshotwasahappyaccident.ThepainterhappenedtobenearthatwindowinapositionthatIrecognizedcouldworkasadramaticprofilelight.Watchfortheseoccasions.Theabilitytoseewhatispossiblewillgreatlyimpactyourwork.
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•Tamron28–75mmf/2.8lensat50mm• second,f/5.6,1600ISO
POSTPRODUCTIONIusedCorelPaintertoenhancethisimage.Thiswasoneofmyfirstattemptsatpostproductionpainting.Ifeltitwasappropriategiventhesubjectandhiscraft.Apaintershouldbepainted.
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T3.DOWNTHEROAD
hisimagewascreatedduringaseniorsessionatthesubject’shome.Theskieswereheavilyovercast,whichallowedmetoworkinopenareaswiththebackground
remainingingoodworkabletonalranges.Itisoftensaidthatcloudydaysarebestforoutdoorportraitsbecausethelightwillbebetteronthesubject’sface.Thatcanbetrue,butthebestthingaboutovercastdaysisgoodbackgroundtonality.
DIRECTIONALLIGHTWhenyouareworkingoutdoors,itisimportanttofindorcreateadirectionoflighttogivethefacedimension.Cloudydayscanmakeitmoredifficulttoseegooddefininglightonyoursubject.Ignorethefactthatyoudon’thavehotspotsinthebackgroundandlookatthesceneasifitwerenotovercast.Forexample,asyoucanseeinthediagram,Ifoundanareawherelightwasblockedfromtheleftandwasallowedtoenterthescenefromtheright.ThesubtractiveeffectfromthehedgegavemesomeofthelightdirectionIneededtoshapethesubject.Intheory,thatwouldbeallthatisrequiredtocreategreatportraitlight—butwait!Theskywasstillbrighterthanwhatwascomingfromtherightsideoftheimage.Forthisreason,Ipositionedthesubjectwithinthelighttohelpwiththelightpattern.Ihadhertipherheadandturnherchinslightlyupandtowardhershoulder.Thelightfromabovesuddenlyworkedasthemainlightandfellontoherfaceandintohereyesinacomfortableway.
ANIMAGEWITHSTYLEThedrivewayandlandscapingharmonizedwellwithmy70–200mmlenstocreatewonderfulperspective.Bypositioningthesubjectwithinthedriveway,butofftooneside,depthwasevident.Ialsochosetheclothingtomatchandblendwiththedriveway.(Doingtheshootatherhousewasanadvantage.WewentrighttoherclosetandpickedoutclothingforthedifferentbackgroundsIwasseeinginmymind.)Thegreeninthelandscapingwasaperfectcontrastforherredhair.Iknewshewouldjumpoffthepage,butmoreattentionwouldgotoherfacebecauseofthelightingandtheuseofcolor.
“Iknewshewasgoingtojumpoffthepage,butmoreattentionwasgoingtogotoherfacebecauseofthelightingandtheuseofcolor.”
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Canon1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat200mm• second,f/4,400ISO
4.CAMOUFLAGECULTIVATINGSIMPLICITYThisportraitwasmadeforaconservativeseniorwholoveshuntingandthegreatoutdoors.Ihadworkedwiththisfamilyinthepastandknewtheywantedgoodportraiture,butinasimpleway.Insteadofusingabunchofprops—guns,archeryequipment,andfishingparaphernalia—Iusedhiscamouflagesweatshirtandawoodsybackground.Thekeyherewastocreatesimplicityinabusyenvironment.
LENSSELECTIONIchosemy70–200mmf/2.8lensforthisassignment.IknewthatthelenswouldgivemeanarrowfieldofviewandwouldhelpcompressthebackgroundforthesimplicityIwaslookingfor.Ichoseanapertureoff/4.5,asIwantedashallowdepthoffieldtohelpsimplifythebusybackground.
THERHYTHMOFLIGHTIpositionedthesubjectunderthetreetostopthelightfromcomingstraightdownonhim.Thetreesontheleftblockedlightfromthatside.Theopenyardallowedthemainlighttoenterfromtherightsideoftheimage.Therewasalackoflightintheteen’seyes,soIbroughtinareflectoronthemainlightsideandskimmedthelightacrosshisfaceuntilIcouldseelifeinhiseyes.Iwantedtobringtheshadowsideofhisfaceupinvalue.Todothis,Ineededanotherreflector.Thistime,thelightpointedbackatthemainlightandskimmedtheshadowsideofhisface.Next,Ineededseparation.Icouldn’tgetareflectorbehindthesubjecttocreateanaccentlight,soIneededanotherwaytomakehimjumpoffthepage.Iusedthelightanddarkareasofthebackgroundforthis.Thedarktreetrunkanddark-greenleaveslinedupdirectlybehindthehighlightsideofthesubject’sface.Behindtheshadowsideofhisface,lightergreenleavesappear.Thisrelationshipbetweensubjectlightingandcontrastingbackgroundtonalvaluesgivetheillusionofseparationinanaturalway.Thisissomethingtolookforwhencreatinganimage.Lookbehindyoursubjectandpositionthemoryourselfinrelationshiptothemtofindthisrhythmoflight.
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Canon5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat120mm•f/4.5, second,800ISO
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W5.STAIRMASTER
hileteachingaclassinCapeMay,NewJersey,Icameacrossthisstairwell.Theendofthestairwellhadtallwindowswithineachstoryofthebuilding,butthe
windowswerenotverywide.Iwantedtogetthecompositionanddepthofthestaircaseandstillusethelightfromthenaturalenvironment.
VISUALIZINGTHESHOTIbeganbylookingthroughmycamerafromseveralstoriesabove.AsIchosemybackground,Ivisualizedwherethesubjectcouldbepositioned.Ilookedforjustacornerofthestairsabovewherethesubjectwasgoingtobeandcomposedtheimageshowingthestairsbelowrepeatingastheygotfartheraway.
Itheninstructedthesubjecttomoveintothespace.Oncepositioned,Irealizeditwouldbeasplit-lightsituation.IhadherturnherheadtowardthewindowuntilIcouldseethedesiredpattern.Therewastoodeepofashadow.Ihadoneofthestudentsholdasilverreflectortoaddfillfromunderthestaircasetotherightofthesubject.ThisbroughttherelationshipofshadowversushighlightintoarangeIwashappywith.Sinceitwasasplitlightpattern,Ihadthesubjectgivemeasternlook.
WHITEBALANCETheentirescenewasred,sothelightenteringtheareacreatedanoverallredcast,evenwithacustomwhitebalance.IusedNikSoftware’sSilverEfexProtoproducetheconversionfromcolortoblack&white.Intheprogram,Iusedaredfiltertogiveagoodcontrasttothecontaminatedskinandcreateabettervisualoftheredstaircase.
“Lightaloneisnotenough.Theentirestoryalsoneedsingredientsfromthesubject,thelocation,andthepresentationtobecomplete.”
TELLINGASTORYTheemotioninthesubject’sexpression,thesplitlight,andtheblack&whitepresentationledmetotitletheimageStairMaster.Lightaloneisnotenough.Theentirestoryalsoneedsingredientsfromthesubject,thelocation,andthepresentationtobecomplete.
Canon1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat78mm• second,f/4,800ISO
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6.YELLOWANDBLUECOLORANDCOMPOSITIONThishigh-schoolseniorworeayellowshirtandblueshortstohersession.Ihadtheperfectplaceinmindforasetofimageswiththisoutfit.Wewalkeddowntomyphotoshackandbegantoplay.IpositionedhersoIcouldseetheyellowwallbehindher.Insteadofjustplainyellow,Idecidedtomaintainabitmoredepthandallowedthefloorandthebluewalljustoverherrightshouldertoshow.Thelittlesquareofthebluewallwasjustenoughtoharmonizewithherblueshorts.Betweenthetwoblueobjects,herfaceexists.
Thisportraitisagoodexampleofusingcolortoguidetheviewer’seyethroughanimage.Theblueshortsareobviouslypartofthesubject,butthebluewallisfarbehindher.Thecompositionlendsasenseofdepthtotheimage.
POSINGANDLIGHTINGWedidsomeimagesshowingtheshorts,butthisposeshowedtheminawaythatwasmoreconcealing.Bybringingherleftlegup,Icoveredhermidsectionandthelengthoftheshortsthemselves.Ofcourse,withherlegup,therewasanapparentweightgainonherbottom.Thesolutionwastocroptheshot.Ididn’tneedtoshowherentirebody;itwasmoreimportanttodrawattentiontoherface.
Withthiscrop,Ineededtofindsomethingforthesubjecttodowithherarms.Icreatedacircularshapecomprisedofherarmsandface.Thisshapekeepstheviewer’seyesfromdriftingawayfromthesubject.
ThereisasoftRembrandtlightingpatternontheteen’sface.Itisdifficulttoseebecausethelightsourceissolargeandtheshadowsarenotverydefined,butitisapleasantpatternandveryflatteringforher.Thesoftexpressionseemedtofitthelightingpatternnicely.
Iusedabitoffill,asshowninthediagram.Ialsousedareflectoronthehighlightsideandfromunderthesubjecttoaddlifeinhereyes.
Tip:Besurethatyourclientdoesnotsmooshherfaceorarmswhensheleansagainstsomething.Encouragehertoleanagainstboneratherthansofttissue.Thisapproachmaintainsthehumanformbetter.
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Canon5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat100mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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O7.SKATERBOY
kay,Ididsaynottogooutandshootindirectsunlight.That’sagoodruleofthumbformoretraditionalportraitscenarios.Inthiscase,however,mysubjectwasnottoo
traditional.Hisstorywastobetoldoutinthebrightsunwithasphaltunderhisfeet.Icouldhavemadethiseasierandbroughtoutthe“f-word”(flash!),butthelookIwasafterwaseasytoachievewithnaturallight.
Iknewitwouldn’tbepracticaltousethesunasamainlight.Infact,Ichosetodojusttheopposite.Iputthesubjectandhisskateboardinapositiontohidethesun.Athinlayerofcloudshelpedtoo.Iplacedalargereflectortocamerarighttofilltheshadowcoveringhisbodyandface.Thereflectorwasinchesfromhisfootandjustoutofthecameraview.Noticeitwasnotpointedstraightathim,butratherskimmedacrosshim.Thisway,theonlydefinedshadowsfromthesubjectcamefromthesun.Thefillreflectorwasusedtobringtheshadowvaluesclosertothehighlights.
THEPROPNextonthestorytellingagendawastheskateboard,whichwasanimportantpartoftheimageandthesubject’slife.Withouttheskateboard,itwouldnotmakesensetoposetheteenonthepavement.Becauseoftheprop’simportance,IfeltthatIshouldaddlighttodrawmoreattentiontotheskateboard.Iplacedasmallreflectorjustbeyondcameraviewandundertheboard.Thisreflectorhelpedmakethecolorfulboardpopandaddedlightinsubject’seyes.Sinceitwassobright,IhadtheteenclosehiseyeswhileIsetupthereflectors.IhadhimquicklyopenhiseyeslongenoughtoknowwhereIwasandfreezehimselfwhileheclosedhiseyesagain.Onthecountofthree,heopenedhiseyesandIrecordedtheportrait.
“Becauseoftheprop’simportance,IfeltthatIshouldaddlighttodrawmoreattentiontotheskateboard.Iplacedasmallreflectorjustoutsidecameraviewandundertheboard.”
PERSPECTIVE
Iuseda16–35mmlensforthisimagebecauseIwantedtoshowalotoftheenvironment.Askateboarderneedsspace.IfoundaplacenearthefencesoIcouldincorporateasenseofdepthasitgotfartheraway.Igavehimawide,skater-esqeposeandcoachedhimtogivemeasternexpression.Thelowcameraanglewaschosentohidethesunandpresentnothingbuttheskybehindhim.Iusedhisboardandhisorangeshoelacesaspointsonmycompositionaltriangle.Hislegsfilledinthegaps,leadingusrighttohisface.Hisstorywastold.
Canon1DsMarkII•CanonEF16–35mmf/2.8LUSMlensat16mm• second,f/8,100ISO
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T8.ALLEYGIRL
hisseniorportraitwasmadeonlocation.ItraveledanhourandahalftoaplaceIhadneverseenbefore.Therewasnotimetoscoutthearea;Isimplyhadtorollwithit.
AHARMONIOUSSCENEInoticedthewarmtonesinthebuildingsandthewaythestructuresrelatedtoeachother.Ialsothoughtofthebrowngrass,bluewindowframes,andtheperspectiveofthewindowsills.Ineededtomakethemallworktogetherandharmonizewiththesubject.Imadesureshewascontainedinthegrass,withnodistractions.ThenIlinedupthewindowframesjustofftoherleftinanasymmetricalcomposition.Thelinesofthewindowsillsanddeadgrassleaduspastthesubject,butwhenwegettotheblueframes,oureyesbouncebacktoher.Herbluejeansarethesecret.Blueistheonlypopofcolorinthisotherwisemonochromaticscene.Becausethesamecolorexistsonthesubjectandawell-placedbackgroundfeature,asenseofdepthiscreated.Theviewer,however,willalwaysgobacktothein-focussubject.
LIGHTINGThelightingwassimple.Itwasallaboutpositioningherwithinthelight.Therewasrawsunlightonthegroundinfrontoftheteenjustoutsideofcameraview.Iwalkedherbackuntilshewasshadedbythebuildingbutclosetotheedgeofthelight.There,Ihadalarge
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lightsourcewithgooddirection.Icouldposeherinvariouswaysandchoosemanydifferentpatternsoflightforherface.Forthisshot,Ilitthemaskofherfaceandletherbehappy.Itsuitedher.
Canon5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat85mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
W9.GIVEMETHREESTEPS
henIbeganworkontheretainingwalloutsideofmystudioentryway,Istartedlayingtherocksinastraightline,parallelwiththehouse,butthenIthought,
“WhynotcreateacompositionalelementIcanuseinaportraitsomeday?”SoIrearrangedtherocks,filledinthelowareas,andaddeddecorativestonesontop.Iplantedatreetohelpbreakupthelargeopenwallandtogiveablockingdeviceforlaterportraits.Thevisualizationpaidoff.Iusethisareaquiteabit.Inthesummer,thislocationisinshadeuntilabout10:00AM.Thatgivesmeplentyoftimetousetheareawithmyfirstsessionsoftheday.
Grassgrowsneartherocks,sothegreencoloraccentedthesubject’sgreeneyes.Thedecorativestonesworkedwellwithheroutfit.
POSINGFORTHELIGHTINGTheposewassimple.Inotedwherethelightwascomingfromandpositionedthesubjectatananglethatallowedthelighttoreachherface.Thesecretistoposeforthelight,butalsoforthesubject.Sometimeswhatwehaveinminddoesnotlookcomfortablewhenthesubjectdoesit.Whenthisisthecase,trysomethingdifferent.Intheend,thelighthastobepleasantandtheposeneedstobecomfortable.
REFLECTORFILLIpositionedareflectorunderandtothehighlightsideofthesubjecttobrightenhereyes.Noaddedreflectorfillwasneeded.Thestudiobuildingisalight-creamcolor.Thebuildingcastalargeshadowoverthearea.Thewallactedasasoftreflector,bouncinglightfromtheopenskyandaddingthefillweneededforaflatteringimage.
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Canon5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat90mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
10.RIVERWATCH
BEAUTYVERSUSDEVASTATIONIwasteachingaclassinColoradoseveralyearsago.Oneafternoon,wetookawalkwiththishighschoolseniorgirltofindareastotrashherpromdress.Justbecauseonethingisonyourminddoesn’tmeanyoucan’talteryourplansalongtheway.Thisarealookedcleanandpure.Iwantedtoshowbeautyhere,notdevastation.
SURVEYINGTHESCENEAswecametothisbridge,Inoticedalotofnicelightcomingfromanopeningcreatedbythebendintheriver.Ilookedthroughmy70–200mmlensandscopedoutabackgroundshowingsomewater.Therewasalargerockforposingon.Iwalkeddowntotherockandtookalightreadingwithmyhand-heldmeter,thenIhelpedthemodelmaneuverdownthebanktotherock.Iposedherinaprofilepositionbecausethelightwasinfavorofthatpatterninrelationshiptothecameraposition.Ifixedherhairandscrambledupthebanktothecameratocapturethisimage.
Whatmademestophere?Therivercutanopeninginthetreesforthelighttoenterthescene.Asyounoticeinthediagram,theonlyplacelightcouldcomefromwasbehindthesubject.Thetreesonbothsidesoftheriveractedasasubtractivelightsourceandthepositionofthecamerafromaboveonlyshoweddarknessbehindthesubject.Thesubjectwasthensculptedwithinthescene.
LENSSELECTIONUsinga70–200mmlenswasakeyfactorinthesuccessofthisimage.Bynarrowingthefieldofview,Iwasabletoisolateanareabehindthesubjectthatdidn’thaverawlightorotherdistractions.Italsocompressedthebackground,allowingthesubjecttostandoutevenmore.
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Canon5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat120mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
W11.UNDERGROUND
henIworkwithasenioroutdoors,ItendtomakethingsupasIgoalong.Thisway,theteenwillhavesomethingthatnooneelsehas.Seniorportraitsshouldbe
unique.Yes,thereshouldbesomeconstants,butyoushoulddoafewthingstoproduceuniquelooks.
ANURBANSTAIRWELLThisstairwellleadingtoabasementlookedlikeagoodlocation.Thebackgroundwasdifferentandpleasing,andthelightwasgood.HowdidIknowthelightwasgoodbeforethemodelwasinplace?Practice.Plus,thebuildingcastashadowoverthestairs.Theonlydirectionlightcouldcomefromwastheopenskyoverthestreet.Iknewthelightwouldcrossfromrighttoleft.
COMPOSITIONANDLIGHTINGIhadthemodelwalkdownthestairsuntilshewasframedbythebackwall.Herheadwastheonlypartofherbodyabovegroundlevel.Thisensuredthatitwouldbethebrightestpartofthescene.Thebackwallwasimportantformorethanjustsimplicity.Italsohadrhythmpotential.Thedarkbrickscouldlineupjustbehindthehighlightsideofherface.Theshadowsideofherfacecouldbepresentedagainstthelighterbricks.BypositioningthecamerajustrightIwasabletomaketheseparationvisible.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat80mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
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12.PLAYINGPOOLTHEFINALEIphotographedthisgirlforatrash-the-dresssession.ColoradomountainwateriscoldinlateMay.Heck,wewalkedaroundmanypilesofsnowduringthesession.Towarmupandtofinishthesession,shejumpedinthepoolattheresort.
THELIGHTINGTherewasgoodlightcominginfromtheglasswallonthelongsideofthepool,andtherewaslightcomingfromthefarside.Therewasapatioabovethepoolacrossfromthewindowswithalittlesetofstairs.Theshortwalluptothepatioandthewallonthefarsideofitweresolidandfacedwithwood.Theentrysideofthepoolalsohadasolidwall.Theonlywayforlighttonaturallygettoasubjectinthewaterwasfromthenorthandeastsides.Itwaslateintheafternoon,sothelightcomingfromtheeastwindowswasfromopensky,aswasthelightfromthenorth-facingglasswall.
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IwalkedaroundthepooltowhereIthoughtthelightwouldbebest.Ihadthemodelwalkintotheframe.Onceshewaswithinmycameraview,Iturnedheruntilthelightwasnice.Iusedherdresstocreateauniqueshapeandtocoverherunderarms.Sincethecombinationofherdressandherposelookedlikeaflower,Ihadherclosehereyestoavoidmakingeyecontactwithviewers.
Ilikedhowthewarmcolorofherskincontrastedthecoolcolorofthewater.EventhoughIwantedthecommunicationtobenondirect,Istillwantedtheviewertoseethehumanfigurewithinthedesign.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat90mm• second,f/3.5,400ISO
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13.WINDOWSEAT
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
CLOTHINGSELECTIONBeforeeachsession,Ilookthroughthesubject’sentirewardrobe.Iseparatecolors,thenwiththehelpofthemodel,choosethebestpieceswithineachcolor.Idecidewhatwillbeusedinsideandwhatwillbeusedoutsideoronlocation.TheindoorchoicesarehunginorderofwhatIamgoingtodo.IfIamsetupwithadarkbackgroundfromtheendofmylastsession,thefirstoutfitwillbedarkerincolor.Preparationiskey.
Thesubjecthadseveralwhitetops.Allwereniceanddifferentstyles.Insteadofpairingeachofthemwiththesamelight-coloredcanvasbackdrop,Ichosethewindowsillforthisoutfit.Thewindowsthemselvesmakeagoodbackground—especiallyinthiscase,astheyrepeatthemselvesasyoulookfartherintothescene.
THEPOSEIjustaskedtheteentositinthewindow.Sheposedherself.IaskedhertoturnherheaduntilIhadsplitlightingtocomplementherexpression.Ialsoplacedareflectorforfillandoneforaccent,asshowninthediagram.Notallimagesneedtobedifficult.Simpleis
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good.
I14.WINTERWOODS
liveinthenorthwoodsofMichigan’supperpeninsula.Ourwarmseasonisshort.In2013–2014,wehadsnoweverymonthfromOctoberthroughMay.That’seight
months.Thatleavesfourmonthstodosessionsoutdoorsinagreen,lushenvironment.Noteveryonethinkstocomeinduringthose“gentler”monthsforportraits.Somefolksbravethecold.
EMBRACINGTHEELEMENTSThisseniorwantedtobephotographedinthesnow.Weworkedinsidefirstandtookcareofthetraditionalthings,thenpackedupandheadeddowntheroad.
SERENDIPITYWhenIlookedthroughtheclient’swardrobe,Ifoundthissweatshirt.Thefirstthingthatcametomymindwasthatthepatternonitlookedlikethebarkofpoplartrees.WhenIsawthisstandofpoplartrees,Iquicklypulledover.Ihadtoworkfast.Therewasagood-sizedcloudcoveringthesun,buttherewasjustenoughintensitytocreateagooddirectionoflight.
IfoundtwotreestogetherwhereIcouldseemoretreesbehindthem.Iplacedhimagainstonetree,turnedhisfaceintothelight,andrecordedtheimage.Notethatthehighlightsideofhisfaceisagainsttheshadowsideofthetreebehindhimandtheshadowofhisfaceisagainstthelighterbackground.Lookforthesethings;theycanmakeyourimagesmorepowerful.
Ididnotuseareflectorforthisimage.Myonlylightwasthesunthroughtheclouds.Thetreeatthesubject’sleftactedasasubtractivelightsource.Ichoseanapertureoff/4.5forashallowdepthoffieldandsetthelensto140mmforanarrowfieldofview.ThesetwosettingsproducedanimagewithasimplebackgrounddespitethefactthatIwasworkinginanareawheretherewasagreatdealofpotentialfordistractions.
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T15.FLOWERGIRL
hisgirllikedwildflowers,solateintheafternoon,weheadedouttofindsome.Itdidn’ttaketoolong.Thepowerlinenearthestudiocutsapaththroughthewoods,
leavinggoodopenareasforwildflowerstogrow.Mostoftheareasarelinedwithtreesandwoodedcountrythatstretchesforseveralmiles.Thewoodsarehometomanycritters,includingbearswhofrequenttheseopenareasinsearchofberriesorotherfoodsources.Itdoesn’thappenoften,buteveryonceinawhile,wehavefurryphotobomberscomethrough.Thiswasnotoneofthosedays.
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LOCATIONLIGHTINGInthisparticulararea,therewasadepressionfrombothsidesoftheclearingsothetreeshungwayabovethefield.Thebankscastaniceshadowovertheflowersandmadeforaniceconsistentbackgroundthatalsohadwhattheseniorwanted.Icreatedmanyimageshere,butthiswasherfavorite.Ialsolikedit,astherewasgoodlight,herhairlookedgood,andherstorywastold.Thesubject’shairhungdownandactedasasubtractivelightsource.Yes,themainlightwascomingfromthewesternsky,butthehairhelped.Themoralofthestoryisthis:partsofyoursubjectscanhelplightornotlightotherparts.Dependingonwhatyousee,positionbodypartstohelpyou.AsIhavestatedbefore,bodypartscanalsohelpcreateamorepowerfulcomposition.
ASIMPLEBACKGROUNDIchoseanapertureoff/4forashallowdepthoffieldtohelpsimplifythebackground.Isetmylenstoamoderatefocallength,70mm,tokeepsomeofthefieldandflowersinview.
KodakDCSProSLR/n•Nikon80–200mmf/2.8lensat70mm• second,f/4,160IS
I
16.THESEBOOTSWEREMADEFOR…
paintedthiscanvasbackdropyearsago.Iuseittoshowthedarksideofsomepeople.Asyou’llnotice,Ipaintedlightanddarkareasforasubjecttoharmonizewithand
createanicerhythmoflightinrelationshipwiththebackground.
Thissubjectfitthedarkside.Shelovedherbootsandwantedtoshowthemoff.Ithoughtthatthisbackdroprepeatedthepatternoftheeyeletsintheboots.Thefootclosesttothelensraninadiagonaldirectiontothesubject’sface.Theeyeletswereperpendiculartothelinesinthebackground.Wherethetwointersect,weseethesubject’sface.
SPLITLIGHTINGThesplit-lightpatternsuitstheportraitconcept.Imadesuretheteenlinedupwithinthedarkandlightareasofthebackgroundforseparation.IplacedthebackgroundataslightangletothewindowssothatIcouldgetthesplitlightpatternIwantedwhilekeepinghersquaretothebackground.Normallyinastudio,thebackgroundstaysputandthelightismoved.Whenworkingwithnaturallight,thesubjectandthephotographerneedtomovewithinthelight.
Iusedabrightsilverreflectorforanaccentlightandasoftsilverreflectorforfill.Thereflectorswereplacedtoallowlighttoskimacrossher.
BIGSALESWhenImadethisimage,Ithoughtmyclientsmightpurchasewallet-sizeprints.Asitturnsout,hergrandparentsboughta24-inchprintofthispose.Theyweretakenbythewayitshowedherpersonality.Iguessyouneverknow.
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17.SWEETLIGHTONTHEBEACH,PART1
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm•⅛second,f/5.6,400ISO
THEBEAUTYOFSWEETLIGHT“Sweetlight”isfoundwhenthesunisoutofsightbehindthehorizonbuttheatmosphereisstilllight.Thishappensatsunriseandsunset.
TheseimageswerecreatedduringademonstrationinCapeMay,NewJersey.Theshootrequiredanearlywakeupcallandagood-sizedcupofcoffee.
Thenightbeforethisdemonstration,Iwentthroughthemodel’swardrobeandfoundthisdress.Ilikedthesimplebeautyofit.Itwaslightandairywithjustenoughtexturetomakeitinteresting.Iknewitwouldbewellsuitedtothepastelsettingofthebeachatsunrise.
Photographingthisearlyinthedayrequiresatripod.Someoftheexposurescanbeprettylong.Ifthemodelisinasturdystance,thisshouldbedoable.Thekeytothiskindofbeachportraitistoworkassoonasyouhaveenoughlighttosee.Whenthesuncomesoverthehorizon,thegameisover.It’sashortwindowinwhichtocreateimages,butit’smagical.
Whenthelightisright,thebackgroundinanydirectionholdsfavorabletonalrangescomparedtothesubject.Thismeansthemodelandphotographercanmoveinmoreanglestothelightandcreatedifferentlightpatternswithoutworryingaboutbackgroundproblems.Aslongasthebackgrounddoeswhatyouwantforthecomposition,thesubjectwillbethefocalpoint.
THREELOOKSImage1(left)wasinspiredbywatercolorartistSteveHanks.Hisworkisbeautifulandinspiring.AsIseeit,watercolorpaintingisaboutthetransparencyandtheartofworkingbackwardfromthewhiteofthepapertothecolorsinvolvedinthescene.Here,Isawmanylayersoftransparency.Thedrysand,thewetsand,theshallowwave,theocean,thedress,andthegirl’sfigure.Ialsolookedfordepthinthebackground.Bylettingthebeachfadeoffinthedistance,theviewergainsasenseofspace.Thefar-offpiergivesoureyesaplacetogo,butitisperpendicularwiththelinesofthebeachandstopsus,turnsusaround,andsendsusbacktothemodel.Yes,itisasimpleimage,butonewithagreatdealofthoughtbehindit.
Image2(facingpage,left)wascreatedabitlaterinthesession.Thesweetlightallowedmetomovearoundthesubjectforadifferentlightpatternandstillholdthebackgroundtones.Yes,Igotmyfeetwet,butitwasworthitbecauseIhadalightsourcethatallowedmetocreateashortlightpattern.Thesubjectcouldmakeeyecontactwithfutureviewers.
It’sworthpointingoutthateyecontactshouldgenerallycomefromalightedmaskoftheface,oratleastasplitlightpattern.Peoplelookingatyoufromwithinashadowcanbecreepy—solightwhatislookingatyou.
Image3(below,right)wascreatedabitearlierinthesession.ThesubjectandImovedawayfromthewaterwhilemaintainingthesamerelationshipwiththelight.Thisway,Icouldcreateashortlightpattern.Byturningthesubject,asingleaccentsculptedherface.Iletherlookdownwithasomberexpressiontomatchthemoodthatwasestablishedbythelight.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat95mm• second,f/4,400ISO
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat80mm• second,f/7.1,400ISO
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18.SWEETLIGHT,PART2FOCALLENGTHSThesetwoportraitsweremadeduringthesamesessionshowninsection17.Thesameexposuresettingswereusedforthesephotographs: secondatf/4andISO400.Notice,however,thattheimagesdifferfromoneanother.Thefirstimage(below)isafull-lengthscenicimage.Itwascreatedatafocallengthof70mm.Thesecondimage(facingpage)wasshotatafocallengthof140mm.Noticehowthebackgroundblursandthedetailsofthesceneblendtogether,leavingtheviewertofocusonthesubject.
Therearesomanyvariationswecanproduceinascenejustbyknowingwhatourequipmentiscapableof.Bothoftheseimagesshowthesubjectinaprofileposewithgoodprofilelighting.Youcanposeasubjectinaprofilestanceatanygiventime,butyouwillfindthatthephotographwillalwaysbemorepowerfulwhenthelightiscomingfrombehindthesubject.
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm• secondatf/4andISO400
WORKSMARTER,NOTHARDERSweetlighttimesaremagicalandeasytoworkin.Thisiswhymyoutdoorfamilyportraitsessionsarealldoneintheevening.Thelightisbetterforsubjectsandbackgrounds.Plus,that’swhenmanyfolksarehomefromwork.Don’tbattle.Worksmarter,notharder.
“Sweetlighttimesaremagicalandeasytoworkin.Thisiswhymyoutdoorfamilyportraitsessionsarealldoneintheevening.”
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm• secondatf/4andISO400
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W19.GLAMOURGIRL
henIwasinhighschool,JoeKindwasmywrestlingcoach,schoolyearbookadvisor,andphotographyteacher.Inwrestling,Ilearneddiscipline,attentionto
detail,andhowtoworkhardtoachieveagoal.Ialsolearnedthatbasicsaremorepowerfulthan“fancy”inmostcases.When“fancy”worksit’sbecauseaskillwaspracticedenoughthatitbecamebasicforthatparticularathlete/artist.Portraitswithstrong,basicideascanandwillimpressmoreandsellmorethan“fancy”donepoorly.
Iwaslucky.Ilearnedrightawaythatwhathappenedin-camera(thefoundationofthefinalimage)willaffectwhatcanhappeninthedarkroom.Technicalthoughtscanworktogetherwithartisticthoughts.Itisbesttovisualizeyourendresult,thenuseyourtoolsandskillstocreatewhatyouhaveinmind.Thisway,whenyougetintothe“darkroom”or,inmodernterms,“post-process”yourimages,yourworkwillberewardedatahigherlevel.
ADREAMYLOOKSo,howdomylifelessonspertaintothisimage?Well,inthiscase,Ichosetousealonglenstotakeadvantageofthesubject-to-backgroundcompressionthatwouldresult,plusawideapertureforashallowdepthoffield.Theresultwasasoft,dreamylookrightoutofthecamera.Theclothingthesubjectworewaslightincolor.Herhairwaslightincolorandlookedquitesoft.ThenInoticedhereyes—themakeupsheusedbeautifullydefinedthemandmadethemsharpcomparedtotherestofthescene.Ihadhersitontheedgeofmynorth-lightwindowsotheentirewalloflightcouldbeusedtogiveaverygradualtransitionbetweenhighlightandshadow.Iwantedtheviewer’sattentiontogotohereyes,soIhadherturnherbodyawayfromthewindowandturnherfacebacktowardthelight.Bydoingthis,herchestwasshadowedbytherestofherbodyandherfacewasthebrightestpartoftheimage.Iusedonereflectortoproducefillsotheshadowswouldn’tbecomedarkanddisturbinginthispastel,airyscene.Asecondreflectorwasplacedunderthesubjectandtothehighlightsidetoenhancehereyes.
POST-PROCESSINGWeusesoftwaretoenhanceourimagesthesedays,buttheolddarkroomtacticsstillapply.Inthedarkroom,Iwouldburnanddodgetodarkenorlightenanarea.Iwouldusecoloredfilterstocreatedifferentcontrastsanddifferentlookstovariouscolorsintheimage.Later,withthehelpofcoldlightenlargers,IcouldburncontrastintodifferentareasasIsawfit.Thatwasgettingprettyadvancedinthedarkroom,butitwaspossible.Today,wehaveRAWfilesandcanusePhotoshop’sfiltersandthird-partyplug-instocustomprintanimagewithgreaterprecisionthanwaseverpossibleinthetraditionaldarkroom.Yes,themeansofimageenhancementhavechanged,buttheidealsstillholdtrue:thebasicsareafoundationforeventhemostelaboratemove.Startwithsomethinggoodfromthecamera,thenusepost-processingtoenhanceyourresults.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat165mm• second,f/4.0,and400ISO
Forthisimage,IusedNikSilverEfexPro2tocreateseveraldifferentoutcomeswithcoloredfiltersandvariationsincontrast.IthenlayeredtheimagesinPhotoshopandpainted(burnedanddodged)thedesiredeffectwhereIsawfit.
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20.REDTHEPHOTOSHACKIusedtoloadaseniorandparentintomyvehicleanddrivearoundtovariouslocationstofindbuildingswithcharacter.Therewereinherentproblemswiththisapproach:(1)Gaspricesarehigh;(2)moretimewasspentdrivingthancreating;(3)thebuildingskeptgettingtorndownjustasIgottoknowthem.ThisiswhyIbuiltthe“photoshack”(seethephotoonpage40).ItriedtouseoldweatheredmaterialbutrealizedthatIcouldmakeitmorethanjustanoldshack.IpaintedthemiddlebaywallsredandmatchedonesheetofplywoodforextralengthifIneededit.
VISUALIZATIONWhenIsawthissubject’sredshirt,Ivisualizedusingthisareaoftheshack.Hershirtcolorharmonizedwellwiththebackground,givingherareasontoexistthere.Forthisimage,Iproppedtheredplywoodinthecornertomakeasimplebackgroundforherandtocreatedepthinthescene.NormallyIwouldpositionmycameratopointeastorwestandusethenorthlightfromthewindow,butnotthistime.Thistimethesoft,northlightactedasmyfilllight.Themainlightcamefromareflectoroutinthesun.Ifeatheredthedirectlightacrossthesubject.Someofthereflectedlightalsocastashadowoftheplywoodonthewallbehindher.Ididn’tforeseethis;itwasahappyaccident.WhenIlookedthroughthecamera,Ismiled.Iknewitwasgoingtobesomethingspecial.
Yes,Iusuallyliketofindshadetoworkin,butdon’tbeafraidtoharnessabitofrawlightfromthearea.Justbecarefulthatyoudonotblindyourpoorsubjectbypointingthereflectorrightatthem.It’suncomfortableanditwillcauseproblemswhenitcomestimetoprintthephotograph.
“Don’tbeafraidtoharnessabitofrawlightfromthearea.Justbecarefulthatyoudonotblindyourpoorsubjectbypointingthereflectorrightatthem.”
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21.ALLABOARDWARNING!Thisimagediscussionbeginswithawarning:Donotphotographpeopleonworkingrailroadtracksortraincars.Firstofall,itisagainstthelaw.Railroadtracksareprivatepropertyandyoushouldn’tbeonthem.Theyarealsounsafe.Trainsareverylargeandextremelyheavy.Theymovefasterthanyouthinkanddonotstopeasily.Itwouldbearealdownertowalkawayfromoneofyourclientsinhandcuffs.Itwouldbeevenworseifsomeonewerehurtorkilled.Asofthiswriting,Ihaveheardoffourrailroadfatalitieslinkedtophotographythisyear.Don’tbepartofthisstatistic.Thetracksyouseeinmyimagesareexemptandtheyareusedforsnowmobiletrailsinthewinter.ThetraincarIuseisinalumberyard,andIhavepermissiontogothere.Besafefirstandcreativesecond.
LIGHTINGHowdidIgetthelighttodothis?Thekeytothisimage,asisthecaseinmanynaturallightscenarios,istiming.Icanusethisspotintheearlymorningorlateafternoon.Thisparticularimagewasmadeinthelateafternoon.Theoverhangfromthecabooseblockedthedownlight.Theopenskytotheeastproducedanicefill.Therewassomelightskimmingoverthetopofthecarbehindthesubject,creatinganicehairlight.Themainlightwasfromthebrighteropenskytothewest.Thedirectsunlightwasblockedbythetraincaritself,buttherewasstillmoreintensityfromtheopenskytotheeast.Youwillnoticeevenmoredirectionfromourmainlightbecauseofthethinverticalladderandthesubject’sarmactedasasubtractivelightsource.Ifsheweretoleanbackawayfromtheladder,herfacewouldhaveadoubleaccentpatternonit.Bymovingherfaceforward,thelightdirectionwasonlyvisiblefromthewest.
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat110mm• second,f/4.5,400ISO
AGOODCOMBINATIONNoticethebackground.Ineededtouseafairlylongfocallengthtoavoidtherawlightthatwashittingthetraincarbehindthesubjectandtoourright.Atothertimesoftheday,thislightmaybeabletobeduplicated,butthebackgroundwillbecomeunusable.Remember,youneedagoodbackgroundandgoodlightforyoursubjecttoexistwithin.Withoutone,theotherjustdoesn’tcutit.
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A22.LET’SJAM
tleastonceayear,aseniorwalksthroughthedoorwithaguitar.Thisgirlhadaniceoneandlookedgoodwithit.Idecidedtouseclassicallightingwithanedgierpose.
POSINGANDLIGHTINGIchosetobringtheguitarupclosetohercheekandaimthenecktowardthecamera.Thelightwasprettynormalascomparedtomostofmywork.ShewaspositionedontheedgeofthebankofwindowssothatIcouldfullyusethenorthlightasamainlightsource.Onereflectorwasusedforfillandonewasplacedunderthemodelonthehighlightsideofherface.Iturnedherbodyawayfromthewindowandturnedherfacebackintothelightjustenoughtoproduceabroadlightpattern.Iaskedhertonotsmilebuttolookalittlehappyandconfident.SomehowsheknewjustwhatImeant—theexpressionfitthemood.
Theguitarwasontheshadowsideofthesubjectandwastiltedawayfromthewindow.Ididn’twantthewindowreflectionsontheguitar,astheywouldhavebeendistracting.
BACKGROUND
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ThebackgroundwasfromShootingGalleryBackgrounds.Theydoawonderfuljobofpainting.Theyalsodoagreatjoblisteningtoyouandpaintingtomatchyourneeds.Thisparticularpaintingwascreatedinthemirrorimageofwhatwasintheircatalog.Whenchoosinganewbackground,lookforshapesandpatternsorlightanddarkareasyoucanuseinrelationshipwiththesubject.Remember,thereisnobackgroundlightinthenorthlightstudio.Thebackgroundmustofferseparation.
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23.DOVEGIRLTATTOOSIfmyclienthasatattoo,Iwanttoknowthestorybehindit,asitwillguidewhatIdofortheimage.Thisyoungladyhaddovesonherhip.Herstorywasdeepandsad,asitwastomemorializethelossofafamilymember.
LIGHTINGAsingleaccentfeltrightforthisimage.Iwantedabright,heavenlybackground.Ithoughtonecouldalsobetheother.Iplacedherinfrontofthewindow.Byexposingforher,thebackgroundwouldbeoverexposedtothepointofaglow.IturnedherfaceuntilIsawthelightfeatheracrosshercheekboneandnose.Therewasatleastasix-stopdifferencebetweentheexposedlightonherandthebackground.Thisworkedinmycameraroombecauseofthewhitewallsoppositethewindows.Thewallsprovidedthefilllightthatcreatedtheexposureforherbody,whilethelightfromtheopenskyoutsidecreatedthehighlightsonherface.
Theinkisasecondaryfocalpointtoherfacebecauseherfacehasmoredimension.Thehighlightsthatshowherfeaturesattractattention.Imadesuretherewasenoughlightontheinktobeeasilyseen,butitisthesamelightasontherestofherbody.Byplacingherhandsdiagonallyoneithersideoftheartwork,attentionwasdrawntothatarea.Itallcomesbacktothelightbackground.Herhandsaredarkcomparedtoeverythingelse.Theshadowsideofherfaceisthesamedensityasherhands.Herhandsandfacemakeatrianglethatwefollowwithoureyes.Alongthisfollowedpath,herstoryistold.
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Canon5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat120mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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24.TRAINDOORCHALLENGEYOURSELFAfewyearsago,Igavemyselfachallenge.Foreveryseniorsessionthattookmepastthetraincar,Iwouldstopandcreatesomethingdifferent.Iworkedinside,outside,andontopofthecar.Iwouldhaveworkedunderneathifitweren’tforthefurrydwellers.Iusedthetrainatdifferenttimesoftheday.Ilearnedtousesmallandlargelightsources.Isoughtoutdifferentbackgroundpossibilities,largeandsmall.Ifoundareasforthesubjectstosit,stand,lie,lean,andhangamongthetwocars.Thereweremanyanglestofollowandcolorstouse.Thechallengewasgoodformeandmyclients.Itassuredeveryonethattheywouldhavesomethingunique.Peoplelikevariety,andtheyliketohavesomethingtheycancalltheirown.
THESETUPForthisimage,Iusedthedoorwayofthecaboose.Iwaspositionedacrossfromthedoor,tuckedundertheorecar.Fromthisangle,Icouldseeintothecar.Theboardsonthefloorcreateddepthastheystretchedbeyondthedoor.Thewarmcolorsontheframemadea
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nicecontrasttotheteen’sshirt.Itwasapparentthatthelightwouldbegoodinthatarea,soIbroughtinthesubject.
Theposewassimple;“sitdown”wasallIsaid.Hesatandleanedagainstthedoor.Hewastooflatandsattoofarintothecar,soIhadhimrollonhisbottomtowardthedoor.Thisgaveabetterangleforhisshouldersandbroughthisfaceintothelightcomingfromtheopenwesternsky.Theresultwasabroadlightpatternonhisface.Theopeneasternskyactedasafilllight.Noreflectorswereneeded.Iloveplaceslikethis.Here,Iwasaffordedalittleroofoverheadandgoodlight,plusagoodbackground.Ah,thesimplepleasuresoflife.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
N25.THOUGHTSANDDREAMS
everunderestimatewhatlightdoesforyou.Yes,itisnecessarytoexposetheimage,butitcanalsoguidetheviewer’seyethroughthephotograph,createdepth,tella
story,andportrayemotion.Thatiswhatthisimageisabout.
ACHALLENGINGLOCATIONThisportraitwascreatedinastairwell.Therewerewindowsbehindthesubject.Oppositethewindowsweredarkstairswithadooratthetopandbottomofeachstair.Thelightcamefromthewindows.Iusedareflectorperpendiculartothesubjectforfilllight.
Ishotfromabovesothatthelandingbetweenthestairwellsbecamethebackground.Itwassimplewithoutdistractions.Itwasalsodark,whichshowedabeautifulcontrasttothelightonherface.Onecan’thelpbutlookatthesubject.Thislightdirectioncouldhavealsobeenusedforaprofileportrait.
EMOTIONANDEXPRESSIONWhenyouarriveatyourlocation,lookaroundyoursubject.Maybetheareayou’vechosenwon’tallowyoutocreateaportraitinwhichthesubjectislookingatthecamera,butyoumayfindthatawonderfulopportunityexists.
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat125mm•f/4, second,800ISO
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Thesubjectlookeddown,sothereisnodirectcommunicationbetweenherandtheviewer.Thisengagestheviewer’simagination.Heorshewillcontemplateherexpression,whichissimultaneouslysimpleandcomplex.
W26.DREADLOCKS
orkinginthephotoindustryhasallowedmetodosomewonderfulthings.Ihavebeencoasttocoastandbeyond,sharingwhatIdowithotherphotographicartists.
ThisparticularimagewascreatedinFlorida.Thesubjectwasmodelingformyclass.Shehadwonderfuldreadlocks.Sheworeagreen,softknitsweater,whichharmonizedwellwithherhairandeyes.IhadbeenwatchingagroupofstudentsworkingwithherwhenIcameupwiththisidea.
Behindthesubjectwasapatchofgrass.Iknewthatwithalonglensandashallowdepthoffield,Icouldusethecolorofthegrasswithoutshowingitstexture.Ijustneededahighcameraangle.Ifoundagarbagecannearbyanddecidedtoputittouse.Thekeytoclimbingontopofagarbagecanistogetbothfeetuponoppositesidesofthetoprimatthesametime.(Ifoundthisoutaftermyfirstattempttogetonit.)Usingahighcameraangle,IwasabletocapturewhatIhadenvisioned.
CONSIDERTHENUANCESPortraitureisaboutmakingdecisions.Wemustcarefullyconsiderthenuancesofthesubjectandsceneinfrontofusandtweakthedetailstogettheimageweenvision.Imightthinktomyself,“Iwantathought-provokingimage,soIwillwanttousealightingpatternthatkeepspartofthesubject’sfaceinshadow.IfIturnherheadtoachievethat,however,herhairwillcoverherfaceinanunflatteringway.Instead,I’lluseashortlightpatternandhaveherlookdownandshowherfacewithouteyecontact.”Consideryourcreativeoptionsandmakerefinementsasyougo.Inthiscase,Iprobablyshouldhavehadherholdthisposebutlookintothecameraasanotheroption.Whenindoubt,recordtheimage.Youcanalwaystossitawaylaterifyoudon’tlikeit.
LIGHTINGANDPOSINGThelightforthisportraitwassimple.Itwaslateafternoonandanearbyhotelcastashadowovertheyard.Theopenskyovertheoceanprovidedthemainlight.Thetrees
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behindandontheshadowsideofthesubjectactedassubtractivelightsourcesandblockedthelightfromthosedirections.Theonlyplacefromwhichthelightcouldenterthescenewasfromthesideandinfrontofthesubject.AllIneededtodowaspositionmyselfforthebackgroundIwanted,thenplacethesubjectwithinthatframe.Oncethesubjectwasinthecorrectspot,Ihadherrotateherbodyawayfromthelightandherfaceintothelight.Withthat,Icapturedtheimage.
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat200mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
27.“COCAINELIGHTING”THEBILLBOARDLikemanyofyou,Itrytomakeeachiteminmyyardusefulforphotographs,inadditiontousingitforitsintendedpurpose.Thiswallwasconstructedformydaughtertohitatennisballagainstandalsotokeepthebasketballfromrollingtoofardownthedrivewaywhenmysonhadtheballgetawayfromhim.Ithasalsoworkedwellforafewportraits.Idon’tusuallyworkbythiswallinthelateafternoon,butasthisseniorboyandIwalkedbythislocationatthisparticulartime,hewaswearingahoodedsweatshirt,andIsawthisimageinmymind.
LIGHTING,POSING,ANDCOMPOSITIONTherewasalittlerawlightskimmingoverthetopofthewall.Therawlightwasalsoonthebasketballcourt,bouncingup.Ihadthesubjectputhishoodupandhangintothescene.IhadhimleanbackandforthuntilIcouldgettheaccentfromtherawlighttojusttouchhisclothing,whilekeepingthelightfromthecourtonhisface.IchoseahighcameraanglesoIcouldseeonlythebackofthewallandtwoofthesupports.
Ibroketherulesforthisshot.IusedwhatItypicallycall“cocainelighting.”Iletthelightshootuptheteen’snose.Thislightingisnotveryflattering—it’sbestusedforsomeonewhoistellingaghoststoryaroundthecampfire—butitworkedhere.Withthesubject’sclothingchoiceandexpression,thelightmadesenseandhelpedtellthestory.
Iusedareflectorforfill,asyoucanseeinthediagram.
Ifthesubjectwerewearingshortsleeves,thisapproachwouldnothaveworkedverywell.Hisskinwouldhavebeentooreflectivefortherawlight,andthefilewouldhavebeenanunprintablemess.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat80mm•f/4.5, second,400ISO
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28.ALITTLEHELPFROMHERFRIENDS
CONNECTWITHFRIENDSANDFAMILYIdon’thaveemployees.IfIneedanassistant,Irecruittheparentorfriendofthesubjecttoholdreflectors.Someseniorscomealongforafriend’ssessionwithnointentiontobookme.Afterassisting,theyoftendecidetohiremeafterall.It’snotuncommontohavethreegirlsshowuptwoorthreetimesayear—oncefortheirownsession,andoncemorewithfriends.
THESETUPAfriendofthesubjectwasperchedontopoftheretainingwallwithareflector,whichstoppedthelightfromcomingstraightdownonthesubject.Anotherfriendheldthefillreflector.Thelightwasonlyallowedinfromthesideilluminatedbyopensky.Thefillreflectorwasnotinitsusualplaceforthisshot.Therockwallwasintheway.Ifeatheredsomefilllightfromthehighlightside,justinfrontofthesubject,tocreatethedesiredrelationshipbetweenshadowandhighlight.
Wedidseveralposeswiththissetup.Theteenlookedmostcomfortableinthisphoto,sothisistheoneIshowedtheclient.
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29.BLACKROCKSNOPLACELIKEHOMEIliveintheforestareaofNorthernMichigan.Itiscoldinthewinterandsummergoesbyquickly,butthebeautyofMotherNaturesurroundsusalways.Thebackgroundhereiswhatoncewasthebottomofaragingriver.Therivercontinuestocarveitswaythroughtherock,butitisnowcontrolledbydamsthroughoutitspath.Thebanksoftheriverareveryhighabovethewater,especiallyonthewestbank.ItisbecauseofthishighbankthatIfrequentthislocationforlate-afternoonportraiture.Ashadowiscastacrosstheentireriver,buttheskytotheweststillhasmorepowerthanthatfromtheeast.Igetagooddirectionoflightfromthewest.Icanlookupriverordownriverandgetgoodlightandabackgroundwithouthotspots.
THEAPPROACHIwantedtocreateaclose-upimagebutstillwantedtoseetherock.Ihadthesubjectlieagainsttherockwithherheadtotheeast.Sheturnedherfacetowardthecamera,whichallowedthelightfromthewesternskytoaddshapeandformtoherface.Ikeptherhandsunderherbodyandinshadowtominimizethem.Therocksheleanedonactedasagobo.Iplacedashortblackpaneljustoutsidetheframetokeepthelightonherbacktoneddownincomparisontoherface.YoumaybewonderinghowIcarryallthesereflectorsandpanels.Idon’tcarrymany—usuallytwo.Botharesilverononesideandblackontheother.Onesilverisbright(foraccentlight)andoneissofter(forfill).IfIdon’tneedoneofthereflectors,theoppositesidecanbeusedasagobo.
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat160mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
30.TRAINSTEPGIRLTRAINCARVARIATIONAsyoucansee,thisportraitsessiontookmebacktothetraincarshownearlier.Thistime,theskywasovercastandIwasshootinginthelateafternoon.Overcast,cloudydaysaresaidtobebestforportraits.Itcanbetrue.Asfarasthebackgroundisconcerned,itismucheasiertoworkonanovercastday.Thereismorespacetoworkwiththatwillremaininthesameprintabletonalrangeasyoursubject.Ah,butthesubject.Onanovercastday,whereisthelightcomingfrom?Stillabove.Yes,youmustplacethesubjectinanareathatwillforcethelightinonedirectiontoproduceflatteringlightonhisorherface.Areasthatwouldworkonabrightdaywillalsoworkwhenitisovercast.
Becauseitwaslateintheafternoon,therewassomeintensityfromthewesternsky,butnotenoughtocastrawlighteverywhere.Therewasalsoagreatdealoflightcomingfromabove.Ichosenottostopthedownlightbutworkwithitinstead.Byhavingthesubjecttipherheadandletherlonghairhangdown,herheadbecameagobo,blockingthelightfromtheundersideofherface.Herlonghairalsoblockedthelightfromthewest.Theresultwasanicelightontheentiremaskofthesubject’sface.
POSINGWITHPURPOSEBecauseIhadthesubjecttipherheadsofartogettherightlight,Ineededareasonforthetilt.Ihadherbringherhandupsoshecouldleanagainstit.Whenyoustudytheimage,you’llnoticethatherarmisnotstraightupanddown.Herhandisbehindhercheekandsheisnotrestingherelbowonherleg,it’stheundersideofherarm.Thiswasdonetominimizethesizerelationshipofherhandtoherfaceandtokeepherhandfrompressingagainstanddistortingherface.Herarmwasangledtodrawtheeyetoherface.Havingherrestonhertricepsratherthanherelbowallowedthistohappenwithoutlookingtooawkward.Herfacewasturnedforthelightbutalsodirectsjustalittleattentiontotheotherarm.Thatarmcirclesbacktotheleaningarm,andthecompositioniscomplete.
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T31.PIANOLIGHTING
hisimagehaslongbeenoneofmyfavorites.Itwillneverwinanyawards,butitmarksthepointinmycareeratwhichIbegantofreemyselfnottolightmysubject’s
face.ItwasalsothepointatwhichIrealizedthatthereareasmanystoriestobetoldbytheabsenceoflightastherearestoriesthataretoldbylightitself.
THELIGHTINGThisportraitwascreatedduringademonstrationinCapeMay,NewJersey.Asyoucanseeinthediagram,thereweretwowindowsintheroom.Therewasacoveredporchoutsidethewindows,whichwerefacingwest.Therawlightfromtheskycouldn’treachintothewindowsunderthecoveredporch,butitstillwasmuchmoreintensethanwhatweseefromanopensky.Thelightskimmedacrossthesubject’sback,showingwonderfuldetailinhershoulderbladesandspine.Italsooutlinedherhair,givingitshapeagainstthedarkpiano.ThenInoticedthelightonthepianoitself.IhadthesubjectslideoveronthebenchuntilIcouldseethelightonthepianorightbehindtheprofileofherface.Therewasnolightonherfaceatall.Thiswasawaytoelicitasombermoodandcreatedepthatthesametime.
Thesubject’sdresswaslongandflowing,withseverallayerstoit.Iusedalayertostopourattentionfromleavingtheimageattheendofthepiano.Inhindsight,Iwouldhavedonesomethingmorecomfortablewithherarms.
CREATEANARRAYOFIMAGESIhaveincludedotherimagesfromthesamesession.Theseportraitexamplesshowotherwaystousethesamelightsource.IcouldprobablyhavecomeupwithafewmoreifIwantedto.Thepointis,whileyouareinalocationwithagoodbackgroundandusablelight,lookforvariety—it’sgoodfortheclientandforyou.Becreative,haveavision,butdon’tbecomesoentrancedwithyouroriginalconceptthatyouoverlookotherideas.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat75mm•f/4, second,1600IS0
“Whileyouareinalocationwithagoodbackgroundandusablelight,lookforvariety—it’sgoodfortheclientandforyou.”
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32.MOUNTAINEERFOOTBALLPLAYER
BREAKINGTHERULESIhavesaidnottogooutinthedirectsun.Well,forthisportrait,Ibrokemyownrules.Ihadagoodreason—well,twogoodreasons:First,thesubjectwantedtoshowoffhisshades.Wherebettertodothatthaninthesun?Second,hewasproudofbeingafootballplayerforhishighschoolteam.Thisbackgroundmeansalottohimandhisfamily.Therearetimeswhentheclient’sstoryismoreimportantthangettingjusttherightlight.PortraituresometimesrequiresthesamerulesthatapplywhenIphotographweddings:First,getsomethingrecorded.Ifthereistime,makesomethingbetter.Youcan’tlollygagandwaitforperfection.Youmaymisseverything.
Thisimagewascreatedatmid-morning.Thesunwasupbutstillataprettygoodangletothesubject.Iwasfullyreadytoexposethisimageindirect,rawlight,butatthelastmomentalittlewispofcloudmadeitswaybetweenusandthesun.Itwasstillverybright,asyoucanseebythe shutterspeed,butthesceneleveledoutabit,allowingthebackgroundtobeinagoodrelationshiptothesubject.
Thesubjectwouldhavebeensquintingifitweren’tforthesunglasses.Becauseofthedirectionofthesunlight,Iwasabletopositionhimfairlysquaretousandstillgettheperspectiveofthestadiumwallfadingintothedistance.Thepaintingofthefootballplayerwasonanangledwall,whichworkedoutwellforthisimage.Thesubject,thepainting,andthepowerfullinesofthestadiumtogetherformatriangle.Anyoneviewingthisimagewillfeelthattheycanreachintothescene.Whenthephotographdoesn’tseemtobeaflatpieceofpaper,itbecomesmorepowerful.
“Iwasfullyreadytoexposethisimageindirect,rawlight,butatthelastmomentalittlewispofcloudmadeitswaybetweenusandthesun.”
PHOTOSHOPENHANCEMENTSTheclientwantedtheimagetobeacombinationofcolorandblack&white.Ilefteverythingblack&whiteexcepthisjerseyandpartofthestadiumwall.Thishelpedtiethesubjecttothescene.
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S33.YELLOWFLOWERS
ometimes,whenIamheadedtoafamiliarlocation,Iseeabackgroundthatisperfectfortheclientandtheiroutfit.Imayseesomethingoutofthecornerofmyeyeandhit
thebrakes.Maybeit’sjustme,butwhenIfindalocationthatisjustright,Igetinspired.
BACKGROUNDFIRSTApainterdoesn’tbeginwiththesubject,thenpaintthebackground—andweshouldn’teither.Youmusthaveapowerfulbackgroundandgoodlight,andthenthesubjectcanexistwithinthespace.WhenIscoutforbackgrounds,Ialsolookforthelight.Thetwohavebecomeoneinmymind’seye.Ineverdisregardcoollookingbackgroundsinbadlight.Ijustmakeamentalnotetogobackatadifferenttimeofday.
CREATINGTHEIMAGEMysubjectandIwereinaditchalongsidetheroad.Theflowersmatchedheroutfitperfectly.Thelightwasfromthewesternsky,butthedirectsunlightwasblockedbypilingsfromtheoldmine.Thetreestotheeastblockedlightfromthatdirection.Theresultwasnicesoftlightwithgooddirection.Iusedagobotoshadethesubject’schesttoensurethatherfacewouldbethebrightestpartoftheimage.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat120mm•f/4.0, second,400ISO
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34.FOOTBALLCLOSEUPINTHECAMERAROOMWhenIwaslayingoutthefootingsformycameraroomandhome,Istartedwiththenorthwall,whichwouldbethelightsourceformyindoorportraits.Iclearedthebuildingsitethentookoutthecompassandtriedtogetaperfectlinerunningeastandwest.EachtimeIcheckedit,Igotadifferentreading.WelcometoIronMountain!Asitturnsout,Iwasoffbyafewdegrees,whichcausesissueslateinthedayduringthesummer.IfIcoulddoitalloveragain,Iwouldensuretherewasatleast12feetbetweentheendofthewindowandtheeastwall.Thesamewouldbetrueonthewestside.Byhavingmorespacefromwindowtowall,youcancontrolthedensityofyourbackgroundandtheangleatwhichyouuseit.Asyoucanseeinthediagram,inthiscase,IneededtoblockthewindowtogetthelightingIwantedforthesubject.Iusedanotherbackgroundtodothis.
Whydidweworkatsuchanangletothewindow?Iwantedtohaveagreatdealofseparationfrombehind.Asyoucanseeontheteen’sshoulderpads,thelightwasonhisrightshoulder.Thehelmetcreatedanedgeandonlyallowedthelighttoskimacrosshisface.Thelengthofthewindowaddedfill.Iusedareflectorforabitmorefillandoneformoreaccentontherightsideoftheimage.Ileftthereflectioninhishelmetsoyoucanseetheplacement.Onemorereflectorwasusedunderhimandonthehighlightsidetoaddfillunderhishelmetandputalittlelifeinhiseyes.
THEPOSEANDCOMPOSITIONHisposegaveusagoodangle.Hisshoulderpadsappearineachcornerandgiveoureyessomethingtofollow.Betweenthecorners,thestoryistoldinhiseyes.
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35.BLUEPALLETS
MIDDAYSUNTherearetimeswhenwefindourselvesoutatmidday.Onthoseoccasions,Iimmediatelyseekoutoverhangs—densetreecover,bridges,porches—toblockthedirectlightfromabove.Thekeyisnottogettoofarundertheseareas.ToomanytimesIseestudentsrightupagainstthetrunkofatree.Yes,thecanopystoppedthedownlight,butthegoodlightwasnotabletogettothesubjecteither.Moveouttotheedgeofthecanopy.Aslongasyoucanfindabackgroundinthatarea,youwillbeingoodshape.
APOPOFCOLORThispileofpalletscaughtmyeye.Thecolorsinthepilewouldworkwellwithmysubject’sclothing.Alargetreeshadedthepalletsandsubject.Thetreewasonabitofahill,sothelightenteredtheareaataniceangletothesubject.Wecouldhaveworkedhereallmorning.
Imovedthepalletstocreategoodleadinglinestothesubject.Whenlookingatascene,ifthereissomethingyoudon’tlike,changeit.Youareresponsiblefortheendresult.
THEPOWEROFLINESToposethesubject,Istartedbyturningherbodyawayfromthelight,withherfaceturnedbacktowardit.Imadediagonalsfromverticals.Herlegswerestraightupanddown.Ihadherkeepherkneestogetherandbringherfeetapart.Diagonallinesleadtheviewer,verticalandhorizontallinesstoptheviewer.Iaskedthesubjecttoleanforwardontoherhand,totheshadowside.Thisway,herhandisinshadowanddoesnotdistractfromherface.Herleftarmwaspositionedtocompleteacompositionalcirclethatleadsusbacktoherface.
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36.BEHINDBLACKROCKSBACKONTHERIVERBEDHereweare,backontheriverbed.It’samazinghowmanyposingopportunitiesnaturegrantsus.Thistime,Ichosetolookuprivertothenorth.Thelightwascomingfromthewesternskyonthislateafternoon.Theentireareawasinshadow.Therewasnorawlightonthescene.
Ilikedwhatthelightwasdoingtothesubject’shair,butherhairblockedthemainlightfromherface.Theeasternskytookoverasthemainlightandthewesternskyactedasanaccentlight.
IpositionedmyselfsoIcouldseethedarkrockaroundthehighlightsideofherandthelight-greenbushontheshadowside.Thiscreatedseparation.Alwaysrememberthatmovingaquarterofaninchonewayoranothermaycompletelychangeyourimage.
ABOUTTHEPOSENaturepresentsgreatpropsforyoursubjecttoleanon.Justbesurethatthepersondoesnotleanonthewrongplaces.Ensurethatthefleshisneversmashedanddistorted.Also,besurethehandsdon’tappearoutofnowhere.Ifyoushowahand,showwhereitcamefrom;leaveaconnectingpointtotherestofthebody.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat135mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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I37.PROM’SOVER
seequiteafewpromdressesduringaseniorseason.Ithinkanyparentwouldagreeitisgoodtogetonemoreuseoutofsomethingthatcostafortune.I’lldotraditionalthings
withthedresses—somefull-lengthsittingorstandingposesmixedinwithsomeclose-upimagesisalwaysgood.Thistime,however,Ihadsomethingelseinmind.Iwasthinkingmoreofthestressfromtheprom:thepreparations,thecost,andthenightitselfcanbegrueling.ThatisthestoryIwantedtoconvey.
THESETUPIusedthesouthwallofmycameraroomandthepillarsforthebackground.IplacedthesubjectbythefrontpillarandpositionedmyselfsoIcouldseethreepillarsbehindher.Ithenhadherleanforwardandlungetowardmeuntiltheshadowsideofherhairlinedupwiththehighlightofthepillardirectlybehindher.NowIhadagoodbackgroundandsubjectrelationship.Thelightwastherewithinthescene.Ijustneededthesubjecttoturnherfacebacktowardthelight.
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70-200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm• second,f/5.6,400ISO
“Theposealsohelpedtotellthestory.Herlegs,showingatanangle,giveheragoodbaseandleadtheviewertoherface.”
Iusedafillreflectorasshowninthediagramandanaccentreflectortoaddtotheshapeofherlegsanddress.
Theposealsohelpedtotellthesubject’sstory.Herlegs,showingatanangle,giveheragoodbaseandleadtheviewertoherface.Herbarefeetaddtothefeeloftheimage.IwashappywithwhatIsawthroughthecamera,soIrecordedtheshot.Atthatpoint,IthoughtIwasdone.
FINISHINGOPTIONSPhotoshopallowsforinfiniteartisticoptions.Thisportraitwasstretchedtoachieveabettercompositionandalsotohelpshowthelonelinessasubjectmightfeelonthedayaftertheprom.ImustadmitthatIdidn’tthinkofthisduringoraftertheimagewascreated.MyfriendMichaelTimmonssuggestedtheconcept.Itpaystohangoutwithtalentedpeople.Sometimestheirtalentrubsoffonyou.
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S38.SWEETLIGHTFAMILYPORTRAIT
chedulingisanimportantpartofmylife,asanaturallightphotographerandabusiness-person.Itrytobookseniorsorotherindividualswhoareinterestedin
outdoorimagesformorningsessions.IstartoutdoorsandgetasmuchdoneasIcanbeforethesunistoohightoeasilywork,thenIworkinthecameraroom.Ischeduleexecutivesandotherindoorsessionclientsformiddaywhenthelightoutdoorsisproblematic.Middayisalsoagreattimeforconsultations,imagepresentations,andproductionwork.
Laterintheafternoon,Istartphotographingseniorsagain.Withtheseclients,Iworkindoorsfirst,thenweheadoutdoorsasthesunisgoingdown.
Afamilyscheduledforanoutdoorsessionwillbephotographedintheevening.Igiveanapproximatetimewhenbookingtheappointmentbutrefinethetimeasthesessiondrawscloser.Iconfirmatimeonthedayofthesessionbasedontheweather.Ifit’sclear,thesessionwillbeaboutfifteenminutesbeforesunset.Thisgivesusalittle“get-to-know-each-other”timebeforetherealpushhappens.Assoonasthesundisappears,Iworkquickly.Thisiswhenthebackgroundinalargeareawillholdtogethernicely.Atthistime,thelightisfromalargersource,allowingforgooddimensionacrossanentirefamilywithoutharshshadowscastoneachother.Itisalsowheneventhemostsensitiveeyesarenotaffectedbythelight.
“Assoonasthesundisappears,Iworkquickly.Thisiswhenthebackgroundinalargeareawillholdtogethernicely.”
Sweetlighttimesaremagical.It’sfunny.Iactuallyhavephotographerstellme,“Sureyourimagesarenice.Anyonecandothatduringsweetlighttimes.”Ijustlaughtomyself.Theyareright,itisaneasiertimetowork.Thequestionis,whyaren’ttheytakingadvantageofthatlight?Worksmarter,notharder.Yes.Itcanmakeforalongday,butitmakesabetterfamilyportrait,andatatimewhenmorefamiliescanmakeit.
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Thiswasmy“window,”mylightsource.Thefamilywasjusttothesideofthetreeontheright.Theyfacedthecamera,whichwasplacedontheleftandpointedparalleltotheopening.
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat85mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
ABACKYARDSESSIONForthisimage,Ichosetopositionthefamilyinalocationinmyyardfacingsouth.Thewesternskyaftersunsetservedasthemainlightsource.Theopeninginthetreestothesideandinfrontofthefamilyforcedthelighttocreateshapeandformoneachface.Thetreesoverheadkeptlightfromenteringfromabove.Nofillwasneeded.
Thephotographonthefacingpageshowstheviewtotherightandaheadfromthesubject’sposition.Itwasagoodmainlight.Remembertositwhereyoursubjectwillbe.Looktowherethemainlightshouldbe.Ifyoudon’tseeamainlightthere,moveontoadifferentplace.
IMAGEDESIGNIpositionedthefamilyinatriangularposewithalittlehillbehindthemforsimplicity’ssake.Behindthehillisalargemeadowareawithtreesonthefarend.Thatfalloffoffocusinthetreesiswhatgivesthisimageasenseofdepth.Whenweseeanimageelementthatismoreoutoffocusthanitemsclosertothesubject,ourbraintellsusitmustbefartheraway.Depthinanimageisyourfriend.Embraceit.
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M39.CHEERLEADER
anyathletescomethroughmystudiodoors.Idoalotofcoachingandsupportingoftheyouthsportsinourarea.Ibothappreciateandrespectthesededicatedfolks.
Plus,Icanrelatetothemandtheirlives.I’vebeenintheirshoes.
PERSONALANDPROFESSIONALGROWTHForaportraitphotographer,thebestthingtolearn,beyondphotography,ishumanbehavior.Psychologyranksrightupthereandsodoesdramaandspeechclass.Anythingthathelpsusunderstandandreadintoourguestsasquicklyaspossibleisgold.
IcanrelatetopeoplequicklybecauseIhavemanyinterests.Iamnotafraidtotryanything,andIloveadventure.Listentodifferentkindsofmusic.Keeptrackofsports,evenifit’snotyourthing.Havingalittlesomethingtothrowoutthereandstartaconversationwithisimportant.Thatbeingsaid,don’tdigyourselfintoahole.Ifyoudon’tknowanythingaboutasubject,sayso.Itiseasytolooklikeafool,andfoolshavesmallerportraitorders.
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THESESSIONThischeerleaderbroughtthewholepackagetothestudio—ahomejersey,awayjersey,jacket,pompons,everything.Shewanteditallinoneimage.Forthefirstimage(facing
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page),Iputasteelgridagainstthebackgroundandclippedthejerseytoit.ThenIsetachairinfrontofthemodelanddrapeditwithherjacket.Shecouldthenstandjusttotheleftofthechairandcreateanicetriangularcomposition.Iusedafocallengthof85mmtoshowallofhergear.
Idon’tgetintoalotofprops,soaftermakingherhappy,Igotridoftheextrastuffandjustfocusedonher.Foroursecondimage(right),Izoomedintoafocallengthof140mmtocompressthebackgroundandmakehermoreimportant.
Bothimageswereexposedusingthesamesettings.Asyoucanseeinthediagram,thecamerawasparalleltothewindowsforthefirstimage.Forthesecondimage,thecamerawasatmoreofanangle.Thisway,Icouldgetamoreappealinglightforthelooking-over-the-shoulderpose.
THEBACKDROPThecolorsinthisbackgroundseemedtoworkwellforthisoutfit.Ipaintedthisbackdropmanyyearsagoforadanceschoolshoot.NoticehowIpainteddarkandlightareas,knowingIwasalwaysgoingtolightthisbackgroundfromtheleft.Canvasbackdropsarejustasimportantasbackgroundsonlocation.Choosewisely.
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40.POINTERSISTERSANIMPORTANTEXERCISEAsIhavesaidbefore,startwithabackgroundandgoodlight,thenletyoursubjectsenterthescene.Thisisagoodexample.Thecameraremainedfairlystationarythroughouttheentiresession.Allthatchangedwasthesubjects’positionswithintheframe.Trythis:Findapleasantbackgroundwithgoodlight.Putyourcameraonatripodandcomposetheimageasyouseefit.Keepinmindwheresubjectscouldbestexist.Thenputyourhandsbehindyourbackandverballyinstructyourgueststoentertheimage.Watchthroughyourviewfinderandtellthemwheretogo—backward,forward,right,orleft—untiltheimageiscomplete.Thenfine-tuneandrecordyourmasterpiece.Itisagoodexercise.Istilldoiteveryonceinawhile.Itforcesmetothinkbacktofront,likeapainter.
REPEATCLIENTSIhavephotographedthesegirlsforseveralyearsnow.ItstartedwhenIphotographedtheirdanceschool.Ididthingsabitdifferently.Iusedotherdancersasbackgroundandforegroundmaterialanddidcompositionstudiesastheirdanceportraits.Therulesweresimple:Theonlydancerthatgetstolookatmeisthemainsubject.AllotherdancersareinstructedtolookdownorawaydependingonwhereIwantedtheviewer’sattentiontogo.Theresulttoldmoreabouttheessenceofdancecomparedtojuststandingagirlwithherhandsonherheadinfrontofabackground.Idon’tphotographthatschoolanymore,buttheirstudentsstillcometometogetthiskindofportrait.
Thesesisterswantedtodosomethingspecial.Theyhadalllearnedtostandenpointe.Itwasquiteanaccomplishment.Iwantedtocreateaportraitthatwasclassicalinnature.Thepillarsinmycameraroomseemedlikethewaytogo.
IsetmycameraforthebackgroundIwantedandpositionedthesubjectsinkeyareasforeachdifferentidea.Eachgirlgotherturntobethemainsubject.Ialsorecordedthemasequals.Alongtheway,Imadesurewedidsmilingimagesofeachgirlandthethreeofthemtogether.ThosewereforGrandma.Don’tforgetaboutGrandma.Makesureyougetsomesmilesnomatterwhatthestoryisthatyouwant.Smilesequalsales.
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Now,let’smoveontothelighting.Thegirlclosesttothecamerawasgoingtohavemoreofadefinedshadowthanthegirlsfartheraway.Thisislogical.Thegirlsfartherawayhadmorelengthofwindows,sothelightwouldwraparoundtheirfaces.Ilikedandembracedtheideathatthegirlsfartherawayweregoingtohavesofterlight,softerfocus,andlesscommunicationwiththeviewer.Itwasallpartoftheplan.
Ifyoulookatthesupportingimage(facingpage),youcanseethattherewerewrought-ironrailingsinthebalconyareaofthespace.Thethemainimage(whichIusedforcompetition)hastheblackrailingsremoved.Theclientdidn’tmindthem,butIfelttheywereadistraction.
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A41.DIAGONALDOORTRIM
greatdealofthoughtwentintocreatingthissimplebutinterestingimage.I’llbeginwiththelight.Theopenskytothenorthprovidedthemainlight.Itevenlylitthe
entirebuildingandthesubject.Itwaslateafternoon,andthesunwasinthewesternsky,justhighenoughtoskimoverthebuilding.Asyoucanseeinthediagram,therawlightactuallyhitthegroundrightnearmycamera.Isawthatthelightwashittingthemodel’shairandshouldersassheleanedagainsttheblackdoor.IhadherstepbackwardalongthebuildinguntilIsawjustahintoftherawlightskimmingthetopofherhead.Itwasjustenoughtogiveabitofseparationwithoutblowingoutherhair.
AHAPPYACCIDENTNow,forthehappyaccidentthatthelightforcedmeinto:Originally,Ihadplannedtomaketheblackdoorwiththewhitedoorbehindittheentirebackground.Becausethelightforcedmetomoveandrethink,Isawtherepetitionofthediagonallinesonthedoors.Waycool!Theblackdooractedasaforegroundwithoutcausingdistractions.Thediagonaldoortrimnexttothesubjectkeepstheviewerfocusedonthescene.Thediagonaltrimbeyondherleadstheeyebacktoherandhelpscreatedepthintheimage.Ialsolikedtheoldconcreteonthegroundbehindthegascan.Thesimpleslabsbringtheviewer’seyepastthesubject,deepintotheimage.Theeyethenstopsattheverticalstripofblocksattheedgeoftheimage.Suddenly,webouncebacktothesubjectwiththehelpofthediagonaltrim.Thecompositionissimultaneouslysimpleandcomplex.It’samazinghowthebrainseesthings.
“Theopenskytothenorthprovidedthemainlight.Itevenlylittheentirebuildingandthesubject.”
ANATURAL-LOOKINGPOSETherewasaneyeletinthedoorthatgavethesubjectsomethingtodowithherrighthand.Iwantedastrongleanofherbodytocontrastthediagonaltrim.Together,theyformaVshape.Herheadwastippedparallelwiththetrimonbothdoors.Thishelpedbuildarelationshipbetweenthesubjectandbackground.Ihadherturnherhipsandcrossherlegs.Withherthumbinherpocket,wewerereadytorecord.
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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42.TRAINHANGSAFETYFIRSTHereisthesameseniorshowninsection41,photographedafewmomentslater.Iwalkedpastthebuildingshewasleaningagainsttothetraincarsthatwereparkedthere.Note:Thesecarsarenotonrailroadtracks.Theyarestoredinanabandonedtrainyard.Thetrackisdisconnectedandleadsnowhere.Neverphotographbyactivetrainsorworkonlivetracks.
ANAPPEALINGLOCATIONIdidliketherepetitionofthecars.Ilikedthewarmcolors,andthelightwasnice.Themainlightwasactuallytheopenskytotheeastofthesubject.Thebuildingkeptlightfromenteringtoomuchfrombehind,anditreflectedsomerawlightthatproducedanaccentinherhair.Youcanalsoseeitonhersleevebyherface.Thetraincarsshadowedtheareabut,asyoucansee,afewlittlestripsofrawlightmadetheirwaybetweenthecars.Sincethelightwasfeatheringacrossthelonggrass,Ifigureditwasn’tgoingtocauseanyproblems.Thelightshowedthemaskofherface,andIlethersmileandbehappy.
Forthepose,Ihadherjuststandbythecar.Sheturneddiagonaltome.Ihadherputherweightonherbackfoot,thenshereachedupandgrabbedthehandleonthecar.Itseemedmorecomfortableandlookedmoreslimmingtohavehercrossherleftlegoverherright.Herrightarmwasinitiallytoofarback.IhadhermoveitforwarduntilIcouldseeagoodconnectingpointwithoutmakingherlookwideacrossthemiddle.Agoodtip
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oftheheadandalittleworkonherhair,andallwascomplete.
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43.GRASSYBEACHSWEETLIGHTREVISITEDHere’sanotherexampleofsweetlight.Thesunwasalmostdown,andsometreesonthehorizonblockedmostofthedirectlight.
ABEAUTIFULBACKGROUNDThreestepsoutoftheparkinglot,Isawthisbackground.Thelightwasniceintheimmediatearea,soIstoppedtoplay.Inoticedthepathinthesandwithtallgrassoneitherside.Isatthemodeldownontheedgeofthepath,soIcouldseethepathbeyondherbody.Thiscreatedasenseofdimension.
Ilikedhowthegrasssharedcharacteristicswiththesubject’shair.Thishelpedtiehertothebackground.Iposedhersothatherhairwouldmimicthefeelingofthegrassbehindher.
Icouldn’tchangewherethesunwassetting,soIchangedthesubject’srelationshiptothelight.Inthispose,herbodywasturnedawayfromthelight,withherfaceturnedbacktowardit.Herbodywasdark,andherfacewaslight.Alwaysusethelighttomotivatepeopletolookwhereyouwantthemtolook.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat78mm•f/5.6, second,800ISO
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44.SKATERBOYSKY
HAVEFUNIt’simportanttoplay.Gettoknowyoursubjectandletthembethemselves.IfIhaveamusicianinmystudio,Iaskthemtoplay.Athletesshowofftheirstuff.Itmakesthemcomfortableandmakesformoremeaningfulimagesandbiggersales.Learnwhoyoursubjectsare,thenusewhatyouknowaboutartisticportraituretoshowyourviewerswhoyoursubjectsreallyare.
Duringthisparticularsession,Iwatchedthesubjectlaunchhimselfontothetower.Ididsomeactionshots,butacontrolledportraitwaswhatIwasafter(andwhathismomwanted).WhenIsawhimonthetower,Ithought,“Whatacoolviewpoint!”Ihadhimlookovertheedge.Hehookedtheboardontheedgeofthewall,andIsawthestoryIwanted.
NATURALLIGHTThetowerwaspositionedjustrightforwherethesunwas.Itwaslateafternoonandtheshadowswerefallinghardtocameraleft.Icouldn’tputareflectorundertheteenbecauseitwouldshowinhisglasses,soIplacedasilverreflectorofftotheeast.Thislitthebottomofhisboardandaddedalittleaccentonhisrightcheek.Therestofthelightthatbroughtouthisfacecamefromalargerampbelowthetower.Iwasfacingsoutheast,sotheskylooksniceandblue.
“IfIhaveamusicianinmystudio,Iaskthemtoplay.Athletesshowofftheirstuff.Itmakesthemcomfortable…”
POSTPRODUCTIONIusedNikSoftware’sTonalContrastfiltertoaddsomepunchtotheskateboardandalittletohisface.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF16–35mmf/2.8LUSMlensat28mm•f/7.1, second,100ISO
M45.LAKESWIMMER
yniecewasonherhighschoolswimteam.Shethoughtitmightbenicetohaveimagesmadewithherinthewater.Thislocationwasperfect.Thereisadockto
standon.Ididn’thavetogetwetandwasabletolookdownonheralittle,whichallowedmetoshowthelakearoundher.Fromthisangle,therewerenodistractionsfromtrees,weeds,orhorizonlines.
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THEPOSEIhadthesubjectstandwithequalweightonbothfeet,andshecrossedherarms.Icenteredhertoshowpower.Toensuretheposeworkedinthelightwehad,Iturnedherslightlytowardthelaketoshadowherbodyandhadherturnherfacebacktowardthelight.Asternexpressionseemedtosuitthepose.
Theislandoverherleftshoulderandthetreesontheleftmakeatriangletoher.Withthewaterequallyonbothsides,thereissymmetry.
WHYNOTUSESTROBES?IfIusedstrobes,Icouldworkatanytimeofday—butitwouldn’tbethesame.First,thewindusuallycalmsdownintheevening,andthewater’ssurfacebecomesglass-like.Second,nostrobecouldlightthesubjectandthetreesinthebackgroundtokeepexposuredetail.
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46.BLACKORELETTHEMDOWHATTHEYDOIdecidedtoaddthisimagetothebookatthelastminute.It’saniceportrait,andthelightandbackgroundaregood,buttheexampleIwantedtoshareisthesubject.Thisistheskaterboyshowninanearliersection.Itwaslaterinhissession,twentymilesawayfromtheskatepark.ThisiswhyIdon’tincorporatespecificposes.Itoldhimtobelow.Thisiswhathedid.Helooksstrikinglyliketheposeinhistowerimage.Why?Becauseitishim.Itiswhathedoes.Watchyoursubjects.Letthemdowhattheydo,thentweaktheposetobemorephotographicallycorrect.Themoreapersonlookslikethemselves,thebetteryourimageswillbereceivedbythemandtheirfamily.
LIGHTINGLet’smoveontothelight.Ichosethisbackgroundforthecolorandbecauseitcastashadowoveritself.Thesunwasstillup,butnotbymuch.Therewasrawlightonthegroundinfrontofthepileofore.Ihadtheteenwalkintothesceneuntilthepileblockedtherawlightfromhittinghim.ThenIhadhimsquatdown.Hewasontheveryedgeoftherawlight;thispresentedaclean,crisp,dimensionalviewofhisfeatures.Ididneedanaccentreflector(itwasplacedasshowninthetopviewdiagram)tohelpseparatehimfromtheblackore.Asyoucanseeinthesideviewdiagram,thepileoforedefinedtheedgeofthelightsource.Noticethenicetextureintheguy’shair,clothing,andskin.Ifheweretogofartherintotheshadowoftheore,thelightwouldflattenoutandeventuallycomefromtheotherdirection.Icouldhavehadhimgotothebackofthepile,asshowninthesideviewdiagram.Thelightwouldhavebeenfromtheeast,withlesscontrast,andthebackgroundwouldhavebeendifferent,butitwouldhaveworked.Animagewiththesubjectpositionedinthemiddleofthepilewouldnotworkaswell.Thelightwouldhavehadthesameflat,contaminatedlookthatyouwouldfindiftoodeepunderthecanopyofatree.Themoralofthestoryis,liveontheedge.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat90mm•f/4, second,400ISO
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47.WATERCOLORGIRLSADISTINCTIVELOOKAsmallpartofmemissesfilm,butwhenIlookatallthetoolsatourdisposalnow,thefeelinggoesawayquickly.Ilovethefactthatwecanprintaphotographicimageonwatercolorpaper.Wecanenjoythemagicofthetexturesandthesoftnessthatthemediumhastooffer.Iloveitwhenlittlegirlsattiredinpastelswalkthroughmydoors.IinstantlyknowatleastonedirectionIamgoingtogo.
Itendtokeeplightcolorsonlightbackgrounds.Thisway,thesubject’sfaceisincontrastwiththeclothingandbackground,and,assuch,itwilldrawtheeye.However,westillneedtolightthefacecorrectly.
Forthisimage,Iusedmynorthlightcameraroom.Ipositionedthesubjectsagainstapillar,asshowninthediagram.Thepillarallowedmetousetheedgeofthelightcomingfromthewindow.Theoldergirlbecamethebasefortheimage.Iturnedherawayfromthelightbuthadherturnherfacebacktowardme.Thisgaveanappropriatebroadlight.Theyoungergirljustsnuggledintohersister.Whentheystartedholdingeachother,Iquicklyrepositionedtheirarmstoformacirclewiththeirfaces.Thiscirclewillholdtheviewer’seye.Becausetheyoungergirlwasposedtowardhersister,thelightfromthewindowproducedashortlightpatternonherface.Thebroadlightallowedforthesombereyecontactoftheoldergirl.Becauseshortlightisusuallyahappylightpattern,Ihadthelittlesisterlookawayfromthecameratoavoideyecontactwiththeaudience.Nowbetweenthelightpatternsandtheposing,thesoftemotionwasportrayed.
“Itendtokeeplightcolorsonlightbackgrounds.Thisway,thefaceisincontrastwiththeclothingandbackground,andwilldrawtheeye.”
POSTPRODUCTIONThepost-processworkonthisimagewasdonewithlayersofwhitebackgroundsandlayermasks.Ipainteddifferentopacitiesofthewhiteunderlyingbackgroundstoenhancetheexistinghighlights.ThenIvignettedtheimageuntilitfadedtowhite.Thistypeofpost-processworkismeantforwatercolorprinting.
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat75mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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M48.WEDDINGRAPIDS
anyyearsago,ataphotographyconvention,Ioverheardotherattendeesconversing.Theyweresearchingforaprogramtoattendandlookedatthesign
outsidethedooroftheroomIwaswaitingtoenter.Itwasaweddingprogram.Oneattendeesaid,“Oh,it’saweddingprogram.Idon’tdoweddings.I’mnotgoingin.”It’sashamethattheymissedit.Ilearnedportraiturefromaweddingphotographer.IdiscoveredtechniquesIcouldusewhenphotographingseniors,families,orchasingkidsaroundtheyard.Itdoesnotmatterifyouphotographweddings,rockstars,orrocks.Lightislightand
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compositioniscomposition.Thereismuchtolearnfromeveryone.
ONTHECOURSEThisbrideandgroomwantedoutdoorportraits.Weborrowedacoupleofgolfcartsandhitthelinks.Armedwithphotogearinsteadofclubs,wefoundafewnicebackgroundswithnicelight.Thiswasoneofthem.
Asshowninthediagram,therewasanopenareaoverthefairwaytomyright.Treeslinedtheleftsideoftheimageaswellastheentireareabehindthecouple.Thebridewasstandingbyatalloaktree.Itscanopyreducedthelightfromabovebutallowedittoenterfromtheopensky.Duetothelayoutofthearea,lightcouldonlyenterthescenefrommyrightandbehindme.Wehadastreamandwoods,goodlight,andabridalcouple.Lifewasgood.
CanonEOS5DMarkII,CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlens.Exposure:f/5.6, ,400ISO.Focallengthat75mm.
TIMEISOFTHEESSENCEOnaweddingday,timeisoftheessence.SinceIfoundagoodplacetoplay,Iplannedtodomultipleshotshere.Istartedwiththecoupletogether.Ileanedthegroomagainstthetreeandhadthebrideleanintohim.Thetime-consumingpartwasherdress.Sinceitwasalreadyinagoodplace,Ileftitthere.Ipulledthegroomdowntotheforegroundandcreatedanotherimagewithouthavingtorepositionthedress.Then,IhadthegroomstepoutandIphotographedthebride.Thistime,Ihadtomakeaminorchangetothepositionofthedress.
Theseimagesweremadepossiblebecauseofnaturallight.ThesourcewaslargeenoughthatIcouldmovethesubjectsaroundandstillhavethesamedirectionandexposureoflightfrompersontopersonandimagetoimage.
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49.THEBROWNLOUNGEFURNITUREASPROPSAfewyearsago,Iwaswastingtimeinafurniturestorewhilethesalespersontalkedtomywifeaboutnewcouches.Outofthecornerofmyeye,Isawthischaiselounge.Inoticedthatthetexturesintheseatrepeatedinadiagonalpattern.Isawthenicesoftsweepoftheheadofthelounge.Ithoughttomyself,“Ifyounoticedthislounge,amidstalloftheotherfurniture,itmusthavegoodpotentialforaposingprop.”Weboughtit.Iwasright—itwasagreatproponceitwasheavedintoplace.Ididn’tknowhowheavyitwasuntilitwasdelivered,andnowitisapermanentfixtureinmyhouse.
THESETUPForthisportrait,Iturnedtheloungediagonallytothebackdropwiththeheadfacingawayfromthelight.Ichoseabrownbackgroundtomatchtheloungeandselectedthedarkshirtforthesenior.Ihadtheentirescenesetupbeforetheteenenteredtheroom.Ievenpositionedthereflectors.IknewwhereIwasgoingtoneedthelight.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat135mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
Whentheteencameintotheroom,allIdidwasaskhertositdownfacingmeandleanoverthelounge.Ifixedherhairtoshowitslengthandrepositionedherhandsslightly,buttherewasn’tmuchtodo.Noticehowthelightonherfaceisupagainstthedarkshapeonthebackgroundandthedarksideofherfaceisupagainstalightershape?Thiswasplannedinadvance.Beforetheseniorcameoutofthedressingroom,Ilookedatthehead
oftheloungeandsawgoodlightthere.Iknewthatsamegoodlightwouldfallonthesubject.Iusethisapproachoften.Forexample,ifIamtophotographachildwhocan’tstandstill,IplaceachairwhereIwantittoestablishthedesiredlightandbackgroundrelationship.ThenIhavethechildsitonthechairorstandbyit.Eveniftheyonlystayforamoment,atleasttheyareintherightspot.
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50.JACKANDJILLJUSTLETTHESUBJECTSEXISTItwasfrustratingtocreateportraitsofmykids.Seriously.WhenItookphotographsofeveryoneelse’schildren,thingsworkedoutjustfine,butwhenmykidswereinfrontofmylens,nothingseemedtogoright.Iguessitjustseemedlikeplaytimetothem.Thelastthingtheywantedwastositstillforaportrait.Ialwaystoldotherphotographers,“Findabackgroundwithgoodlightandletthesubjectsexist.”Afterafewattempts,Istartedtolistentomyself.
AMEANINGFULLOCATIONWespentalotoftimeatanoldcabinaskids.Whentheweatherstartedgettingcold,thewaterwasturnedofftothecabin.Ifwespentanytimeatthecabinafterthat,wehadtogetwaterfromthispump.Iremembermakingmanytripswithwatersloshingoutofthebucket.Itwasn’treallyanassignedchore;Ijustlikeddoingit.
Thepumpisstilltheretoday.Ithasmeaningtomeandmyfamily,soIdecidedtouseitforthisportrait.
Nexttothepumpisanoldlogcabin.Theyardislinedwithtrees,andtherearedeepwoodedareas.Inthelateafternoon,thecabincastsashadowoverthepumparea.Thetreestothenorthandwestblocklightfromfallingonthebackground.Theopenskytotheeastprovidestheonlylightthatcanreachthepump.Itisforcedintothesceneperfectlyforaportrait.
Ididn’twantthekidstoknowIwastryingtotakepictures,soIdidn’ttakemycameraoutofthebaguntilIshowedthemhowtousethepump.Oncetheystartedhavingfun,Ipulledthecameraout,setitonthetripod,andstartedrecording.IfeltasthoughIhadwon.
“Therewasalittleredinthebackground,butitwasn’tenoughtodrawattention,soIenhancedit…”
POSTPRODUCTIONItwasearlyfallwhenIcreatedthisimage.Theleaveswerejuststartingtoturn.Therewasalittleredinthebackground,butitwasn’tenoughtodrawattention,soIenhanceditandaddedabitmoreredtoharmonizewiththepump.Ialsoaddedsomeyellowinthetopcenteroftheimagetocontrasttheblueoutfitsandhelpcreateasenseofdepth.Iaddedalittleorangetotheleavesbehindmyboyandtooneleafinfrontofthekidstokeeptheviewer’seyebouncingbackandforthintheimage.Thisimageisstillhanginginourhome,partlyasagreatmemoryofourchildrenandpartlyasatrophyforfinallywinningtheportraitwar.
Kodak14n•Nikon80–200mmf/2.8lensat100mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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51.PAPABEARLIGHTINGTHEPROFILEOneofthelightingpatternsIseemostmisusedinnaturallightisprofilelight.Theproblemseemstobeparticularlyprevalentwithbrides.Wehaveabrideinawhitedresswithlaceandbeadwork,andsheisholdingflowers.Thephotographerposesherinthemiddleofthewindowandhasherlookoutdreamilyovertheworld.Hecanseeherfacelightupandseetheprofile;hethinksallisgood.Whenthefilesareprocessed,theflowersareblownout,thedresshasnodetail,andthelightoutliningthebride’sfaceisglowing.Astrangeorangelinefollowstheedgeoftheglow.Whathappened?Wastheexposureincorrect?Itmayhavebeen,butthisproblemwouldhaveoccurredeveniftheimagewereexposedcorrectly.
Lighttravelsinastraightline.Iflightisdirectedstraightatareflectivesurface,itwillbounceoffandreturntothesource.Thisbecomesaspectrallight.Intermsofonesandzeros,whichiswhatdigitalfilesare,howmuchinformationdoyouthinkisinaspectralhighlight?Theansweriszero.So,howdowecreateaprofilelightandstillholddetail?
THEAPPROACHIwantedaprofileofthisnewfatherholdinghisson.Iplacedabackgroundinthenormallocationontheeastwall.Ipositionedanotherbackgroundalongthewindowstoactasagobo.Thesubjectsatattheedgeofthegoboonthesamesideofthewindowasthecamera.(Ifhelookedstraightforward,hewouldhavebeenlookingatthelight-blockingdevice.)Thisway,thelightwasforcedfrombehindthesubjectinrelationshiptowherethecamerawas.Thelightskimmedacrossthesubjectanddidnotblowoutanydetail.Noticehowyoucanseetheporesinhisskinandthesofthaironthenewborn’shead.Ifthesubjectswereinthemiddleofthewindow,noneofthatwouldbeshowing.Inmystudio,theotherwindowsprovidefilllight.Inotherlocations,thewallbetweenwindowswillworkasagobo.Justremembertoplacethesubjectonthesamesideofthewindowasyouareon.Youwillcreateamuchbetterprofilelightandyoursubjects(andvendors,inthecaseofbridalportraits)willlikeyouawholelotmore.
“Lighttravelsinastraightline.Iflightisdirectedstraightatareflectivesurfaceitwillbounceoffandreturntothesource.Thisbecomesaspectrallight.”
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat153mm•f/7.1, second,400ISO
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52.TRAINWHEELPOSEWITHINTHELIGHTWhenthesunisyourmainlightsource,youmustmovethesubjectandyourselfinrelationshiptothelighttogetflatteringresults.Forthisreason,Ioftensay“Posewithinthelight.”
Thisimagewasmadeusingacomponentofthetraincarseenelsewhereinthisbook.Thesubjectwasposedbetweenthetraincarsandstoodonthehitch.Thewheelsheisleaningonhas,Iassume,somethingtodowiththeconnectionsforthecars.Itmadeforagoodprop.
WHYTHEPOSEWORKSUsingthisleaningposeallowedafewgoodthingstohappen.First,herbodyformedagreatleadinglinetoherface.Second,theposedrewattentiontoherlonghair.Third,thehorizontalimagewasanicecounterpointtothepredominantlyverticalimagesIcapturedduringthesession.Fourth,theposemadegooduseoflight,whichwascomingfromananglethatwouldhavebeentoolowwithamoreuprightpose.
Thisimagewascreatedinthelateafternoonunderovercastskies.Thelightwasenteringequallyfrombothsidesofthecars,soIusedthisposetocreatethedirectionoflightthatwesee.Withherbodyleaningthismuch,herheadtiltlookscomfortable.Thelightfromaboveandtotheeastilluminatedhalfofherface.Herheadblockedthelightfromtherestofherface.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat85mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
Sincethecaboosewasonly2feetaway,nolightcamefrominfrontofthesubject’sface.Therefore,itappearsasifasplitlightpatternwasused.Okay,Ididsaythelightwasequalfrombothsidesofthecar—butIusedthesubject’smotherasagobo.Shewasstandingjustoutsideoftheframetoourright.Shedidn’tknowit,butinherattempttowatchthesessionfromaclosedistance,shewasalsohelpingmylighting.Anythingcanblocklight.Usewhatisavailabletoyou.
Timingiseverything.Again,thisimagewasmadelateintheday,underovercastskies.Atmidday,thesunlightenteringthisareawouldhavebeentooharsh.Thebackgroundwouldhavesomuchcontrastfromhighlighttoshadowthatphotographicpaperwouldnotbeabletoholdthetonalrange.Thesubjectwouldhavenodetailinherhairorskin.Sure,wearenaturallightphotographers,butthatdoesn’tmeanthatanynaturallightwillworkfortheportraitwehaveinmind.Ihaveheardpeoplesay,“You’reaprofessional.Youshouldbeabletoworkanywhere.”Thatmaybetrue,butmythinkingisthataprofessionalshouldalsoknowwhensomethingwillorwon’twork.Noteverytime/locationcombinationwillyieldgoodresults.Thatbeingsaid,ifaclientneedstohaveaportraitmadeinaspecificareaandthelightisbad,Icanopttousestrobestogetthejobdone.
53.ONTHEROCKSTHEOLDOREMINEIt’sgreattofindlocationsthatprovidegoodshadeforalongperiodoftime.Thisisthecasewiththepilingsfromtheoldoremine.Thepileofjaggedrockisverytallandfairlysteep.ThestretchofdebrisIuserunsnorthandsouth.Asthesunreachesthewesternsky,aniceshadowcoversthebottomofthehillandthesurroundingarea.Itisaniceplacetoworkinthelateafternoon,andthegoodlightingconditionslastalongtime.Asyoucanseeinthesideviewdiagram,thehillofrocksisincompleteshadowandmakesanevenlyilluminatedbackground.Lightcannotcomefromtherockstotherightorfromthetreesbehindthesubject,sothatmeansthelightcanonlycomefromthenorth,theeast,orabove.Ihadtokeepthisfactinmindwhendecidinghowthesubjectshouldposewithinthelight.
Ichosetousethelightfromabovethesubject’sface.Becauseofthepose,shewasabletotiltherheaddramaticallyandstilllookcomfortable.Herhanginghairblockedthesoftlightfromtheeast.Thegroundactedasasubtractivelightsourcetoo.LightfellontoherfacefromaboveandfrombehindthecamerawiththesamewraparoundqualityI’dexpectinmycameraroom.Thewalloflightwasjustrotatedonitsaxistomatchtheaxisofherheadtilt.
THEPERKSOFNATURALLIGHTIfyoustudytheentirebody,youwillnoticethelightontheteen’slegwascomingfromtheeast.Itdidagreatjobofcreatingshape.Thistellsmethatwecouldhaveposedhertouselightfromthatdirectionaswell.Theadvantageofunderstandingandusingnaturallightisthatyoucanusebodypositionstorelatetodifferentlightsourceswithinthesameimage—withoutcarryingmultiplesetsofstrobesandmodifiersalloverthecountryside.Couldyouimaginetryingtolightthiswithstrobes?Thelocaleistooruggedtouselightstands.Youwouldneedseveralassistantstoholdyourlights.
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CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
“Couldyouimaginetryingtolightthiswithstrobes?Thelocaleistooruggedtouselightstands.Youwouldneedseveralassistantstoholdyourlights.”
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54.LAKEANTOINEATSUNDOWNTOTHEBEACH!Onceagain,wefindourselvesatthebeach.Whenisthebesttimetoshoot?Youshouldknowbynowthatit’slateeveningorearlymorning.Sincemostteenagegirlswouldrathernothavetheirportraitsdoneat4:30AM,eveningseemedliketherighttimeforthissession.Thisshotwasmadeafterthesundisappearedbehindthetreesonthehorizon.Whentherawlightwascompletelygone,Istartedworking.Iwillsaythis:Usingthelakeshoresinlandallowsformuchmoretimetoworkonthebeach,ascomparedtoworkingontheoceanshores.WhenIteachonthebeachesofCalifornia,oncethesunmeltsintothewater,itgetsdarkfast.Inland,whereIworkmostofthetime,thetreesandtopographyofthesurroundingsblocktherawlightfromthesunearlier;thisallowsmetobeginworkingbeforethesunhasactuallyset.Whatanadvantage!ThesameruleappliestotheEastCoastduringourmorningsessions.Whenthereisnothingbutwaterinthewayofthesun,therawlightappearsquickly.Justbeawareofthissoyoudon’tgetcaughtoffguard.
CLOTHINGIwentthroughthegirl’swardrobebeforethesessionbeganandfoundthisdress.Shewasscheduledforanextendedsession,andthebeachwastobeourlaststop.Iimmediatelyknewthiswastobeherfinalclothingchange.Thecoolcolorofthewaterwassuretoworkwellwiththebluecolorsinthedress.
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COMPOSITIONANDPOSEThebeachrunsnearlynorthandsouth.IpositionedtheteensothatIcouldseesomebeachallaroundher—andsomewatertoharmonizewiththedress.Herposeparallelsthewaterlineandproducesniceleadinglinesthatdirecttheviewer’sgazetoherface.For
modesty’ssake,Ihadherholdherdressfromunderherknees.Thisgavehersomethingtodowithherhandswithoutruiningtheleadinglines.Italsohelpedgivehershape.HerheadwastippedtothelefttocreatebalanceintheposeandallowthelighttoformaRembrandtpatternontheteen’sface.IfherfaceweretofollowmeasImovedclosertothewaterandshowedthebeachasabackground,we’dhavehadashortlightpattern.Inthatsamelocation,ifsheturnedherheadtotheshore,thepatternwouldbebroadlighting.Youcanoftentakeadvantageofmanyoptionsjustbyhavingthesubjectturntheirhead.
CanonEOS1DsMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat140mm•f/4.5, second,400ISO
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55.PURPLEDITCHHITTINGTHEBRAKESThiswasanotheroccasionwhereIsawsomethingcoolwhiledrivingandhadtohitthebrakes.Intheditch,not10feetawayfrom60MPHtraffic,thereweretall,purpleflowers.Wehadtogoplay.
Thetreesalongtheroadshadowedtheareafromtheearly-eveningsun.Themostintenselightcamefromtheopenskytothesouth.Somelightcamefromtheeast,butitwasnotaspowerful,andtheresultwasawraparoundlightingeffect.Iaddedablackpaneljustoutofviewtothesubject’sleft.Thisgaveabitmoreshadowontheleftsideofherface.Anotherreflectorwasaddedfromunderneathandonherhighlightsidetoaddalittlelightunderhereyes.
Ienjoyedthetransparentlookoftheflowersandtheopaquequalityofthestems.Thelookofthedarkstemsisrepeatedinthetreesfartherinthebackground.Thishelpedcreateasenseofdepth.Theflowersfadingoutoffocusalsoenhancedthefeelingofathirddimension.
THEPOSETheposewassimple.Isawatriangleoflightyellowinthescenebehindher,soImimickeditwithherpose.Thephotobelowshowswhatwasgoingthroughmymindasfarasrelatingthesubjecttothebackground.Theopposingcornersalsomatched.Thesewereingredientsforgoodbalance.Everythinginyourimageshouldhaveapurpose.
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat95mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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56.FOUNDONTHEDOORSTEPEARLYMORNINGSESSIONInthesummer,thesunrisesoverthetreesearly.By8:30AM,theonlyplacesinshadowareonthewestsideofbuildingsandunderlargeoverhangs.
Outdoorsetsshouldbeingoodqualitylightforasmuchofthedayaspossible.Myphotoshackhasadoorandwindowonboththeeastandwestendsofthestructure—thewestforthemorningsessionsandtheeastforafternoonshoots.
THEPOSEIhadmyguestsitonthedoorsteponthewestside.Shenaturallyleanedforwardonherlegs.Ihadherbringherfeetaparttocreatediagonallines.
LIGHTINGTreestothesouthandwestblockedmuchofthelightfromtheopensky.Themainlightwascomingfromthelargerclearingandtheopennorthsky.Asthesubjectleanedforward,herfaceenteredthelight.Notethatherfaceandhandarebrighterthanher
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shoulder.Hershoulderwasnaturallytoneddownbecausethewallblockedthenorthlight.Ipositionedmyselftogetalookintotheshackandachieveagoodpatternoflightonherfacewithoutcontortinghertoomuch.Iusedareflectorunderthesubjectonthehighlightsidetobrightenhereyes.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat78mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
57.PEOPLEWATCHINGFINDINGBEAUTIFULLIGHTThenexttimeyouaretravelingbyair,watchpeople.Mostairportshavemassivewindowsandlonghallwaysthatcreateagreatcombinationoflightandbackground.Peoplearenaturallywalkingthroughtheareas.Whensomethingcatchesyoureye,chancesare,it’sbecausethepersonwalkedintoanareaofgreatlight.Notewherethelightwascomingfromatthatmoment.Thehopeisthatyoulearnfromthisdiscoveryandduplicatetheeffectonassignment.
SEIZETHEMOMENTThisimagewascreatedduringoneofmyclassdemonstrations.Thesubjectwasoneofmystudents,andnotthepersonIwasphotographing.AsItalkedtotheclass,InoticedthebeautifullightonhisfaceandIhadtogooffonasmalltangent.
Asyoucanseeinthediagram,thesubjectwasstandingnearapillaronthesecondstoryofacoveredhallway.Theopen-aircourtyardallowedlighttocomeinandbounceoffthewallbehindthesubject.Thelightfromtheopenskyfromthesouthwestcouldonlygettohimfrombehindaswellbecausethepillarblockedthelightfromdirectlytothesideofhim.Theendresultwasaverynicedoubleaccentlight.Ijusthadtorecordit.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat160mm•f/5.6, second,400ISO
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Somyquestiontoyouis,Whattimeofdaywasit?Wouldthisimageworkrighthereatadifferenttimeofday?
58.OPENDOORGOODLIGHTANDASIMPLEBACKGROUNDThisisanothergoodexampleofposingwithinthelight.Mystudents,ourmodel,andIwereonourwaytoanareathatIknewhadgoodlightandasimplebackground.WhenIgottothelocation,Iturnedtowatcheveryonewalkthroughthedoorsandsawwonderfullight.
CREATINGTHEIMAGEIhadthesubjectholdthedoorhalfwayoutandleanaroundit.Thisbroughthisfaceforwardintogoodlightandtwistedhiscoreenoughtoallowthesamelighttoskimacrossit.Noreflectorswereneeded.Thefillcamefromthelengthofthelightsource,asyoucanseeinthediagramandthephotographofthearea.
Thesunwasjustoutofviewbeyondthefarwall.Thelightfromtheskywasmoreintensefromthemodel’ssideoftheporchthanontheeastside.Thiscausedthehardercontrastbetweenshadowandhighlight,whichwasgoodinthiscase.
“Bychangingtherelationshipbetweenthereflectiveglassdoorandtheopensky,thereflectionwasgreatlyreduced.”
FIGHTINGREFLECTIONSWhenIsetupthisimage,therewasabigreflectionintheglass.NomatterwhereImoved,itwasthere.Itdawnedonmetohavehimopenthedoormore.Bychangingtherelationshipbetweenthereflectiveglassdoorandtheopensky,thereflectionwasgreatlyreduced.Inthiscase,thelightdidn’treallychangeforthesubject’sface,andthebackgroundremainedthesame.Ipressedtheshutterreleaseandrecordedtheimage.
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CanonEOS5DMarkIII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat110mm•f/5.6, second,ISO400
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T59.PIECESOFME
hejoyofphotographingpeopleisgettingtoknowtheirstories.Listentoyoursubjectsandlearnwhotheyare,thenuseeverythingyouknowaboutportraitureto
tellotherstheirstory.
THERIGHTSPACEThistalentedteencametomystudio.Whilelisteningtohim,Irealizedmystudiowasnotthebestplacetotellhisstory.Weneededtobeintheartroom,sothat’swhereweheaded.Luckily,therewerelargewindowsintheroom.Thebottompaneswere7feettall.Abovethemweremorepanesangledin,givingmoreheightandreachintotheroom.Theroomfeltlikeanoldnorthlightstudio—itwasperfect!
Theartisttoldmeabouthiswork,andIchosetwoprojectstoplaywith.TheoldTVwasthefirst.Asshowninthediagrambelow,Ichoseasplitlightpattern.IpositionedthecamerainatrianglepatternasIwouldtocreateaRembrandtlightpattern.However,Ididn’thavethesubjectturnhisheadfullyintothelighttoachievethetriangleoflight.IstoppedhimwhenIsawthesplitlight.Now,theartworkwasevenlylitandhehadgoodshape.Yes,Iwantedtoshowhistalent,buthewastobethefocusoftheimage.
Iusedareflectorforanaccentlight.
Inanotherpartoftheroomtherewasacorkboardwherewecouldhangtheotherproject—alargeartpiecethatneededspace.Thechallengewasthefalloffofthelight.Lookatthe“raw”image(facingpage,top).Seethedifferenceindensityfromthetoptothebottom?Noticethattheteen’sfaceisrightonthatfall-off.Ifheweretotakeasteptohisleft,hisfacewouldbeoutofthelight.Theaccentreflectorwastippedwaybacktocatchthelightnearthefloor.Theaccentonhisfacecamefrombelow.Youcanseeitonhisfaceandbody,butnotthetopofhisshoulderorhishair.Thisisthelimitinthisroomforusingnaturallightforportraitwork.
Thelightcoveredtheartist’sheadintheTVimagebutdidn’tquitereachitinPiecesofMe(facingpage);therefore,hishairisdarkerinthesecondimage.Inpostproduction,Iburnedinthebottomofthesecondimagetomatchthetop,extendedthecorkboard,andaddedaframe.
KNOWYOURLIMITSKnowthedistanceyoucanbefromyourwindowandstillhavegoodlight.Mywindowswereonly7feettallinmyfirststudio.Itwasfineforonepersonorafewiftheywereseatedlowertotheground,butifasubjectgotmorethan10feetaway,theywereoutofthelight.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat90mm•f/7.1, second,1600ISO
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CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat90mm•f/7.1, second,1600ISO
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E60.GETTINGFANCY
venthefanciestimagesneedagoodbasicfoundation.Thisringstrueinthiscase.Yes,thepostproductionworktookmeoutofmycomfortzone,butIneeded
somethingnewtodrawattentiontomeasanartist.IwantedtotakewhatIwasalreadydoingandaddtoit.ApplyingthebrushesandtechniquesIlearnedfromstudyingWoodyWalters’workwastheanswer.Thesedays,Ithinkofwhatthefinishedworkcouldbe—IlookbeyondwhatIseethroughthecamera.Thefinishedimagemaycontainseveralportraits,andtheremaybeotherelementsinvolved.Eachimageinacompositemustbeabletostandalone.Startwiththegoodportraittechniquesthatyoulearnedinthisbook,thentakeyourworktoanewlevelwithpostproductionpainting.
AGREATRESOURCEDetailingthetechniquesthatIusedtocreatethefinalimageisbeyondthescopeofthisbook.Ifyouareinterested,lookupWoodyWaltersatwww.woodywaltersdigitalphotocandy.com.Youwillfindallkindsofnewtoysforyourtoolbox.
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat70mm•f/5.6, second,2500ISO
CanonEOS5DMarkII•CanonEF70–200mmf/2.8LISUSMlensat95mm•f/7.1, second,400ISO
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ICONCLUSION
’msure,afterreadingthisbook,youhavelearnedthatthereisagreatdealtolearnaboutportraiture.Manythingsyouprobablyalreadyknew.HopefullyIsparkedideasto
useoldknowledgeinnewways.Ialsobelievethatyouwillstartlookingforqualitylightareasandgoodbackgroundcombinations.Youwillposepeoplewithinthelighttoformappealingpatternsoflightinalllocationsyouwork.Youwillanticipateanactivitysothatyoucanpositionyourselfinagoodrelationshiptothelightandthebackgroundandwillbeabletopreciselydeterminewherethesubjectwillbeposedinrelationtobothsothatthefinalimageispowerful,withoutexcuses.Youwill,withpractice,becomecomfortablewithfindingandusingnaturallightwhenphotographinganysubject.Usetheconceptsyouhavelearnedinthesepages,andhaveagreattimeplayinginthelight!
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INDEXA
Accentlighting,12,18,25–26,32,53,55,62,65,73,81,83,84,94,96,98,122
AdobePhotoshop,59,84,100,106
Airports,119
Aperture.SeeDepthoffield
Assistants,72,111,113
B
Backgrounds,27,29,32,47,51,52,53,62,64,78,80,81,84,89,106,112,
Backlighting,57
Beachportraits,9,12,54–55,56–57,95,114–15
Billboard,70
Biology,5,
Black&white,79
Brides.SeeWeddings
Broadlight,20,21,22,66,100,115
C
Cameraselection,14
Camerashake,16
Cameraroom,8–9,84
Camerastraps,12
Catchlights,5,6
Clients,repeat,90
Clothing,34,49,51,54,70,76,114
“Cocainelighting,”19,70
Colors,40,44,48,82,94
Composition,40,44,65,66,75,81,82,87,90,92,95,100
Contrast,10,27,98,111,120
CorelPainter,33
Cropping,40
D
Depth.SeeDimension
Depthoffield,16,36,51,52,87
Dimension,27,34,76,87,116
Doubleaccentlighting,25–26,32,62
Dramaclasses,88
E
Education,5–6
Exposure,10,14–16
Expression,38,40,44,49,64,67,91,97
Eyes,5–6,43,48,58,61,116,118–19
F
Falloff,10,11,122
Familyportraits,87
Fieldofview,36,46,51
Filllight,11,18,20,23,26,30,40,45,49,53,60,62,67,73,81,84,108
Flare,17
Focallength,52,56,89
Flatlighting,26,29
Fresnellenses,11
F-stops,15,36,51,52
G
Gobos,12,19,21,22,34,46,48,69,70,73,75,80,102,108,110,111,112,116,118,120
Graycards,17–18
Greenscreen,28
Grids,11
Groupportraits,11,87,100,106,108
H
Hairlight,62
Highlights,10,15,20,30,65
Histograms,17–18
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Hotspots,29,73
I
Inversesquarelaw,10,11
ISO,14,15,16,56
L
Leadinglines,82,84,92,115
Lensselection,14,16–17,30,36,46,52,56,89
Light,direct,42,82
Light,directional,29,34,62,74,87,113
Lightmeters,15–16,24,33,46
Lightmodifiers,5–6,11,12,13,18–26,30,32,34,36,38,40,42,43,45,49,55,57,60,65,66,69,70,72,73,75,80,81,96,100,102,104,108,110,111,112,115,116,118,119,122
Fresnellenses,11
gobos,12,19,21,22,34,69,73,75,80,102,108,110,111,112,116,118
grids,11
reflectors,12,13,18–19,20,23,24,30,32,36,42,43,45,46,49,58,60,65,66,70,72,81,96,104,108,116,118,119,122
softboxes,11
umbrellas,11
under-reflectors,12,13,19
Lightpatterns,5–6,19–26,38,40,49,55,57,66,100,108,111,115,122
Light,rhythmof,27–28,36,47,51
Light,sizeofsource,10,33,66,103,122
Lighting,subtractive,12,19,21,22,32,34,46,60,69,73,75,80,102,108,110,111,116,118
M
Mood,64
Motion,freezing,15
N
NikSoftware,36,59,96
Northlight,11,60,64,81
O
Openshade,10,48
Overcastsky,29,34,51,74,110
P
Perspective,38,43,69
Posing,40,49,56–57,65,66,69,75,81,83,87,92,94,97,105,110,116,118
Postproduction,33,36,38,58,59,84,91,96,100,106,122,124
Profilelight,23,33,57,108
Props,43,104
Psychology,5,6,88
R
Railroadtracks,62
RAWfiles,58
Reflections,120
Reflectors,12,13,18–19,20,23,30,32,36,42,43,45,49,60,65,70,72,81,96,104,108,116,118,119,122
Rembrandtlighting,22,40,115,122
S
Safety,62,94
Sales,53
Scheduling,86
Self-assignments,66
Separation,27,36,47,64,81,83,92
Shack,40,118
Shadows,20,21,30,112
Shortlight,20,21,55,100
Shutterspeed,15
Simplicity,36,49,87
Singleaccentlighting,25,55,65
Softboxes,11
Speedlights,11
Splitlight,23–25,38,49,53,55,111,122
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Sports,42–43,81–82,88–89,90–91,96,98
Storytelling,43,76,78,84,96,122
Strobes,5,6,9–10,11,97,111,113
Sunrise,9,54,118
Sunset,9,12,54,86,87
Sweetlight,54–5556–57,86–87,95,112
T
Tattoos,65
Texture,54,76,100
Tonalrange,20,29,32,38,42,54,74,120
Trains,62,66,74,110–11
Trash-the-dresssessions,46,84
Tripods,12,13,54
U
Umbrella,11
Under-reflectors,12,13,19,30
V
Variety,54,66,77,90–91,103
Visualization,60,77
W
Walls,10,19,24,40,45,46,48,49,58,60,65,66,70,72,79,81,84,96,108,118,119,120
asgobos,19,46,48,70,108,118,120
asreflectors,24,45,46,58,65,66,81,119
Walters,Woody,124
Watercoloreffects,100
Weddings,102–3,108
Weight,40
Whitebalance,17–18
Wide-anglelenses,30
Windowlight,10,11,17,20,26,32,33,48,49,76,81,100
Wraparoundlight,10,20,23,91,116