I guess I missed International Available Light Portrait Day, but then I am wondering when I get to color eggs and hide them in our miserably small back yard. My bud in Texas, Kirk Tuck, did a nice little post on Available Light, and got me thinking about how much I love it as well. I thought I would post a little “Natural Light” post myself.

The shot above is totally natural light from a wide open sky in back of me and a setting sun to camera right giving the shot a little tweak of light. I am loving the way it just adds that wonderful highlight to the jeans and her hair. Taken at the Omaha workshop while waiting for another photographer to get their lens changed.

I would love to discuss some natural light shots with you, but first some housekeeping:

Workshop News:
I have scheduled a few advanced classes and we have had some really great classes. The workshop we did in Baltimore last weekend was a blast for the students. They learned how intricate the lighting used to shoot jewelry can be, and how to prepare a pour shot for liquids. We added some models to the afternoons and they loved the switching of gears from things to people.

Atlanta is my next workshop and it is an advanced. If you are looking for a way to expand your understanding of studio work – still life, product, food and jewelry – take a look at what we are offering. It is designed for the serious photographer, and is still a great workshop for the advanced amateur.

Also coming up is the Greenville and Columbus workshops. Greenville will be a great time. I love going to the smaller towns that many other workshops don’t schedule. I will be doing some work in the area as well, so the month of June is totally full. Columbus is being sponsored by MPEX and will simply rock! Watch for some exciting news about that workshop!

Selina, Jack and I are gearing up bigtime for the Going Pro NOW tour this fall. We kept the pricing low and the value high. We believe in photography and we believe that we can make a difference in the challenges of the emerging photographers out there. Things seem to be picking up out there in ad land, so be ready.

I will be doing some one-on-one consultancies in July. Utilizing the studio I have in Phoenix, there will be some openings for photographers wanting to take some serious lighting instruction. We can arrange for all kinds of amenities for those of you who may want to take a more personal workshop. It will be available for 2 attendees per. If interested, drop me an email. I have only a few open days in July.

Heading for Denver in July and we are trying a workshop in the Flagstaff Area. That workshop will feature working along Old Route 66, Downtown Flagstaff, mountain meadows, pines, deserts and more. A special workshop in a special place. This will be my first Denver area workshop, and I am excited about that.

Recent posts you may have missed:
My workshop and week in NY produced New York, May 2010: Fun in the Big City
You Know That Guy… I Hate That Guy. Am I Somehow More Successful Now? was a post on the tendency to think negatively instead of with inspiration.
Sure You Gotta Logo, But What Is Your Personal Brand? discusses going beyond the surface of brand and gets into your personal branding project.
“The Heart of Portraiture” E-Book: 20 Portraits Discussed. My first freely distributed E-book featuring 20 portraits and discussions on what the thought process was to achieve them. Free to download and enjoy.

Now on to a little post on natural light, and thanks Kirk for getting my brain going on this.

I have heard it called available light, natural light, real light and so many other similar terms that it can all be so confusing. I may not have the definitive, nor the best accepted explanation of what it is, but to me ‘natural light’ only means I did not bring any artificial light sources into play. Using what is there, and modifying the bejeezus out of it is fine. (Let’s not go into whether the use of reflectors is indeed a light source or any kind of semantical issues, OK… I mean I didn’t bring a strobe, hot light, flashlight, or studio flash along for the shot. Shiny boards, scrims, and reflectors are fine in my definition. Feel free to define it your way.)

I like the softness of natural light. I like it’s ability to sculpt and define. I like the simple way the light moves across my subjects creating complex behavior that I can exploit. I think it is accessible light – a welcoming light. Natural light seems familiar and emotional to me.

When I started out, I used a Nikon with three lenses and a reflector. I didn’t own any lighting equipment at all. I shot model composites, local fashion and editorial, portraits for business, even still life all with the light in the alley behind my studio and the light that would come through the two story windows. I ended up with a cadre of fill cards… silver, white, gold, bronze. And there was a stash of odd shapes for odd fills, and cookies for shaping the window light.

I love working on location and the challenges it brings. Environments create lighting situations that can be astounding to work with. Even when I am carrying strobes, the natural environment is totally a part of the creative process. Below are a few shots from the early portfolio. All were taken in the 1980′s, most in the early 80′s.

All images in natural light. Copyright Don Giannatti

My first lighting kit was a set of Ascor Strobes with four heads. Wow. They were used like crazy for a week and then set for quite a while as I kept working in the style I was accustomed to working in. Over a couple of years the strobes became another tool in my arsenal of lights, and the work started to include them more and more.

But I never lost my love for the simple natural light. And the intimacy it can create.

Lately I have been doing all kinds of lighting (at the workshops we go from natural light to 4 and 5 strobes… it is a blast to be able to control and manipulate so many sources), and find my natural light work to be even more interesting to me. I like to move fast, capture a moment and leave it all on the set. It can be a much shorter process for me these days, and the accessible, intimate, natural light creates a definitive change from the manipulated and illustrative strobe work.

This is a totally natural light shot. What I mean is not even a reflector was used. I wanted the softness of the sky and the natural play of light on her face. Behind me, the sky was cloudy, but bright. The sun had burst under a cloud behind her for a moment and it gave me some great backlight. I work with the talent to keep the sunlight off the cheeks and nose, and then let them be themselves. This shot was taken with a 80-200MM lens at 125MM and f-2.8. I like the way the hair is lit and the catch lights in the eyes seem to be so natural.

I particularly liked this location near my old studio. It was simply the wall facing east – and to the east was a two story white and light tan building that caught the afternoon light and became a great, soft light source. In the afternoon I could place a model in the shade and still get a wonderful highlight on the hair from the open sky. This is also a totally natural light shot. With the huge light source of the building and the open sky above us, I can work her face any way and still have wide, broad, soft light. A 200MM lens at f-2.8 gave me a very shallow DOF and isolates her face against the wall.

These shots were taken on an iPhone on the south side of my studio in soft, overcast light in the late afternoon. I like the way her face is softly sculpted by the light. The DOF is of course not controlled on the wide angle iPhone lens.

The natural softness and the slightly hard shadow from the slightly diffused sun produced a nice look to my eye. The model kept her face toward the light so I could keep the ratio closer than the side light would have created.

I pushed the ISO up to 200 on this one. The light was quite overcast and I wanted a bit faster shutter speed. The 80-200MM L is at f-2.8 and the focal length is about 150mm or so. I brought a white card in close to the shadow side of her face to provide a nice fill, and had her turn her face toward the light until the shadow on her nose was mitigated to a lighter shade. Side light can be very nice sometimes, and other times, I work to get a softer ‘fall’ of light.

This portrait was taken in Balboa Park at the San Diego workshop. We had wrapped a shoot and were heading to meet the other group when I noticed the way the slightly overcast sky was reflecting on the large leaf. I loved the feeling of it, and the shape of that large leaf just seemed like a perfect background for a portrait. Yes, I really did.

I placed her in the soft light of the shade of the building and turned her face up to catch the same soft, broad light that the leaf was enjoying. I really like the way the light formed on her face. And the softness of the light kept her face free of pesky shadows. I do like shadows, it’s just them pesky shadows that bother me. The lens was a 20-35MM L at f-4 and zoomed to about 30MM. There are no fill cards or additional modifiers at all on this shot.

I hope you took something from this little exercise in pure natural light portraiture.

Here are some resources you may enjoy:
Lifehacker had this little post.
Here is a very detailed post on shooting food with natural light.
7 Tips To Use Natural Light In Your Photography from the folks at Virtual Photography Studio
While I really don’t care much for that “Secrets” thing, this excerpt from “Professional Secrets of Natural Light Photography” has some nice information.

A few photographers who use a lot of natural light in their work:
Nick Onken
Kate Orne (NSFW if you open “women” first and work with neanderthals.)
Jay Maisel
Anthony Georgis
Richard Rinaldi
Denny Zalpalac

Thanks for coming along on this little post. If you are thinking about a workshop this year, take a look at Learn to Light for more information. Follow along on Twitter if you want to keep up with a lot of what I find interesting in photography.

Related posts:

1. Natural Light for Natural, Subtle Beauty We are going to take a look at how we...
2. Using a Flash to Add a Little Snap with Natural Light I love natural light. It has a quality that is...
3. Natural Light Portraits from Seattle The Seattle workshop was amazing. We had a great time...

Recently there was a discussion on whether natural light shooters would be able to compete with the strobe-heavy photographers and those deep into the Photoshop illustrative techniques. And before we begin it must be stressed that I love all kinds of photography. This is not ‘against’ any style that you may enjoy, it is only a look at some simple, and entirely wonderful ways of shooting.

Photography embraces all types of imagery. From the heavily illustrated work of Dave Hill and Tim Tadder, to the Photojournalist with a camera in a war zone, to a wedding shooter with a speedlight – and more. We love it all. I hope that when you look at a photograph you don’t measure it by whether it was ‘hard to do’ but whether it speaks to you and makes its way into your inner vision. The image is what is important.

The discussion was at Heather Morton’s excellent blog. Jaimie said:

“The other post I wanted to mention was the ‘To Gear or Not To Gear’ article where there was a discussion about exactly that. I think this was actually the first compliment I think I’ve received from someone in the industry in regards to my natural light stuff. I guess I’m curious to know why it’s seen as such a bad thing. I completely understand that in the advertising world it’s all about control and customization as well as being a little over the top in many cases. What I don’t understand is why working with natural light seems to be frowned upon and/or viewed as being amateur and simplistic, or something that wasn’t thought out. Seriously, I don’t think either Grant or I or any other shooter that uses a lot of available light (Chris Wahl anybody?) are just taking our cameras outside and hoping for the best when we shoot.”

I think that is something that a lot of people who first get interested in photography through the internets think. Unfortunately. And of course the marketers abound with gear gear gear to a point where some would wonder if were even possible to create images without a ton of lights. And of course it is. And shooters like Frank Hoedle use a lot of gear to achieve a look that seems more natural than not. And this is NOT a gear discussion…

This is a possibilities discussion. I have no dog in the hunt as they say. I could care less what anyone shoots with or without… just show me the pictures. Do they move me? Good.

My post today is on simplistic shooting… just a camera and a subject. The images above were taken 25 years ago. (Natural light, Nikon F3, 180MM f2.8 Nikkor @ 2.8, on Tri-X at ISO200 and pushed 15% in D76.) They were taken in Scottsdale, AZ on a bright, sunny day. There are no fill cards or any other lighting gear used. I think they work.

Why? Because it doesn’t matter to the image. The subject connects with you instantly. The light is subtle and soft and inviting. Was it ‘easy’? I don’t remember most anything being ‘easy’. The location has to work, and then there are considerations to be made. Will the light ‘work’ or will it just be exposure light? Can I sculpt the subject a bit and separate her and emphasize the line and shape and flow? What exposure compensations may I have to make to create on the film or capture, the look I see in my head? The only thing that is easy is that I only had to carry my bag to the shoot.

In the shot on the right we were in a closed in patio with a large window facing south. The light coming in that window was shaded from direct sun by an overhang, so the light was soft and wide. Placing the subject into that light and then making sure the walls were lit enough to provide the soft edge lighting was the goal. We had to move some furniture to get it right, but we did. Same location for the shot in the middle, and as the sun went behind a mountain and left us in shade, we did the shot on the little gravel driveway.

I shoot to the right and process to the left. What that means is I would more likely over expose the image and process to the shadows than I would underexpose. I like brighter skin tones and I like a neg or capture that has some contrast to it. Digital is so flat compared to film. So I shot the film to the regular ISO200 that I usually did (Tri-X was rated at ISO 400… yeah, and I am the king of prussia) and pushed the film (over developed it) to get a bit more contrast. Digital to follow after the jump.

This kind of shooting was my style back then. Natural or slightly modified light. Natural looking subjects in natural settings. I still love that look and shoot it. An older post on shooting with nothing but available light, Minimalist Shooting, is here and features my friend Christina.

BTW… if you would like one of those hand-filed negative borders, here you go. Just put the image in a layer below the border. This is one of my own filed negative holders, so enjoy. Only available here, and may not be available forever.

The shot below was made in Houston at a workshop. I noticed the light coming in from the window and knew it would be a nice light for a portrait. Moving the subject into the light, I made an exposure reading for his cheek and stopped down one stop from the reading. I wanted a darker side to me, and if I had exposed to the meter, the cheek would be one stop brighter, and the highlight of the face blown to nothing. I like the feeling of the light in shots like this… almost feel the warmth.

I could have brought a fill card in to lighten the shadows even more, but I liked the overall look of this shot so I left it out.

The next shot was taken in Seattle, also at a workshop. Behind me is a large white building which is adding some huge, soft light to the subject. I love the natural catch lights in the eyes when shooting natural light. This shot was taken with a Canon, 70-200MML f2.8 @ 2.8, ISO 100. Zoomed almost all the way out, the limited DOF is just delicious. There is no additional lighting modifications added to this shot.

The subject is under an awning, and the light is bouncing all around from a bright, sunny day around the structure. Keeping her in line with the brighter background helped her stay “open”, with a feeling of surrounding light that envelops her. Note that the brighter background objects out of frame are presenting as rim and hair light. Subtle, but then subtle is pretty cool to me.

For exposure: I metered the shot with an incident meter (Minolta IV) and it gave me a reading of 2.8 @ 1/320. And that would have been fine. But I chose to over-expose the image (1/200) to make sure I got the skin tones up and captured all the shadow detail I wanted. At post I can take it down if needed, but in this case the image was fine in post. Only a slight modification was needed to enhance the contrast.

What I would like you all to do, is just experiment a little with some minimal gear. Try making shots with only a subject and a lens. Find locations that have some amazing light falling all around and use it to create images that seem to have more light sources.

Here are some photographers that may inspire you to try some natural light, or minimalist shooting.

Nick Onken
Kate Orne (Women section – may be NSFW)
Jaimie Hogge
Grant Harder
Dave Hill (yes, THAT Dave Hill)
Jeff Petry
Mark Tucker
Nadav Kander (Dig around in the work a bit)
Peggy Sirota
Arthur Elgort (Especially Fashion: Check the ballet shots as well)
Chris Wahl

Of course all of the photographers mentioned above know their way around a strobe kit, and they all do work with lighting. There are images in their portfolio that use lighting… some use LOTS of lighting. The point I am making is that they also create compelling images with minimal equipment.

And that means that compelling photographs are available to the shooters who flex their lighting muscles and create with what they have. MAKE the shot happen. Take a subject out and take your cameras. MAKE the shot happen. Just for a while, focus on what you have on hand… what the light is doing, what you can do with it, where it is advantageous light, and where your image can be what you see in your head.

MAKE the shot happen. No excuses. Treat it as an assignment. You MUST make a compelling image.

I am thinking about doing some posts on the Medium Format film cameras. That way when you rent one, and you should, you will have the info here to get started right away. Your comments?

Thanks for taking this little rant about minimal shooting with me. Follow me and get all kinds of photographic links at Twitter. See you next time.

Related posts:

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This is kind of a personal post for me. There are challenges that I face as an artist and writer. And photographer. And sometimes those challenges can take its toll on me, and us. Creativity, for me, takes nurturing and constant practice.

I have always felt that photography, was more than what I could do. It was a big part of what makes me. In my DNA so to speak. It partly defines me more than any other endeavor that I involve myself in.

I came to photography the usual way. My dad was a photographer / writer and his enthusiasm was contagious. I would go into the field with him and he would photograph fishing ‘flies’ and how to sight in a rifle and such. I would be his note taker, and he would talk to me as he was working and I would write down the distances or the exposures. He wrote and illustrated magazine articles for outdoor magazines. I miss my dad.

When I was a kid I would wait every Wednesday by our little mailbox to get the issues of Life and Saturday Evening Post. Cover to cover by nightfall. I cut out images and stuck them in a little box. Names like Eisentaedt and Margaret Bourke White started to become recognizable.

The images were so beautiful, and sparked such interest… I would go back again and again to look at the photographs. Moments in time caught forever in a frozen tableaux… to be shared and remembered. Film (movies) doesn’t do that for me. I rarely want to sit and watch a movie again and again. But I can pick up my copy of Ansel Adams Monographs, a Minor White collection, or my old dog eared Cheyco Liedmann book and enjoy a few quite moments.

There has also been some stuff online recently that lets me know that other photographers are talking about and thinking about this stuff as well. Chase Jarvis, Zack Arias, Scott Bourne, Jack Hollingsworth, Kirk Tuck, and others have posted on creativity.

I have been feeling the burn of captivity lately. Seems like I am tied to a desk as I am working on two books, redoing the curriculum for the workshops and editing/post processing images for clients.

So I wanted to go out and do something that spoke to how I was feeling. I generally don’t try to make ‘pretty’ pictures, others do that very well. I like environments that show themselves to be involved in life. From decay to renew, old contrasted with new, and the mark of man on the environment.

Since I am feeling a little isolated and in need of a recharge, I decided to take an afternoon and do something photographically that made sense to me. At this moment… where I am and what I am feeling now.

More after the jump below. I just wanted to remind you that our new feature “Rants and Raves” are shorter form articles that are just that… rants and raves. I have the first few months of the schedule up at Learn to Light, so if you are considering a workshop this year, check the schedule out. I think my workshop is one that will change your lighting and photography for the better.

This is the road that I chose. It is fairly close to where I live and goes through some rather flat and mundane farming land.

View Larger Map

It isn’t a long drive, and it offers no typical ‘beautiful’ scenery. I had a nice slightly overcast sky and it seemed right for my project. I wanted to capture in my images what I was feeling and this light, environment and somewhat desolate landscape was exactly what was called for.

Abandoned migrant worker facilities.

I find that just getting off your ass and doing something, anything, can get the juices going and create situations that allow vision to be explored. I had nothing in mind as far as photography and gear, I just wanted to make images that would help me understand what I am feeling.

My gear was simple: Canon, 20-35 L, 80-200 L, 4 speedlights, several stands and modifiers, a small boom, and a kit of Mamiya 6×7 film cameras. Tripod, extra batteries and my “lighting’ kit was also along. At the end of the day, nothing but the Canon and the 20-35 was used.

The lines caught my eye and the clouds added some beautiful texture to the sky.

I guess that was fitting looking back. I am looking for simplicity in the images and the gear seemed to follow. I like the way the wide angle lens adds so much to the field of the image… letting the subject be more isolated within the environment.

Simplicity is the thing for me right now. I want to narrow my acquisition of things and increase my understanding of the ways creativity are manifested in the soul. Too much time spent chasing the material world can create havoc in the creative world. At least it does for me.

The simple, or minimalistic, aesthetic is one that appeals greatly to me. It runs through my photography and design, and it needs to be brought into my self as well. I wanted the images that I do to speak to the minimalist in me.

I didn’t leave the house with the intention of shooting only one lens, or to do ‘that shot’ I have been wanting to do. I tried to clear my mind of all that stuff and just think about the emotion of the world in front of me… and how to get that into a photograph. Without expectations, I am open to serendipity and that allows the world to present itself.

Remove the filters of self-imposed arbitrary limitations.

The trees made me stop and turn around. I knew there was a shot there and I wanted to find it

I drove right by the trees. I was listening to some music I had brought along and thinking about something I had just seen. The trees just wizzed by my passenger door with only a glimpse. I kept on driving for a mile and realized… that was part of what I need to do. Stop going so damn fast and missing the moments that can be created.

I turned around and went back to the three trees. Closing the car door it looked kinda hopeless. Access was denied due to the fencing and there was a fairly soggy ditch between me and the trees.

The more I didn’t see a shot, the more I wanted a shot. I needed to make that image. I didn’t know what image, but there was one here. I refrained from making images that I knew would not cut it. I worked the camera like it held precious film… not taking the shot till I knew I had something.

That was important to me. I wanted to come back with as few images total as possible, with the maximum amount of images I like. I finally found the image I was looking for, and made a few exposures.

I was feeling less melancholy at this point. I knew I had a few images that would make the day worth it, so I got in the car and headed further south with the feeling that I was making some images.

I have always been drawn to the frame within the frame. It says something metaphorical to me.

This is the power of the personal project. Some projects are large in scope and some are small – like this one. It doesn’t matter which you are on at any one time, but having projects to focus intent on makes a big difference when you are shooting.

Some projects are driven by external elements, a desire to do something to help or elevate or bring attention to a cause or an interest. And some are driven by internal elements… like this one.

Projects help open the mind to opportunities, it let’s the images that may not be seen get through. Awareness of parameters and goals helps refine the creative self to find the answers and solutions.

Finding emotional meaning in images is so important. The image as metaphor, the image as a reflection of one’s soul. The image as an iconic touchstone for people to refer to in thought and action. A great image can transcend the reality of the object. A piece of paper with some ink or emulsion on it is NOT what a photograph is. We bring so much TO that little piece of paper from our own perceptions, emotions, community and culture. The fact that images can provide that for people of diverse situations is a testament to the power of the still image.

When I got to the ‘destination’, actually the turnaround spot for me, I found that the “Burnt Buns Cafe” had been taken under new management and was no longer.

No problem. I made my photograph anyway. I didn’t dwell on the loss of an old friend, I instead made an image that showed the distance between. The loss that I felt, instead of the cafe itself. I hope you can see that in my images, but if you can’t, that is fine as well. I cannot guarantee that my images will do what I want them to do. And I don’t make images that scream the message or are so totally flagrant in the metaphor. At least… I try not to.

In the end, the trip was well worth it. I got these 6 images and 7 more that I really like. And I got off my ass. And I took my cameras and gear and set out to do something. Anything.

But I also left with a plan… to make images for ME about the way I am feeling and hopefully to share those images with people who will enjoy them…even IF they don’t know what I am trying to say.

Other projects: I have a 365 iPhone project here, and I am working on a few books and new site for art photographers. In March I will start a photograph/article per day project that will culminate in a book.

I hope that you found the article interesting, and have started a personal project for yourself. It doesn’t have to be a big project, it can be as little as a few hours on a lonely county road.

Post processing was on my mind from the first image. I wanted to mute the colors and increase the contrast from the very flat light. I used overlay layers (soft light), highlight painting, luminance masks and localized sharpening on the images. I then desaturated the image and added a tone of warmth to all the images.

Follow me on Twitter, and visit my website for more of my work.

No related posts.

The Seattle workshop was amazing. We had a great time and made some amazing images. Using the facilities of SPA, we were able to do several setups. And the models, stylists and hair artists were off the chart. Incredible styling, hair that was spectacular and a dozen models a day for the attendees to work with. Seattle simply rocks.

I rarely get a chance to shoot at the workshops as I like to keep all attention on the attendees. And while Seattle was no exception, on Sunday there were moments when the models were waiting for the photographers to get their gear or find a location. I grabbed these 5 talented people and made natural light portraits for fun. I made only a few exposures and didn’t make a lot of variations. I wanted portraits and I wanted them to be accessible… not too overly ‘stylzed’.

If you are thinking about a workshop for this Fall, please take a look at the Learn to Light site and consider a Lighting Essentials workshop. We have added a Friday evening “Business Essentials” for all attendees who want it. In Seattle we ran about 3 hours and it was a hell of a discussion.

September
Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 12, 13
Phoenix, AZ, September 19, 20
Saint Louis, MO, September 26, 27

October 2009
Mexico (Puerto Penasco)
2, 3, 4, 5 – Special Three Day Workshop
Detroit, Michigan 10, 11
Boston, MA, 17, 18
Boise, ID 24, 25

Thursday, August 20, will find me speaking at the local ASMP chapter. Penny Dolin (ASU) and I are discussing social media, new media and how it can be leveraged into a commercial photographer’s business.

A few from the Archives you may like:

Natural Light for Natural, Subtle Beauty
Using the Sun for A Hairlight: Some Variations
Natural Light Headshots: Keeping it Simple
Serendipitous Light
Deconstructing a Portrait on Location

Now let’s take a look at the 5 portraits from the Seattle workshop… all natural light.

Here is our first portrait.

Kim in the Floppy Hat
Kim was wearing this cool hat for one of the shots and I loved how it formed around her face. Finding an edge of the gazebo we were all sharing, I was able to find some backlight from the sun and some front light from a large, single story building behind me at 18 feet away. The side of that building was white siding and it was totally in the sun. This became my source, with the sun as my background. Kim is at the edge of the gazebo, with the mid afternoon sun coming over her shoulders. I use the bright sunny sky as a backdrop. Because of my shade exposure, the sky blew out and created a flare situation that I kinda liked.

Here is part of the contact sheet from this hat shot of Kim:

You can see how I work with models when you see my contact sheets. The top row shows Kim working with an off camera look. I then begin to pull her back to my camera slowly bringing in smiles and lowering the chin to create a very accessible look. The last image seemed to be the one I love the most. I wanted a shot that looked natural, and drew the viewer into Kim’s youthful beauty.

I then moved the shot into Photoshop and cleaned up the skin. This is the layer pallet I had for the image.

I cloned the image and blended it at softlight, blurred at 7% and then backed it off to 65%. Cloning the bottom layer again, I moved above the blur layer and again blended it to softlight. This layer can be tweaked any way you want. I then used a layer of 50% gray at softlight to slightly burn and dodge for creating more contrast.

I merged those three layers in to a flattened layer called Merge Layer, cloned it and added 10% contrast and backed that layer off to 60%. Another clone and we applied Hue and Saturation, colorized to a slight sepia and then that layer is lowered to 40% opacity. Mama Shan’s Powder action added for some matting of the skin and then Tony Kuyper’s Luminosity Masks were applied to draw out a bit more local contrast.

The final shot.

Sam in the Shade.
Sam was a lot of fun to shoot. He brought a quiet maturity to the shots and I liked his sense of humor. By shooting down on him, I created a situation where he could look intense, and change the angle from the normal straight on to a more dramatic, theatrical look. I had a lot of flare coming back on Sam from the very light concrete that is int he sun behind him. Using the same spot as Kim, the same building behind me was the light source. No other lighting modifications were used.

The contact sheet:

I worked with Sam with his focus down and behind me, and I like a few of those shots. I had him look up at me just as we were completing the shoot and snagged the shot at the end. His penetrating stare was a dramatic look and I like it a lot. Cropping in this tight prevents the viewer’s eyes from escaping the image and drives them right back to the subjects gaze.

Photoshop:

You can see how simple this was. Similar to the first image of Kim, I used two layers above the original. One at softlight blend, and one at multiply blend, backed off to 40% opacity. A color balance layer and Hue/Saturation layer were used to correct and subdue the color. A final layer of 60% Gray at Softlight blend mode was used to dodge and burn a little to create a more local contrast on the image.

The Shot:

Icee is up next:
Beautiful Icee was wearing this amazing gold and bold necklace. Placing her a little closer to the edge allowed a bit more spill of daylight to add some directional light. It is subtle, but you can see how it wraps the face with a soft light. In the top row you can see that I was getting way too much sidelight on her face. I moved her forward just a bit, then took another shot to see whether the light was working out right. It was.

Contact sheet:

This shot required no Photoshop other than simple skin editing.

Kayla is in the sun in this simple, but evocative portrait. Full sun to her back, I had a pretty nice look going, but the green grass she is standing on was creating too much darkness under her chin. Spencer held a medium 5-in-one feflector down and to the side of her for a nice fill. Kayla is standing on the edge of shadow, but the hair and shoulders are in the sun. I kept the reflector in the shade otherwise the fill would have nearly blinded her.

She is kneeling and that let me keep my camera a little high and down on her, and that let me showcase her elegant chin line and eyes. That also let me keep the grass behind her and match the green cloth draped by one of the stylists.

Photoshop.

You can see how I kept to one pose and gentle, subtle changes in posing. I want my models to be fluid and smooth, not all wild throwing themselves around like crazy. Kayla worked this pose to great effect, providing me with some subtle and fun changes. You can see how subtle changes can make big differences. Working those little differences can help deliver the shot. Models who are too scattered can come close, but maybe not close enough before the pose gets changed. I love to let the models come up with things, then when I see something I love, I begin to develop it slowly. Till I get what I want.

Photoshop.

Another simple layer blend mode group. After I got the image to where I wanted it with the two blend layers, I made a composite layer and then retouched the skin a little and added some highlights with a 50% gray layer set to softlight and very soft brushes at 8%.

Kayla.

Bri was leaning up against a column with a little sun sliding around her to provide some nice flare and edge light. A breeze was kicking up and blowing her hair around every once in a while. I love that. It keeps the shot natural and when it frames the face, it is a huge plus. I kept her in a tight area and worked the face through a lot of different angles to explore the pose. You can see how Bri and I worked that angle to finally get to the shot I liked.

The light was playing beautifully off of her face. And the subtle movement still kept her in the soft light of the reflected building in the shade. I liked how the catchlights really spark the shot.

Bri.

I do love natural light, and how it looked on these folks. It also was very fast. Most of these shots took less than a few minutes to shoot as they were waiting for photographers. If you would like to share some natural light shots with us, let us see them on the Lighting Essentials Flickr Forum.

If you liked this post, please let other know. We have made it simple for you, just go up to the top right of the page and add it to any social networking sites you belong to or just Twitter it by clicking the twitter icon below.

Thanks and see you next time.

Related posts:

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2. Natural Light for Natural, Subtle Beauty We are going to take a look at how we...
3. Using a Flash to Add a Little Snap with Natural Light I love natural light. It has a quality that is...

Sorry for the long absence. A stolen laptop put me back a lot farther than expected. Add to that the traveling and being without internet, well, reliable internet anyway, in some of the locations. Whew… Hey, enough whining. We will make it up to you really quick with some great tutorials and lighting focused posts coming up soon.

The Monday after the recent Florida workshop was one of fun and relaxation. For me that means running all over the place making pictures and working with some of the attendees who decided to take a day from work to hang out. I wanted to do something a little different, so I decided to focus on portraiture for the day. We had some models come in from Miami (long drive – thanks girls) and one of our models from Sunday took the morning off to come along. Let’s take a look at some simple techniques to make portraits on location with minimal tools.

First some housekeeping: Kansas City is the next workshop. I have some openings. We have a place and will be notifying everyone of the address. This KC workshop is really going to be a lot of fun. See the Learn to Light page for more information.

We have our February Contest winners announced and the new contest is underway. See the contest page for all the details.

I have a lot of requests for the workshop, so we will be setting up some more dates this week as well. Filling out the summer and entering fall.

April 2009

Dallas 4, 5
Nashville 11, 12
Atlanta 18, 19
Mexico 24, 25, 26

May 2009

New York 2, 3
Washington DC 9, 10
Detroit 16, 17
Cleveland 30, 31

Let’s look at some pictures and talk a little about the art of portraiture.

The shot on the cover was a guy we met on the beach. He had an interesting face and a great hat so I asked if I could make a shot of him. He laughed and I persisted. As we walked to the boat, I made a few test shots to get the exposure for the background. Placing him on the boat, I knew I was only going to get a few shots – 5 to be exact – so I tried to make everyone count. My handheld speedlight did the trick as I kept it facing the subject to keep the light clean and shadowless across his face.

Next up is this shot of Maria. Taken outside with a single light in a softbox, the shot was made against a bright, slightly hazy sky.

Bringing the softbox in close to Maria let me bring the white sky (shooting almost directly into the sun) into a darker range. I used shutter speed to drop the sky (taking it 1.5 stops under the exposure) and the strobe to bring up the tones on Maria. The large, flat light source created a wonderful patina to the skin, and the backlight added a tiny bit of rim and accent. We kept the box about 2.5 feet from her and I crept in under it a bit to shoot up and into the sky. Using a Canon 20-35MML let me crop quickly and I made sure to get her expressive arms into the frame.

I had seen the power lines and when she started doing some posing I thought about a puppet on a wire. Two versions exist: one with the power lines taken out in Photoshop and this one with them left in. I liked this one better, at least for now, so I left them in for the faint reflection of the ‘puppet’ pose.

This shot of Jessica on Bean Point is all natural light.

There was a lot of fill coming off the white sand, so I placed Jessica in the sun and made my exposures. I wanted the feel of the beach and when I saw her skirt, I loved how it mirrored the color of the beach grass.

Portraiture on location for me means showing the location. I decided again on the wide lens to include the elements of the location that were special to me. The deep blue sky, white sand, beach grass and model. Placing her on the sand kept my fill good, and getting low for a good amount of sky let the image place the viewer there. I used a polarizing filter on the 20-35MM L to give more depth to the sky. It also let a lot of color come out of the grass.

Jessica was told to not pose ‘for me’ but to be self-absorbed in the scene. I had her look off toward the sun, and also a bit over my head, but I didn’t want a lot of ‘into the camera’ looks. The portrait shows the blend of the subject in the landscape.

Here we have a shot of Vanessa jumping on the edge of the water at Bean Point on Anna Maria Island. Behind her is the meeting point of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It is a very interesting and beautiful, place.

There was a lot of light filling in from the sand, but there was still a very bright sun to deal with. I didn’t want her looking into the sun, but rather into the camera. I knew that would add some side shadows to the image. You can see the shadow behind her and note that the sun was very high, not an optimal time for a portrait. But, hey… that’s what we like… a challenge.

I took my meter readings in the sun and in the shaded side of her outfit. I wanted the shady side to be much brighter as there was a little over 2 stop difference. Setting my flash to almost equal the sun (f-16) I was able to open the shadows very well without losing the highlights on the white outfit. I will be doing a post soon to show you exactly how to use your flash as an adjunct to full sun, not just a fill or a tool to beat the sun.

Working with Vanessa, I had her roll the pants legs up a little and walk at the edge of the surf a ways down before exiting to the sand in front of me. This kept the sand clean and free of footprints. A 1-2-3 count let me anticipate her jump and I was careful to check the shot to make sure I had something without making her do it over and over. We got it on frame 6, and shot two more for safety. Anticipating the apex of the jump is very important. Even though it is a DSLR, there is still a lag time from click to capture.

Erin was shot in the evening with a strobe for a dramatically lit shot.

Erin was standing just to the right of the sun from my position. I loved the little sun in the background… almost hitting the edge of the sea. I decided to underexpose the background by nearly two stops with my shutter speed. Rendering the sun and sky that deep orange/red would make Erin’s blonde hair and black dress really stand out.

Using the wide angle again, I took a few images to quickly find my shutterspeed / f-stop combination for the dark background. My meter was all the way over there, and the sun was going down, so yes, I chimped. Once I found the good exposure for the background and set the strobe distance to give me an exposure that would be two stops under on the background, I moved in and took a few frames. This one worked the best.

Keeping the aperture / shutterspeed relationships in your head can be the quickest way to get some of these kind of shots. For instance… background is f-8 at 1/120 of a second. If I want to underexpose the background, I can close the aperture to f-16. That is two stops underexposed on the background if I shoot the subject at f-16 with the strobe at the same shutterspeed.

We were shooting at the beach when I turned around and saw our MUA sitting and basking in the very low sun. What a shot! I moved in and positioned her head where I wanted it and let the natural sunlight fill the frame with soft, warm light.

This kind of light can be very flattering and warm. It is one of my most favorite lighting tools, but it only happens for a few minutes each day. Yeah, rarefied light for sure. Quick and clean, the light gave me a most flattering shot of a wonderful lady.

Next up was Vanessa again in the surf.

Similar to the shot of Erin, I added some subject motion to the image. I had Vanessa pull her hair over to one side and she flipped her hair on my three-count. These shots are very scary cause you can’t see her face in the viewfinder. You must rely on the model to make sure she has a good face when she hits that spot.

Shutterspeed was not fast enough to freeze her hair, but it added a cool effect to the hair with the back-shadow from the long shutter/flash combination. Vanessa was a great sport on this shot as it can be a little tricky doing that whip thing over and over.

Thanks so much for visiting, and I will make sure I get some more updates up right away. See the workshop page for workshop schedules and I hope to see you at one soon.

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This is a post from the old site, and I thought I would redo it for the new one. There are many things you can do when you find a great location. When Bri and I stumbled upon this one, I thought it would be fun to work out several different ideas.

We used flash, natural light, natural bounce, strobe and direct sunlight. It was a very cool place… just an empty lot with a graffiti wall and the sun setting in the West. Tucson has a lot of colorful places to shoot, and we just parked the car on the street and set up.

NEWS:
We have opened the Cleveland and Detroit Workshops and are taking enrollments. I have had some interest from Memphis, Little Rock and Modesto (Central Valley, CA). I would love to set those up. Let me know if there is interest there.

Our contest is up and running (info here) and we are seeing some very nice images in the pool. Be sure to enter and get your image up on the site. And please take a moment to visit the sponsors, maybe let them know if you appreciate their stepping up to give you all the awards for winning.

Posts you may enjoy along with this one:
Sometimes The Location is Not As Good As Promised.
Make Your Own Reality to Add Drama
Shooting With Megan and Raymond on Location
On Location: Anatomy of a Shoot
On Location with Gerry, Jim and Christina

And if you haven’t checked out our Tech Sheets, you should grab them and get started on your collection. We have them coming two per month. That will be a really nice collection when you get them printed out and in a notebook.

It was late in the day and we saw this very colorful, hand painted wall. I grabbed the camera while Briana changed into an outfit that we thought would look good against this very unique backdrop. Setting the bag where I wanted to start, Briana took her place against the wall for some side light with little fill. The sun is coming from a very, very low angle to camera left and the wall faces south, so the light is just scraping along giving texture and heavy side light.

Here are the contacts from the fast moving shots. (Individual images follow.)

Starting out with the side lighting, I worked Briana through a variety of poses that showed the location very well and gave her a sense of place. I centered the figure in the frame and gave it a formal look. Getting a good feel for the shot, I then had Briana turn a bit and I started to shoot some 3/4 shots.

At this point, I noticed how the light was playing on her face. I moved to a position where I am shooting directly from the sun position. Importantl to note, Briana was able to look straight into a dark area behind me, and that minimized the squinting that could ensue if she were looking directly into the sun. The direct light is very, flattering – even with an already beautiful face

As it got later and later, I grabbed the strobe and started doing some fill. I shot with the sun as a split light, back light and side light. I shot fast and furious and at one point I moved her to a position in the field where there was nothing behind her but the sun. I didn’t really like the shot, so I quickly looked for another viewpoint. That is when I saw the two chimneys and realized that we could “Beat the Sun” with the strobe and have a very interesting background. I told Briana to do something different… well, you’ll see what she did. Within seconds of those shots, the sun was gone and the whole look of the set was completely different.

Side Light
Let’s take a look at how we did the shots. I will show larger images from the contact sheets above. Side Light from the setting sun draws well defined shadows and gives a very dramatic light to the model. I like the way it sculpts the body, adds form to the image and creates a cool shadow on the wall. The shadow acts as a part of the composition and adds a design element.

Working with the model, be sure not to turn her head away from the light. Putting her face in the shadow may not be flattering. Not to say you cannot, just make sure you see what is happening on the face. Watching the face as it turns toward and away from the light will help determine the best angles to make the image. Heavy shadows from the nose and cheeks can be very unflattering.

At this point, I moved Briana away from the background so the light could sculpt the face and body. Now there is no shadow on the background and there is a feeling of separation. Since she is no longer next to the wall, the light just fills in and her shadow is no longer a part of the image. The stark contrast is now played out against the even light on the background.

Direct Light
I moved around to start shooting some 3/4 shots and noticed how incredible the light was coming straight over my right shoulder. Since I love direct sunlight, it was striking to me. I will walk around the set looking at how the light works – especially how it sculpts things, creates shadows, adds highlights and let the drama be revealed.

Direct light can also be a challenge if it is too bright. Some models have trained themselves to look into the sun, but a certain amount of squinting is natural. As the sun gets lower on the horizon, the model can look into the dark areas in front of her, not necessarily the sun itself. In these shots, low mountains are behind me and they create a very dark (backlit) area for her to look into. I kept the sun over my right shoulder and worked from the axis of the light.

The shot above was taken with a medium telephoto. Even at a wide aperture, the background is too much in focus for me. Quickly I moved the zoom all the way to 200mm at 2.8 and started shooting a head/shoulders kind of look. I had Briana keep moving and shot rapidly: Result.. lots of different looks. Moving from side-to-side with little movements, you can control the sculpting of the light/shadow and how the light plays on her face.

Strobe
I reached for the strobe, turned it on and fired up the wireless remotes in about 30 seconds. Keeping that gear in easy reach and ready to go helps when the sun is moving this fast. I did several shots of back and split lighting against the wall. There were lots of good shots, and I included this one as an example of split with strobe and sun nearly equal.

It helps to know what the power of your strobe is when doing this kind of work. I know that my speedlights put out about f-8 at 1/8 power at ISO 100 at about 6 feet. As long as I am working within the acceptable sync ranges, I can place my strobe at 6 feet and be fairly sure of the exposure. I can either dial the power down or up, or move the light in and out by small amounts. See this post for one way to learn your light and quickly make your exposures.

We moved on to a set where we are using ambient light with a little strobe for pop. I turned and noticed the old wall – then the cool double chimney and decided to use that as my background. It was being softly, but directionally lit with the sun, so I beat the sun by a stop and lit Briana with my strobe. The resulting image is quite striking as the light seems to be coming from different locations… cause it is.

I have a speedlight to camera left and on a stand high. It is set to 2/3 stop over the ambient light exposure. When I make the shot at the correct exposure for the flash, the ambient light will be 2/3 underexposed. Still enough light to show the feeling, texture, and warmth of the ambient on the building and chimneys, and deepening the sky color. There is an additional speedlight to far camera right. It is matching the ambient for exposure so all it does is keep the dark side of Briana from going dark. It sets her in front of the background and keeps the feeling of separation very strong.

Here is a second shot from the strobe and ambient mix.

I simply took the ambient light reading and set the strobe to give me about 3/4 stop more light than the ambient alone. That lit Bri up, threw a little shadow on the back, and still left the ambient light to expose the sky and the little building.

The sun is just at the horizon and before the strobe could recycle, the sun was gone. The whole scene changed and we decided to head for another location to capture the bright western sky and light Briana with strobe. Downtown was next.

See you next time for more Lighting Essentials fun. Be sure to visit Borrowlenses.com if you need a special lens, and Mighty Images if you need some great large prints.

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Our Natural Light Assignment this week is a lot of fun and so easy to do. You only need a model or subject, a camera and lens, and a setting sun. And maybe a building or two… your call.

These shots were taken in downtown Phoenix at a fun group shoot we were doing at a place called “Boo’s Warehouse.” We had some motorcycles and old cars and such. It was a lot of fun and I wanted to do some very simple shots with the direct light and the soft shadow line light we were getting.

As the sun gets lower and lower on the horizon, it starts to throw a softer edge to the light. I like to use that edge as a great place to shoot.

One of the things you notice when using that edge light is how fast it moves. I mean, it can literally move up the person’s body as you watch it. And if you are on assignment, it can move even faster. Yeah… I’ve seen it.

Before we take a look at that cool light, I want to remind everyone that we will be starting our monthly assignments in February. We have some great award premiums that I will be announcing as well as some great judges. The assignments will be professional in nature and should be within most shooters ability to produce. (Getting shots of a model hanging from a hangglider over the sea won’t be assigned… heh)

Here is the first shot we did as the sun was late in the day above the horizon, approximately 1 hour before sunset. There are no clouds in the sky.

You can see the edge area and where I have placed her face just above it so there would be no shadow line over it

Below you can see how I segmented the light with the portrait. It is very important to watch the face as you do this kind of light. It can be shadowed or even end up with a gradient on it if you aren’t very precise in placing the face.

The edge placed just below her face.

There are a lot of different effects you can use when shooting in this direct light. I took this image through some rather extreme Photoshop contusions (coming up in a future post) to end up with this illustrative look. Adding a very slight noise at the end helps add a little patina to the image.

This image was cross processed with increased contrast.

After a quick wardrobe change – and I mean quick, Briana knows how the light is – we tried a few more shots. The sun was much farther down the horizon now and closing in on dark fast. The first shot is one

Briana on the edge of the light waiting for Carlos to take a snap.

You can see the edge of the light as it modulates up the side of the wall. This edge not only gives a nice light, it gives a very nice background/foreground look as well. Once again I repeat that this edge moves very fast. Within 5 minutes we had chased the light for nearly half a block as the buildings behind us kept throwing shadows from the ever setting sun.

Here is a look at the placement of the shadow line.

You can see the light and the way it works around her body and face in this shot.

I had Bri go on down the wall a bit to get some good light on her face. I wanted the skirt in the shade and her face in the light. I put her face right in the edge again and slightly toward the sun side. This gave me a very soft, yet directional light.

Notice the light as a background element in this shot. Working Bri in the edge, I got very soft directional light.

However, this image resulted in some cooler light in the shade, and warmer in the sun. I processed the image direct from RAW and worked with the image in Photoshop. I made the normal correction and edits to the image and then worked on the color.

Drawing a selection of the shaded part of the image, I feathered the selection at 30 pixels and raised the selection to a new layer. The easiest way to warm the selection was to use the photo filters.

Image / Adjust / Photo Filters / 85 Warm 40%

That warmed up the shade part to a more acceptable color.

Warming up the cooler shade in Photoshop with a layer and simple adjustment

Right at that point I saw how dramatic her face was lit in that soft, directional light. I had her throw all of her hair to the side away from the camera and look right at the sun. I was able to get about a dozen shots off before we really did lose the light. I am so glad that I saw this happening as it ended up being one of my favorite shots of the day.

Briana looks straight into the very late setting sun.

I used a Canon and 100MM 2.8 lens for most of these images. I also use the lenses wide open whenever I can, preferring a limited DOF.

Try working a subject in that very soft edge of the setting sun. You can get some very striking photographs with a minimum of equipment.

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2. Using a Flash to Add a Little Snap with Natural Light I love natural light. It has a quality that is...
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Occasionally you may have a situation where you have to do a lot of images in a very short amount of time. These kinds of gigs can be a little disconcerting if you over think them and get caught in a web of setting up and production as time slips ever so quickly by.

I was asked by a local dance company to photograph all the dancer’s headshots. I had 20 minutes to set up, one hour to shoot, and 20 minutes to vacate for another group coming in. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for setting up studio gear and the times were pretty well carved in stone. There were 28 dancers.

The images were going to be used rather small, about 2.5 inches in a brochure and the Company Director asked if they could also be made into 8×10′s for use in lobby posters.

I decided to shoot with a wide light source and fill card. Keep it really simple. My soft box was not going on this trip as the setup time prevented it, so I took my trusty shower curtain (Target, $12.99) and a few stands.

I also decided to use speedlights as I could be in, and out as fast as possible. I took the usual 550EX and 430EX as they are always in my bag. I use radio triggers whenever possible.

Our workshop site is new and has a lot of fun things… take a look at it here.

On to the simple headshot shoot.

Gentle hairlight makes a nice look for these dancer headshots

You can see what I did in the lighting shots, but I will explain that the 430 decided to go whacky on me that day. I don’t know what it was, but even fresh batteries couldn’t get it to be stable. I decided to use the sunlight, actually Northlight, coming in the clerestory windows as my hairlight and the shower curtain with the 550 for the main.

You can see the bright north sky light coming in above the set

The high clerestory windows gave a lot of light, and at the angle that it fell on the backs of the heads of the girls, it created a very nice hairlight. I shot without strobes to get the exposure for that hairlight and then matched the strobe power to the hairlight. Shutter speed for hairlight, f-stop determined by strobe.

Here is another setup shot:

You can see the location of the fill card in this image as well as the spread of light on the shower curtain.

The challenge is to get the speedlight far enough back to fill that shower curtain without having a hot spot from being too close or the speedlight having to be up so high that the recycle kills the timing. I had a lot of shots to do and waiting for a 3 second recycle would be mindnumbing. You can see that I angled the shower curtain (scrim) a bit in front of the subject to help wrap the light around the face a little.

I also have the fill card in front of the subject and to the side. I do not want to waste any fill on the backside of the subject so bringing it forward maximizes the amount of light it catches.

You can see how subtle the hair light is on this shot of a girl with very dark hair. Subtle, but there enough for the shot.

Lighter colored hair worked very well too. These two shots show how well the light works, even for a more ‘glamorous’ look.

Alissa

Michaila

I had to be careful not to pick up any of the over spill of the strobe hitting the background, a large 10×20 muslin that I threw out of focus with a wider aperture. I prefer less depth of field on shots like this. Here is one more setup shot showing how far away the speedlight is from the shower curtain. You can also see the over spill on the back.

You have to watch your angle if there is this much over spill. Bringing the camera to the right will eliminate it here.

I hope you enjoyed this simple little way to make images with very little in the amount of expense. Grab a scrim and fire away.

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Well, as the year grows to a close, I am happy to see so many wonderful images in the Lighting Essentials Flickr Pool. I went through the last 10 pages or so last night and found these excellent examples of using light to make a shot more interesting. They are all linked to the shooter’s Flickr page,so click on through and spend some time with some talented photographers.

What’s up with us? We are working extremely hard on the next workshop iteration for next year. We have some new techniques, some great new ideas, and the workbook that is growing to nearly a total book at this point.

We have launched a new site specifically for the workshop at www.learntolight.com – it isn’t ready yet, but it will be before Christmas. Based on an excellent WordPress theme called “news” it is the same template as the LE Magazine site. We are really looking forward to having our own site for the workshops.

Workshop schedule is here:

We are still looking for hosts for many of the locations, so take a look and let me know if you are interested in being a host there. Attend free for doing some legwork on the ground helping us get the word out.

Now, on to take a look at some of the recent examples I spotted on the Lighting Essentials Flickr Group page. NOTE: I may have missed some other wonderful shots, these are the ones that jumped out at me at first look.

Some outstanding images from the recent posts at the LE Flickr page. Enjoy.

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“Kill the Lights! Don’t be scared, make a move, see me now”

A model has a role in lighting?

What?

Unheard of?

Crazy?

Not so much. A model has to do more than smile prettily and pose, she has to be aware of her environment, from the objects in place to the light of the day (or those man-made suns, Stobes!) But it’s more than simply turning your face to or from the sun to get the photog’s desired outcome. It’s more than inspiration, performance, and range. It’s about awareness; awareness in the structure of lighting and how to get the best out of a shoot. It’s also about knowing how to handle the light and the photogs that use it. The following is a quick outline of the basics and a model’s response to the lighting so that she can generate the most positive outcome she can from the experience. (Note: This article is not about how to light, it’s about how models can use the light that photogs already have set up and how photogs can best explain to models what the photographer wants from the shot.)

(Editor’s Note: A Model’s Role in Lighting? I thought they were supposed to help carry the stuff. Now all the models are gonna read this and no one will ever help me carry the gear again. Sheesh.) Anyway, make sure you visit the tech sheets to get caught up there and remember that the workshops for 2009 are now posted… at least the first half of the year.

Well on with this fantastic article by Briana.

Main Light Awareness:

Main light? What is it? And why should a model care? There’s the sun and then there’s strobes (which, for this article, can include light boxes and umbrellas.) There are also both at the same time. That’s about it. The sun or strobe is the main light and the model should always face the light and then adjust to the photog’s wishes. Sound simple. It is and it’s not. For instance, remember Poltergeist?

“Don’t go into the light, Carol Anne.”

Wrong. “GO to the Light, Carol Anne!” That’s right, look to the light. It’s the sun, the center of a model’s universe. Don’t fear it. Kill it! (Sorry, Britney, I’m adapting your quote to work for me.) That doesn’t mean look into the light, it means pose to the light.

Looking into the sun late in the day.

Watching and knowing what a beauty dish does keeps you turned into the light.

A model should center first on the light. Think of that as 1st Position. Now, as discussed in prior articles, a model now uses her range and performance to create art. But that range and performance has its limits. This brings us to 2nd Position, Light Awareness. The choices a model makes when performing must act in accordance to the light. For instance, ducking down, under the light (which the photog spent hours setting up to get the best shots) would be bad. Keep your performance in the light. The spotlight shines on you, so make sure you’re always its central focus.

The sun was nearly on the horizon so I thought of it as a beauty dish.

Mainly, just keep in the light. Shadows are the yin and the yang, the dark and the light, they can equally create havoc as they can contrast with the light and form emphasis. For instance, some pictures of me used shadows to emphasize my nose, or lip, or chin. I liked them a lot. Whereas there are other shots that create features I don’t have and are less than flattering. Not my cup of tea (heh heh.) Yet, it is a photog’s responsibility to direct the model outside the light if that photog so desires. So models just need to continue in 2nd Position (moving with the light) until the photog directs otherwise. It’s simply because, like the yin/yang symbol, shadow/light can equal creation. So 3rd Position is ‘Roll with it.’

Light Changes Constantly – The Sunlight Challenge

Knowing that the photographer wants the light to be at a specific angle to you helps your posing ideas as well.

Light changes constantly – So must you. Not the whole Darwinian adaptation thing, but in changing positions to follow the light. Mainly this is important when using the sun as the main light, for in the studios an assistant will follow you. But in the sun, follow it. For instance, during one workshop in Tucson we were shooting on a street using the setting sun. But the challenge was we had to keep moving in order to keep the sunlight as the main light so every participant could get the same shot.

The sun was going down behind me, so we kept moving forward to pick it up for backlight. I was always watching where my shadow fell so I could be in the light for the photographers.

Now we all know that not all pictures are taken directly under the sun. In fact, many good ones are taken using the sun, but as filtered by other objects. For instance, a tree’s leaves create both dappled effects and larger spots of light from that which leaks through to the ground. Now a model under a tree must make sure to step into the spot with the most light. This is for shots where hair is important. It’s obviously not going to affect the model’s face, unless, of course, she looks up into the light – which can generate a nice effect as well. (But I must stop there, because that enters more of the complexities surrounding the photog’s job, and I’m here for the model :p). Now why would you want your hair highlighted? Maybe you don’t. But it does give a cool halo effect and therefore knowing what it can do will help you add to your repertoire.

Here the photographer used the sun for my hair and a reflector for the light in front.

Another trick I’ve learned is how to stare into sun. Sort of. The trick is to pick your time. During that magic hour as the light is fading, many photogs like to get a picture of the model’s face (it makes the eyes pop and adds a pretty color to the skin.) The light is perfect. But we models have to stand there staring into the sun and not blink or get watery eyes. My trick is to stare into the distance, facing the sun, but all while looking into a dark area, shadow, or whatever. It helps. Honest.

Here I look into the rising sun.

And here I am intently gazing toward a setting sun.

Secondary Light:

Nothing really to worry about here for the model, the secondary-lighting assistants adjust to the model’s moves. Yes, that’s if there are assistants. If there are no assistants it just means more work for the photog. But occasionally the model might need to hold a reflector to help. Yes, occasionally. But the photog will move the reflector – the model just has to pose like she’s posing for headshots. (3rd Position!)

When the Light’s not Right:

When the light is bad, just get in 1st Position and face whatever light is available. Now it may not equal the best shots, and a model’s portfolio may not expand, but the model’s a pro and should just do her best to get the best out of the moment. It’s professionalism. There are tricks of course, but here’s where it gets awkward. Most of these tricks rely on the photog making adjustments and the model is rarely in a position to tell a photog (the director) what to do. Simple tricks without the photog entail make-up adjustments (use lighter eye shadow colors to reflect what light there is), pulling the hair back to lesson shadows (or pin prior to shooting), and tilting your head to catch what light there is.

Keeping my head up lessened the shadows under my chin.

Talk about knowing where the light is… LOL. The photographers let me see what they were doing on the camera. The light I am “holding” as actually on the stairs behind me.

Handling the Photographer:

As I just wrote, the photog most likely needs to adjust to the conditions, but may not know how. A good model should know as much about the craft as she can and thus can offer advice. (Rule of thumb: Never open your mouth if you don’t know what you’re talking about.) But when you do offer advice, what photog can get over his or her learned assumptions and listen to the talent? The good, the bad, and the ugly can. Photogs will quickly get over assumptions that models are just floating heads with bodies. They’re pros too. But that doesn’t mean the photog will enjoy being lectured by the model. Mainly, it’s appropriate to discuss lighting with a photog when you’re already in a strong working relationship. Otherwise, you may just create animosity.

I worked with the light to make sure my face was well lit.

Yet, sometimes a photog needs to be shown the light, to understand its importance. And thus there are a few sneaky ways to help a photog capture the best shots (or see the light.) For instance, if you understand lighting, don’t look at the photog, look where they should be shooting from. They’ll move to that angle soon enough. And the end results will reinforce the -ahem – lesson. Another way is to just tell the photog you like a certain spot or suggest something that you saw in a magazine and wouldn’t mind trying out (I’m always trying out shots, right, Don? Haha – teasing.)

We tried shooting with me upside down. It worked pretty well, but Don got pretty confused. That happens a lot.

Conclusion: So, models – Britney had it right. Kill the light. It’s nothing to fear. Now move and the camera will see you now.

Have I ever mentioned that I love to dance... and fly?

See ya...

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