Briana Shaker adds a new article on having fun and getting the job done. It is good reading for photographers and models alike. More after the jump as they say.

I want to take a few minutes and let everyone know how much I appreciate the great emails and comments you are all making on the site. And to my workshop attendees, I can only tell you how amazingly humble it makes me feel that you come to the workshops. I work hard to make them pretty special. And the feedback seems to indicate that you feel the same way. Thank you.

I am preparing next years schedule and want to get that up as soon as possible. This week for sure… (yeah… we’ll see – ed) but know that I am on it.

We still have openings for Boston (1), Pittsburgh (2), Vegas (4) and Boise (2). The Toronto and Florida workshops are full at this time. Woohoo! If you are thinking about getting toned up for the holidays, come on down and join our merry band of talented photographers.

I want to link to a few articles that I have been excited about on other blogs.

A Photo Editor has a wonderful interview with Sam Jones, and editorial portrait shooter.
Sam Jones Part 1
Sam Jones Part 2

Heather Morton’s Blog is just a fantastic source of great information. This post on Email marketing by photographers is a great read.

David Hobby (Strobist) has a timely article on creating a color pallete for your work. It is something a lot of photographers don’t think about, but they should.

Selina Maitreya’s audio book is now available on her site. Wow… it is a fantastic look into the world of creating a kick-ass portfolio, finding your voice, and living your life with photography. Check out the free chapter and you will be sold.

And Robert Wright has a post on the use of digitally alteration and the news on his great blog Wrighting.

BTW, my friend Kirk Tuck has a new book out, Commercial Photography Handbook: Business Techniques for Professional Digital Photographers, for those of you thinking about starting out in the crazy world of commercial photography. I will be reviewing it soon, but I think you should check it out as a great source book for the move into commercial.

Well, let’s get on with Bri’s great new article on having fun and being professional in front of the lens.

Say, “Cheese?” Please… Say, “Natural.”

“Amateurs focus on the model, pros focus on the shot.” – Don Giannatti

By Briana Shaker

As Don says, pros will focus on the shot, so if as the model, you’re bringing the “cheese”, it’ll disrupt the shot. It’s about blending or contrasting with the environment, harmony or disharmony, but never amateur. For instance, if the shot is comprised of some form of architecture with numerous vertical lines, the model can either stand tall and reflect the image, maintaining the shot’s feel or work horizontal or angular lines to create a disjointed shot, making both aspects stand out so it “pops.” But the amateur? The amateur smiles likes she’s on vacation. Just think of the stereotypical “ignorant American tourist” complete with Hawaiian shirt, camera, and straw hat. True, he stands out. But not in a good way… he’s best… behind the lens, right, Don? Or even think Florida. Spring Break. Drunk girl. Big smile. Good for MTV, but not for the runway. (You got a problem with Hawaiian shirts, kid? –ed)

In front of this bush as a design element, the photographer wanted a lot of lines to break the symmetry.

Socialization

Now why do we act so cheesy when first in front of the lens? Simple. It’s natural. It’s how we were raised. Our parents pointed a camera and said, “Smile!” And thus we smiled. We’re conditioned to behave this way. A philosopher I once read wrote that we see the world before we name it. And it is those names that label or place something in its category. We see a camera and we say cheese. Conversely, we want to be models and we see a camera and we exaggerate our looks. But which is right? Or is there a better place? Somewhere in the middle? Or… is it as I suggest? A chameleon effect? That effect where the professional model knows how to blend and how to make something stand out. Yet, how does she do it?

Having Fun with the Moment can loosen everyone up!

Au Natural

Now some shoots, like high fashion, demand such exaggeration, but, equally, some shoots prefer that “girl-next-door” look or the “lifestyle” image to gain a desired effect. Yet those shots never really seem natural do they? You really think that woman in the Wal-Mart ad hangs out with her friends in their underwear smiling at each other? Sorry guys don’t hate me, but we don’t. But it works. It blends with the environment created in the ad and it plays on stereotypes to stand out and thus get a desired effect… you to buy the product. The point is that modeling is seemingly anything but natural, but a good model can train her self to do it… naturally. Because it actually is something very basic and something we all already know how to do. Make sense?

Here we are being silly in a coffin in Jerome, Arizona

And here we are being a bit more serious in the image. Jerome, Arizona

Retail Clerks and Baristas

Now some people really do like their jobs and are naturally cheery, but… we know it’s false… no one is that happy. But we can still learn something here. The clerk or barista gets us to buy. And we expect them to be overly happy. They stand out. But we remember the coffee, not the guy who whipped our latte. So they blend too (metaphorical joke intended.) That’s natural. The clerk is what we expect, annoyingly there to start us a dressing room, but that’s where her role leaves off. We still have to try the stuff on. The barista is there to wish us a good morning, but doesn’t come with us to make sure it is truly a good morning. But they are what we expect and what we want; a natural part of the process. They got us to look at the products and thus buy.

This ad for Apricot Lane called for me to be a bit more aloof.

A model is the same. We’re there to sell a product. Early in our careers we’re selling ourselves in the portfolios we create for agencies to view. And later, we’re there to sell the product our agents set up for us to sell. For instance, I just finished a campaign for a gum manufacturer. Will my name roll in the credits? No. I was just paid to bring attention to the product. To get potential customers to look and then get them to see what I have to sell. And I did my job well. It comes naturally.

In these ads I was to act like a Volleyball Player in the middle of the woods. It was an ad that focused on not using up natural resources by using software instead.

Model Naturally: A Guide

• Environment – the set – what is it? A Zen garden? Then feel it. Be Zen.
• Assumptions – the theme. What is it? Zen? If so it makes you think of Zen’s purpose in our lives. Most people are stressed and need a moment of happiness. Zen offers happiness. If it’s linked to the product. Then show that connection. If chewing gums leads to Zen… show it!
• Curiosity – it’s a natural thing. So use it. Let people formulate their own opinions… well, opinions you lead them to see through your manipulation of their assumptions. If your look arouses curiosity in the viewer, they’ll look at what you’re doing. And want in.
• Draw Attention to Self – seem a part of the experience. Be one with the set, product, and theme. If you’re part of it and seem that way, it’s believable. So act the part… believe you’re there.
• Draw in Viewer – make them feel as part of the experience too. Let them know if they have what you have, then they too will experience what you experience.
• Know the product – knowledge is power. The more you know about what you’re selling the more you’ll be able to sell it. It allows you to enter the world of the individual that is using the product. It’s hers. It’s yours. And soon… it will be the consumer’s.

Fashion is Exaggeration – Naturally

Yes, fashion models stand out. But that’s natural. When we buy clothes it’s not because we want to hide. We don’t shop at ninja stores, seeking the best camouflage for our night out clubbing. No we shop for the look that makes us “look” good. We want to stand out. We want to be seen. Now how does a model do the same? If she just wore the clothes would we see the clothes? Or do her exaggerated poses make us pay attention to the lines of those clothes? The colors? Do we see the product and not the model? Quick test: open your Victoria Secret catalog. Turn to page 7. Look. Now shut quickly. What color was her bra? What color were her eyes? Gotcha



In Nova Scotia, Don and I found this great bridge. Contrasting the straight lines with lots of curves and attitude was my job. This was really early in the morning and it was chilly for us desert folk!

Conclusion

Nature is about adapting. Evolution if you will. And being natural is the same. It’s about evolving to meet the needs of the environment you find yourself in. The carnivore stands out and the herbivore blends. The model can naturally be both. It’s as simple as pretending we’re something other than what we really are… a process we are all quite good at: The world’s a stage and we all play our parts. Now go play yours, sell some stuff, and make some money



Just relaxing and being myself was the catalyst for Don shooting this series.

P.S. This article is dedicated to the Canadian photographers I met recently in Toronto.

Thanks Bri. Glad you are having a great time up in the Cold North.

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Briana is back with part two of her article, “Trust the Model” and I am sure it will be of high interest to many of you who are starting down the road of fashion, beauty and editorial photography. Briana’s take on the other side of the lens is kinda fun and brings some insight into that perspective.

This weekend is Seattle. I am here as I write this, with gray clouds outside and no real knowledge of what this day will bring. Working from the road has become so much easier with the tools that we have available. I do all my writing in Google Docs, and use Box.net for my online storage. With my 4GB thumb drive and my 500GB smart drive, I can move files and bring files from the office on the road.

Of course that means I must keep working even when I am not in the office. Tradeoff I guess.

I have so many things to review, that August may turn out to be Review Month. Lighting modifiers, an incredible beauty dish modifier, some wonderful books and a very clever set of free online tools that can help get the up and coming photographer more organized and productive. And, there will be an editorial shoot dissected as well.

I am hoping to meet many of you as I continue the workshops. In response to many, many requests, we are modifying them to include some real, no-nonsense business discussions as well. Whether you are interested in going into photography as a business or not, some of these insights will help you get focused on what needs to be done. In what order. And how to do them. More on the workshops at the Learn to Light page.

Well, I am turning it over to Briana now. So take the plunge, trust the model and read what this model has to say on that subject – trust.

Model Behavior
Trust the Model
By Briana Shaker

Part II:

It’s been written that trust equals suffering. Yet a great poet once said that to create great art one must suffer. If such is true, then I can’t imagine not suffering a little to create great art. Like wearing heels for an 8 hour shoot. Like dancing and gaining an assortment of new and complimentary bruises. Or even like listening to another’s ideas regardless of their experience or lifestyle or job. In the end, it may create something phenomenal. Then again… you may just want to lose the footage in the recycling bin.

Try following these steps:

1. Preparation – simple enough. Set the stage. Get what you need ready, choose backgrounds, wardrobes, etc. You know the drill. It’s the most natural thing in the world for you now.
2. Focused direction – talk to your talent. Explain what you want out of the shoot. Then shoot it. Trust your model and just focus on the shot you’re looking for.
3. Free for all – let the model set the pace now. React to his or her changes in bearing and composition.
4. Edit what you wanted – simple too. You’re already a master here… right?
5. Experiment with the new – kind of self-explanatory… just be a kid. Try new things. Break the rules. The end result might get your name in the next cool method, like the “Dave Hill.” I’m looking forward to the “Briana Shaker Method”
6. Greatness or flop – it doesn’t matter which, it’s all about experience. And that… makes all the difference.

Boldly Going Where You Never Went Before

Letting go of control and picking what to focus on, or what is wanted, may net results beyond your expectations. For instance, on a shoot in Florida (Anna Maria Island – I miss that place), the photogs had taken their shots of me, model in a swimsuit, on the beach, with the waves, and the sun (great stuff) and then I decided to…. Jump. And they shot. The result has become sort of my thing. I use my dance skills to jump. And in so doing there have been a number of spectacular shots that I’m quite proud of having been a part. I’ve even added a few kicks and punches to my repertoire. Nothing like a model that can figuratively and literally… knock you out

The Good the Bad and the Inexperienced.

Models? Trust them? What if they have little experience?

Often the inexperienced can offer the most new opportunities. Similarly to children, the inexperienced are not burdened with the norms and conventions of a field. It’s easier for them to break free. That doesn’t guarantee that their break will be original or even good, but it does guarantee a new perspective, and, like betting on a 50 to 1 horse, it’s a chance at a great win fall.

Yet what about client based photography? Take a chance there?

Well… that’s different. As the photographer you can offer all the advice in the world, but in the end it’s up to the client and in his or her ability to trust you. But it doesn’t hurt to suggest. It doesn’t hurt to ask if they want to try a few things. They may. But like anything, you have to go by the feel of the situation and the desired outcome. When you’re a pro you have to make pro decisions.

What if the client is only paying for a set time and you have to ensure you get the results you want? In such an instance there is no time for “free for all.”

True. But art is usually (not always) that work we do when we’re not working for a client. This is your passion and your art. Some of it is about pleasing the clients and the rest is about pleasing yourself. I did a shoot with Sexy-Rid and I gave my all… professionally. In the end, I love the results. I didn’t jump. I didn’t dance. And I didn’t punch anyone. I still made art.

Conclusion

Trust. It’s a simple monosyllabic word. Yet, this simple word is one complex and problematic concept. From poor foreign relations between neighboring countries to the artist and his or her subject, trust is the basis for change and subsequent potential greatness. By just “letting go” and giving the model a “shot”, a photog can then draw on his or her wealth of experience and interests to maybe… just maybe… create something new. Now whether that “new” is ready for prime-time, that common hour we all tune in our flat-screens… well, what artist really wants to be known as being commonly accepted? None I know. So little kitty, hanging off a branch on that poster on the dentist’s ceiling, just let go… it doesn’t matter where you land, you’ll always land on your feet

– — – —
Thanks Bri, well done. For more of Briana’s articles, click the “Model Behavior” category on the category menu. And watch for her upcoming book. We will announce it here first!

Monday we feature an interview with a photographer from England, and Wednesday will be a feature on small strobe modifiers for creating subtle, and very controlled light.

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This post features two shots from this past weeks workshop in Phoenix. My Phoenix Workshops are fairly intimate affairs because I draw smaller groups and my studio is rather intimate as well.

In the first half of Saturday we work on portrait lighting and working with basic lighting setups. We start with one light and work it until we need to add a second light for some reason. Hairlight, more wrap, additional side lighting, 3-point and more are added to the mix.

For these two shots, I used a single light on the subject. The shot of Briana does have a second light for the background but it is not affecting the subject lighting.

Before we get into that… New Workshop dates are being nailed down now. I have some people wanting me to come to the twin-cities, and we are looking into cleaning up that East Coast month. Maybe moving one of the mid-Atlantic dates to a west coast. Montana is a go and so is Chicago. Watch the signup page for a location near you.

So let’s go look at how we can work with one light to create this look. Some of you who are very familiar with this kind of lighting – it is a favorite of mine – may also find some new things as well.

Starting out with the shot of Hayley we will examine the image closely. Here is the image as processed.

Camera: Canon, 100MM 2.8 Macro

The light on Hayley is one strobe on a boom. Over her about 3 feet, and back behind her about 3 feet. The V-Card in front of her is about 3 feet away and wrapping on both sides of her. Camera is aimed through the slot cut in the middle of the V-Card, and we have to check for possible flair.

Here is a lighting diagram:

I call this lighting “Beach Lighting” and it is one of my favorites. I call it beach lighting because it resembles the light I used to shoot under on the West Coast all the time. Bright, very bright, hazy sun and natural reflection from the sand. It can be somewhat contrasty with the hair blowing out a little in order to get that front light correct, but that is OK within the genre.

If you want the light to be a little less on the top of the hair, take a small boom and put a 10″ square flag or scrim directly above the hair… you will see it go dark as you place it in the angle to create a shadow on the hair. Move and adjust to taste. Be sure it isn’t much bigger than 10″ because you don’t want to kill the light on the V-Card in front of her.

There are so many fun ways to change this lighting up. Adding a small light from camera for a catchlight, adding a couple of small lights to each side of the V-Card to give a softer 3-point light and more. Caution… be aware that the light is turned toward the V-card so if you get too close, you can get some considerable flare. Watch for flare, flag it if necessary.

We had finished shooting white on white, and decided to do some black on black. Briana put the black fur (a studio wardrobe staple, and a fake… so now stop hatin’ on me, got it) and a bright turquoise top for a splash of color.

Our main light is a medium (42″) satin white umbrella in bounce mode. It is on a boom and very close to Briana… close enough to use the ‘wrap’ to add light on both sides of her face. Standing behind your model, you will be able to see how the light from the umbrella helps to wrap around the side of the model’s face. If you can see the umbrella from behind her, the side of her face is being lit.

We added a couple of V-Cards on each side of her to further open the shadows, and then put a shiny board under her to add some edge to the fur. Without these close, very close, V-Card fills, the fur would simply have no texture. Adding some bright cards to create speculars on the tiny hairs of the fur was what was needed.

You can see the bright, open shadows this light created under Briana’s chin and eyes. Keeping the eyes bright is one of the concerns I have when lighting. I find I can keep them open and bright by working the light close to the subject.

I wanted to keep the background dark, but also have some gradient to help bring out the texture of the fur. The eye sees the fur and its subtle texture while the background is subtle but smooth in transition.

We chose a small 33″ umbrella with a black back aimed at the black seamless. It is nearly on the floor and mounted on a short “background” stand. Keeping it about a foot from the background allowed a very soft, subtle light-to-dark background light. I tip my umbrella down very slightly when I do this, not wanting too much of the light to wash up the seamless wall.

The last thing we did was take a 12″ by 36″ white reflector and put it over her head at a totally oblique angle… in other words it is vertical to the light and behind her head about 6″. This gives a very subtle, but visible, hair separation light.

We hope you are enjoying Lighting Essentials, and tell your friends. You can sign up for an RSS feed to stay on top of our posts. See top right of the home page. Also, if you like the posts, add them to the social networks you like by clicking the “Save/Share” link at the bottom of this post.

See ya next time.

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One of the ways to separate the subject from the background is to use a spray light. The light creates a ‘halo’ of light to dark behind the subject and helps make a flat background more dynamic. It is a fairly simple technique with a lot of variations possible.

We can do this with all kinds of lights, from speedlights to normal reflectors and beauty dishes. Each can add its own look to the spray, and make it work within the framework of your image.

Before we get to this technique, I would like to let you know we are adding Montana to our workshop schedule this summer. If you are a photographer in Montana / Wyoming area, be watching the site for our Montana workshop date. UPDATE: Montana is June 20 and 21, 2009. Signup is active on the schedule page.

We are also having a pair of advanced workshops in Phoenix in February and March. We will only be taking photographers who are already familiar with lighting tools, but need to step out and get some real experience with models and shoot situations. Limited to only 3 photographers per day, the workshop is fully focused on shooting. We have models for the day, and will be working in studio and on location. Portfolio / Web Site review will be required. See the Learn to Light site for more information on January 26, 2009.

Now… on to some simple ways to create a spray light and a gradient background for your work.

The portrait of Vanessa shows how the background works to create a light-to-dark base for the face and shoulders. The background is behind her about 10 feet. This helps create a dynamic background for the portrait to sit above. The look is far different than a flat background… and keeps the eyes right on our subject.

Keeping the wall 10 feet or so behind her helps blur it from limited DOF. I am shooting here at about f8 at 1/60 at ISO 100. With an 80-200MM L at this distance, the background drops out pretty fast. I am out to about 160-170mm with the lens, so it is quite a telephoto.

Adding a hair light gives a nice shoulder accent. For this shot there is a silver/white ‘Zebra’ over the top of her and slightly back. It creates a nice little accent that is still there even against the bright background gradient. You should really watch this area, because if it the background is too bright, it can kill the separation between the highlight on the shoulder and the spray light.

Marissa is wearing a white shirt in this shot, and it separates fine from the backlight.

The closer the light, the tighter the spread of light. This shot shows the background light at 6″ from the wall.

This close up shows how close the light is actually to the wall. Just about 6″. I think being very careful with the heat is a great idea.

Now we pull the light back about 2″ to 8″ from the wall. Notice the wider spray, and slightly less contrast from center to edge.

Now to 12″ from the wall or background. The light is now very widely spread and there is a soft gradient from center to edge.

The color for the background here is “Thunder Gray.” You can get that color in seamless, and we have our back studio wall painted that color. This technique works best on the grays and darker colors.

One more shot of Marissa here:

This last shot shows how subtle the look can be. We have a hair light on Marissa, and the spray light is adding a dynamic look behind her. The hair seems to be lit, and yet in the corner we can see some dark background to let the blonde stand out.

I like the spray light look. It can be done with far more subtlety than these as well. Photographers like Platon, who shoot a lot of editorial portraiture, depend on variations of this kind of light to provide subtle definition to their subjects.

Try using a Gary Fong diffuser for some softness, or add a few layers of gel for a color. I find that spray lights work well on dark to medium gray backgrounds. Colored seamless, old canvas, walls and wallpaper can also be used to advantage.

If you try this, post a shot or two to the Flickr Lighting Essentials pool and tag it: le_spray_light. I would love to see how some of you take this idea and change it up.

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Photographers in Phoenix like dramatic skies. We get so many days in a row of bright, blue that when it gets dark and moody up there some of us grab cameras. My friends Jim Vigileos and Jerry OConnor did that recently and along the way they grabbed Christina to add to the mix.

Both shooters use small strobes a lot for their work. Moving fast with speedlights, they shoot everything from classic pinups to glamour to portraits both on location and in the studio. Today was big light day… Jim with his AB’s and Jerry with his Elinchrome Ranger and beauty dish.

The day started with me having a ton of work to do and sitting in front of the computer getting ready to do it. A text comes in from Jerry saying he and Jim were working with Christina, did I want to come down and hang and have lunch with them. Pile of work versus hanging with a couple of fun guys and Christina… no brainer. It takes me about 25 minutes to get to Maricopa, a tiny, but growing, town south of Phoenix.

The day had started with lots of bluster and the skies were threatening rain. Perfect. We had lunch and headed over to a site Jim had scouted earlier… an old grain elevator on the tracks there in Maricopa. I was happy to go along to photograph them making pictures.

Before we continue, be sure to check the 2009 Workshop Schedule. I have been working on the new workshop daily, with workbook and shooting with Briana for it… It will be a truly amazing two days and the amount of lighting we will cover will be staggering. The workbook and supersecret DVD for only the workshop attendees will make the experience even more valuable.

Let’s see these guys in action.

Photographing on location is very serious business. After we determined that the fence had been knocked down well before we got there, we checked the area out. What seemed like a good place to shoot if it rained also turned out to be a wonderful place for pigeons to sit after eating… ya know. Nixing that, we decided to keep the gear close and under many of the little buildings… if it rained we would drive the vehicles to the gear and go.

Location work is serious business... sort of. Christina doing the patient waiting thing while trunks are unloaded for the shoot

The shot we start with is Christina on the stairs with a red top and black leggings. The buildings were all a uniform gray color on a very gray sky day with flat light. I mean nearly no shadows at all. Christina’s blond hair and red top would be a wonderful subject against that very monochrome surrounding.

Jerry shoots with an Elinchrome Ranger kit that has become his favorite lighting tool. Combining it with the very large beauty dish, the unit is self contained, battery powered and pumps some of the nicest light you have ever seen.

The Ranger with Jim taking a shot and Jerry keeping an eye on the sky.

Here is a shot of the setup Jim did. That’s me sneaking in there to make a shot of Christina and Jerry shooting on the steps. Jim fired the ranger from his position so you can see how the light falls from the beauty dish.

Jerry shares an image with Christina on the steps.

Jerry wanted a deep and moody sky, so he has set the light to give him a two stop difference from ambient to flash. The beauty dish is in pretty close to keep the power needs as minimal as possible and to provide a nice wash of light with a little wrap to it. No fill cards were used here, and Christina worked toward the light to keep from being too contrasty on the shadow side of her face. (Briana’s recent Model Behavior article addresses models working with the light.)

Here is Jim in close with his 14-24 Nikkor.

Notice how the sunlight is peeking through and adding some hairlight. Sometimes you just get lucky.

Christina is working with Jerry on the steps. Beauty dish just is giving perfect light.

Some of Jim’s shots in the same light:

Notice the wonderful bit of flare to the left. As Jim was shooting the sun was peeking out behind the dark clouds.

Jim was using his new Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 for this outing. He was wanting to both get shots of Christina and make sure he was familiarizing himself with the new gear before using it on a job. That’s a great way to work, BTW. Know your gear before committing to working with it on someone else’s dime.

The sun adding a little kicker to the shot of Christina in Maricopa.

Jim used his softbox, AB800′s and a Vagabond to set this shot up on the tracks.

Softbox for main and a very slight kicker from a speedlight to the right gives this shot a very unique texture.

Here is Jim working on getting it set up:

Setting up on the tracks for a shot of Christina, Jim takes a call.

Keeping the softbox for his main light, Jim wanted the ambient light to be darker and moody. Here the ambient is two stops less than the exposure for the softbox and speedlight combination. Jim metered the ambient, tested a few shots to make sure that two stops under would be the look he wanted in the sky and the surroundings and then built his light to give him the exposure on Christina of two stops brighter… choosing that combination for his shot.

When we first arrived, Jerry wanted to try out something with his 50MM 1.2L. He set the aperture to 1.2, and using the TTL set the background to -2 and the strobe to +2. He made a few exposures of Christina on the tracks to see how it would work. I played human boom and the speedlight was about 4.5 feet from Christina. The high speed Canon flash worked nicely and Jerry got this shot with minimum DOF from the 1.2 aperture and great dramatic lighting… even at a shutter speed of 1/3200.

High Speed Sync shot with Canon 5D and TTL speedlight.

Jerry set up this shot on the side of the silo there. He liked the shape of the curve and what it would do with the light as it fell off of Christina.

Jerry setting up the Elinchrome Ranger for a shot of Christina and the silo.

Jerry checks the exposure as he is tweaking in the light

Jerry knows his light pretty well and knew that at the distance he had it, and the power setting he wanted, the Elinchrome would perform quickly and give him the soft, yet punchy light that is becoming a stylistic choice for him. He takes great pains in chimping in the background to make sure it is exactly as he pictures it and then lights Christina with that ambient setting in mind. Keeping a loupe with you for viewing the image on the LCD as close as possible is a great idea and you won’t find Jerry far from his loupe.

Here are a few images from that set. You can see how well the large beauty dish performs on her skin and face as well as the subtle light that seems to pool around her.

Another wardrobe change and we find Jim shooting Christina in an old doorway. Using a speedlight with a gel in the room behind her, Jim used his medium box with the Alien Bees AB800 for his main light. Both he and Jerry use wireless triggers to fire their strobes remotely. Jerry uses Pocket Wizards and Jim uses the Alien Bee wireless setup. Both also use large battery units for their on location strobe work.

Keeping the angle of the box at an definite angle to Christina, Jim was able to provide a nice wash of light as she stood in the doorway. The distance of the softbox also let a nice, defining shadow fall on the unlit side of her. Controlling that falloff is the angle and distance of the softbox. Jim worked the backlight from an opposite direction and that little nuance helps give the image even more depth.

Christina works the light for Jim in this doorway shot.

One more shot from Jim. On this one he used the speedlight at a low setting to get a nice, subtle rim light to Christina on camera right. This subtlety is so important when trying to make something stand out.

A stylized shot of Christina by Jim Vigileos. Jim is using Photoshop to create a very contemporary look to this shot.

Well, thanks for having me along guys. And thanks to the readers for coming along on what ended up being a very fun, and challenging day. It never rained, and that was good. The sun started going in and out behind lighter and darker clouds so you had to be aware that ambient was changing by as much as a stop and a half.

Jim and Jerry both know the value of learning the equipment you use inside and out. Testing the limits and playing with the units in a somewhat real situation can give you the practical and valuable experience you need when on assignment.

I hope you all enjoyed this shoot. I enjoyed bringing it to you.

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This weeks Tech Sheet features one of my favorite portrait techniques. In this shot I am using it as a bright, poppy front light with a very pronounced back “spray” light. It is an easy setup with lots of room for customization and personalization. It can be done with studio strobes as well as speedlights and would be appropriate in many settings.
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Before we continue on, I want to remind everyone that next Monday, November 24th, we will start the listing of next years workshops. We will start in Phoenix in January, then off to the Bahamas, Sacramento, Detroit, Tampa, Denver, Dallas, New York and Washington DC. We have more dates to announce and we are always looking for hosts in cities we haven’t booked yet. If you are interested in hosting a workshop, let me know in the contact area of the site.

(BTW… I am thinking about doing some live broadcasts… say, every weekend do a free livecast of something or a shoot. Do you all think that would be a good thing or should I simply video it and post it. I like the vidcast thing because we can have a dialogue while it is happening. Thoughts?)

Now on to the portrait lighting Tech Sheet for November 21, 2009.

The key to this light is keeping the umbrella in close, in bounce position, to get plenty of natural wrap fill from the parabolic shape of the umbrella. Let’s take a closer look at how this light can be used without fill cards.

In this image we can see how well the light covers Briana and seems to wrap all around her even without a fill.

You can see how well the light wraps in this close up portrait.

In the image above you can see how the light plays soft and yet with a pop that keeps the skin bright and clean. You can also notice how the closeness of the umbrella creates light that falls off quickly as it moves away from the source (ISL). The back shoulder is considerably darker than the front of the image because it is farther away from the light source. This also makes the image a little more dramatic.

Let’s take a look at the tech sheet:
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Please download and print the tech sheet for your files.

The size of the umbrella in this shot can make all the difference in how the skin looks and how poppy the light can get. I am using a 60 inch umbrella at 4 feet. In this shot I am using 400 WS heads… one in the umbrella and one on the backlight stand. The reflector that is in the umbrella allows for maximum coverage of the umbrella and that translates into a very even and ‘clean’ light onto the model’s face.

This image shows the model in position, 8 feet from the wall behind her. The spray light is plainly visible from this angle and you can see how close it is to the wall. This closeness chokes the light off and forces it to quickly dissipate as it leaves the close area of the reflector. Placing this light at the same angle as the camera will put the circle of light in the middle of your image. You must also be careful in that it gets placed in a spot that is not seen by the camera. Your model will probably be able to hide the strobe head behind her.

Let’s take a look at what it looks like from camera angle:

Notice the careful placement of the umbrella so it is in the center between the camera and the backlight.

Keeping the main light on the vertical axis of the camera means that there is very little shadow provided and also that the light wraps evenly around the model. The spray light in the back can be centered or placed where ever in the background the photographer wants by moving shooting position slightly to each side. Too much movement could reveal the light, so be careful.

Here is an alternate shot:

We have the wind machine off for this image

When taking the reading with a flash meter I place the meter against the wall at the spot right above the models shoulder. I make the choices at that point on how bright or dark I want the spray to be and adjust from there. For a subtle look have it match and for drama make it one over the main. If you are chimping, make sure that the light isn’t too flat.

Let’s look at the Photoshop work for this image now. After the normal skin retouching and basic editing the image is ready for the final tweaking. Here is where it gets pretty interesting. After the normal processes which can be a local skin repair or as elaborate as recalling several layers, we have an image that looks pretty good, but we can make it look better.

I rarely process an image these days without using Tony Kuyper’s amazing Luminance Masks. They are available here and Tony asks for a donation to keep him working on them. Please let him know you were recommended by Lighting Essentials.

Here is the image with the basic masks turned off:

Not bad, but a little flat to my taste. I add a layer mask action of “light” and create a gentle “S” curve… very gentle… on the curves adjustment layer that the action. Small adjustments are the best so be judicious in their use. With this mask only the light pixels are chosen, added to the curves adjustment and then can be made to be lighter or darker without touching the pixels that are not in the lightest categories. In other words, we can start to add contrast without affecting the other parts of the image.

Now we will add the ‘dark’ mask with the action. This chooses the dark pixels and I make a gently curved ‘S’ on the channel layer. Again small movements can be a large change so watch your image very carefully and don’t go overboard with the changes.

Adding the dark luminance mask to the image

Below is the group shot with this medium layer mask turned on. This layer has a little bigger movement allowed because , but still watch that image critically to see the final adjustment layer doesn’t make changes that are inappropriate. I do the medium masks last.

I use the narrow mid-tones to tweak the skin tones

At the end I add a layer of 50% gray, blend mode to either soft light or overlay and set my brush opacity to around 8%. Using white I gently add to the highlights and with black I can add to the darker tones. This is a very small move, so be gentle with what you do.

Keep your opacity at no more than 10% so you can gently add highlights and shadows into the image.

Here is the final image with the tweaks in place:

Photoshop is used to compliment the Lighting

For fun I am including this small section of images in a “contact sheet” form so you can see the work that Briana did on this shoot. These are unedited and right out of the camera in sequence. Notice how she works toward the camera in each image… from keeping an ‘open’ chest to focusing the eyes right into the lens.

Briana at work on Lighting Essentials

Assignment:

1. Using a similar setup do an environmental portrait of someone in a situation where the backlight is not on a wall.

2. Find a very dramatic top for your model and go wild with the makeup. Add a shiny board under her chest for a very dramatic bright light.

3. Try to make the spray light very soft and almost imperceptible. You may have to add a little diffusion to a very low powered strobe to keep it down in the lower register, but give it a go.

Thanks for visiting Lighting Essentials. Let us know what you think of these tech sheets.

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Sometimes you just want a simple image, a headshot or a 3/4 image that has a very direct light to show the skin color, open the eyes and bring some vivid highlights to the person.

I like the big softbox and how it can simply wash the person with a clean, bright light that seems to make them glow. Usually I work the box to the side, like a large window light, but for this portrait of, well… you know (heh), I decided to do an on-camera axis shot. Many times I use an umbrella in this position, but the large, diffuse, square softbox light was intriguing.

I added a large shiny board below the softbox that would reflect the light up from the floor area and provide a bright, shiny, poppy light for bottom fill.

Before we head on over to the tutorial, I just want to make sure we have a few links taken care of here:
November Wallpapers
The Cleveland Workshop
Our November 1 Tech Sheet
Should Photography be Easy

Now, on to the tutorial.

Before we start, here is the full image as it was processed.

You can see how the light is open and bright on her torso. and how the eyes seem alive with the open light and slight reflection of the shiny card below. Briana is standing in front of the V-card and there is some natural wrap going on there with the slightly angled V-card. you can see it on her shoulder edges and the way the light seems to stay pretty clean across her shoulders.

There is enough fall to show the shape, but the light doesn’t simply fall away like it would with a smaller light source without the V-Card behind her.

One of the most important parts of this setup is to make sure that the light is actually reflected back on to the model. I stand behind the model and look into the shiny board to see if the reflection is bright on the board. Once I show the model what to look for, they can let me know if the reflection is there.

Here you can see the light as it is reflected off the shiny board and on to Briana in position for the portrait.

Keeping the light source very close to the subject gave a liquid look to the highlights on the lips, nails and especially the jacket and top. The soft highlights give the shot a warmth that is natural.

You can see how close the light is to Briana here. The shiny board is 4 feet square and covered with a textured bright material.

The set as seen from the camera area (not on camera axis) shows how close the background is to Briana. This keeps the light from the box falling on the background as well as her. Since the light is way larger than she is, the light wraps around and doesn’t create any shadows. This natural wrap helps to keep the image more open and bright. The brightness of the background also helps Briana stand out from it.

You can see how the light wraps around her and keeps the background with very little shadow.

Shooting from between the softbox and the shiny board gives a total ‘wash’ of light to the subject. Here is a second shot from the session.

This image shows how nice the light spreads across the skin and highlights the curves of the wardrobe.

I hope you liked this tutorial on using the bright shiny board and large softbox. Give it a try… you can even use a scrim or very large umbrella in the same position. If you try this with speedlights, try using a couple of them to spread the light wider across the scrim or into the umbrella.

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Let’s take a single image today and deconstruct it out to see exactly how it was created. The shot is of Briana in Mexico while we were doing the September workshop in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Also known as Rocky Pointe, the little town had become a favorite shoot spot for us so we always return for an afternoon of image making and fun!

Evan was working with Briana in an area very close to this set so when he finished I asked to jump in real quick to take a shot. I already knew exactly what I wanted to do so it was easy and quick to set up.

Have you seen the newest column by our resident model and author, Briana? She is taking questions about modeling and working with photographers. If she doesn’t know the answer, she vows to get it. If you have a question about that side of the camera, the really scary side, ask away in the comments section. Go to the tags and click on “Ask Briana” or visit her “Model Behavior” section on the site. Also take a look at our newest post on the Magazine.

A plug for the workshops: Detroit is this week, and Atlanta next week. Get enrolled fast. I think they only have a few openings left.

I saw the specular coming across the ocean toward Bri and I wanted to incorporate into the shot. The sun was throwing a shadow toward me on the pier and I lay down to position the shadow of her head right over my camera. That meant that the light of the sun would be like a glow behind her head and act like a spotlight behind her.

I took the first shot at an exposure that I knew would be close, f20 at 1/160 of a second. Knowing that the ambient around us was f16 at 1/100 at 100 ISO, I wanted to see how the underexposed image would look. f20 is 2/3 stop under exposed (f20 is 2/3 under f16) and 1/160 was 2/3 stop underexposed by shutter speed (1/160 is 2/3 less exposure than 1/100). Total was 1 1/3 under the ambient. Of course this is a backlight situation which changes it up a bit, but I wanted to see what the shot would do with those settings.

I didn’t fire the flashes this time. I only wanted to know what the other part of the scene would look like. Whenever I do this I shout ‘test shot’ and never know what Briana will come up with. I should do a book sometime of all the strange and crazy ‘test shots’ we have.

You can see that the backlight is quite underexposed and there is no detail in our subject.

I thought that the flare was too faint around her head so I opened the shot up to f16 at 1/160. At this point I added my flash units in. The flash to camera left is a 430EZ and it set to 1/4 power and zoomed to 70mm. I knew where to place the flash because of the distance / aperture tests I had done. To get f16 I needed to bump the power from 1/8 to 1/4 and position it at the distance of my arm span. Mike is holding the strobe and aiming it at Bri’s face and chest.

On the other side is Evan with an old Sunpack 433. It is set to 1/8 power and he is in a bit closer. I wanted him to keep the flash aimed on her dress and thighs. This would give an interesting cross light to the subject and add to the overall ‘spotlight’ thing I was going for.

This shot shows that the light is pretty good for Bri's face but a not nearly what I wanted for her legs.

I liked the exposure here and the area around her face looked like I wanted it to. Tweaking the light by bringing in the legs light on camera right about a foot. It doesn’t take much, just tweak a little and check. Small movements can make big differences in the light – both from a power situation and coverage.

Here is a diagram of the light position.

Here you can see the lights and how they were placed.

I was happy to start letting Bri do her thing while keeping in the shadow of her head. The flashes were giving me fits, but we managed to get several good shots. I like to let her know what the recycle time is by audibly giving her a few cues… she takes that rhythm and we can shoot for a while with little direction from me. She takes a simple pose and works the heck out of it before moving to another big change.

Here is the finished shot:

Final shot shows the spot light look from the back and both sides.

I did some work in Photoshop, but not much. Here is a shot of the screen of the photoshop work. I cleaned up the skin a bit, and then added some contrast with different sets of curves. I also added a bit of highlight with overlay painting with white. Very minor. There is also a very faint use of the shadow/highlight slider that does not show on the layers pallet. Use that filter judiciously unless you want the extremes that it can produce.

Here you can see how simple the work was in Photoshop

The shot was pretty clean, but I did bring out her legs a bit, and add to the overall luminance of the image. In the end, the spot light on the back of her, combined with the opposing lights on different places on her figure gives the shot a fun, dramatic look

One last shot I also liked:

Another shot of Bri on the pier.

I hope to see you again at Lighting-essentials.com. This week we will be posting some more stuff from Mexico and then Bri and I get on a plane to Detroit. We will be posting there as well, so be sure to visit to see the nearly live uploads from the Detroit workshop.

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There are times when the light you have doesn’t match the light you want. The drama of moody skies are rendered useless if they are overexposed and the muddy, dark skin tones of heavily overcast days can make the most competent Photoshop Guru moan in agony.

What to do? Think about underexposing the surroundings to bring the drama back to the image. But that doesn’t mean underexposing the subject. We can use our small flashes to create a light that features our subject and darkens the surroundings. This somewhat muted, eery look we call “beating the sun.” And we did this shot with only two small strobes and a boom. And a willing and beautiful model helped.

When we got to the location I was struck that the sun, even though behind some rather dark and moody clouds, was shining right down the alley towards us. This caused a wonderful reflection on the water as it trickled down through the buildings. All in all, somewhat of an unusual scene.

To add to the unusual look, we put Haley into a party dress. One that was totally incongruous to the scene and the light we were going to create. This unusual wardrobe selection helps to make the shot a little more ‘over the top’ than say, shorts and a t-shirt would.

Gear for this shot:
Camera and Wide Angle (20-35mm L Canon)
Two Stands
One Boom (human boom optional, but very nice)
Two speedlights (I am using an SB 800 and a 430EX)
One Small softbox for the main light
Wireless triggers

John Sartin (a shooter who was assisting me on this shot), took one stand mounted speedlight down the alley and pointed it back toward Haley. This gave her a very slight rim light and added separation between her and the scene. We placed it low to get plenty of rim light on her legs as they would be a little darker than her body.

As we used a speedlight in a small softbox for main light, I knew that it would not cover her entirely at the distance we were using. That meant that the light would fall off as it went down her body to her legs. Adding the rim light to the legs gave them depth and also separation. Two battery operated speedlights were all that was needed to get the shot.

You can see the lighting diagram here:

Click the image to see a larger, clearer size.

It doesn’t take long to set up your image when you see it in your mind beforehand. This image is exactly what I saw in my head as I walked into the alley. The darkened sky, reflections in the water amd the muted, mysterious color. I simply had to make it work with the equipment I had with me and we did.

I chose a medium wide angle lens to lengthen Haley’s legs and show the incredible location for the shot. Coming in too close would have missed the converging alley and the mysterious, stormy clouds.

I worked a little in Photoshop to desaturate the surroundings a bit, darken the clouds and add a little ‘grittiness’ to the image.

Having an assistant who will hold a softbox on a boom over his head for as long as it takes you to get the shot is simply wonderful. Thanks, John. And thanks to Haley for all her hard work to make the shot have a sense of life to it.

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In Mexico we had wonderful white Casitas to stay in courtesy of the Las Palmas Resort. They provided some remarkable shooting areas as well as natural light bouncing off all the white walls and railings.

I personally love natural light for all kinds of portraiture, but especially for headshots. The way the ambient light works the modeling of the features of the subject is something I especially like.

Our first image is one of Precilla in the afternoon sun. We are on a patio and the sun is still a little high in the sky, but behind her. The area we are on has a wall of white over my right shoulder. I exposed for her face, letting the background go bright. I like the natural look of it as well as the feeling of light. I was using a long lens with 2.8 so the DOF is really, really narrow. You can see how the light models her features against the bright sky.

In the next shot of Jazmin, we have her in the shade of the bright wall. The ambient is everywhere and she is being lit by the lightly overcast white sky. The light seems to come from everywhere and her eyes are so bright. In her eyes you see the sky and the horizon as the catchlight. No reflector was used in this or any shots on this page.

Below is a contact sheet of Jazmin. You can see that no matter how she turns her face, the light is soft and even all around. If you had seen her in person it would have looked like she was dark in the shade, but once you isolate the subject and expose for the ambient light on her face, the whole scene takes on a different look.

This shot of Precilla on the balcony is more of an environmental portrait. We see a lot of the surroundings and it certainly is not as tight as the shot above of Jazmin. I converted it to B&W because of the subtle tones. And I like B&W. You can tell by the angle of the light on her shoulders that the sun is still quite high. This poured a lot of light across the white floor in front of her as well as the wall behind me. As usual with natural light shots, I exposed for the face (ambient) light, letting the highlight be whatever it is… even if it is blown out.

The next shot of Jazmin is a fashion shot. I simply kept the sunlight to her back and let the natural light of the surroundings set the exposure. The sun was down a bit from the previous shot, so it is a little less on her shoulders than it was on Precilla. Again, the exposure is taken at her face in the ambient light instead of the direct sunlight. Then the shot is exposed for the ambient, letting the backlight go bright.

In none of these shots did we use a reflector or any kind of light modification. I simply used the natural, ambient and direct light to make the image. While it is certainly fun to work with all kinds of lighting equipment, it is also equally fun to use just your wits and the light that is existing at the scene.

Thanks for visiting Lighting Essentials. We will be updating weekly with new and interesting lighting tutorials.

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