Tag Archive for: light

Tip: Directional lighting or character lighting

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One of the first things people ask me when they visit our studio is why I use so many soft boxes with grids.
And I understand, in a lot of studios you will find plenty soft boxes but often without grids. Of course it depends greatly on what you do with your light and what your personal style is, that goes without saying.

 

I always explain it as follows
“Light is the paint you tell your story with, but it also dictates the character of your model/subject”

 

Now what do I mean with this.
I strongly believe that if you shoot a model in jeans and tanktop you have to be lighting wizard and have a great model to make something that’s really WOW because well… there’s not much going on. Now as soon as you throw in styling and a great location things get interesting and even with a huge softbox images can already look awesome, but you actually look at the styling and background “Only”.

 

Light can be manipulated and what photographers often don’t realize is that light can actually enhance a character of the model/subject. Think about Peter and the Wolf (Sergei Prokofiev) which in essence is a learning tool for children to learn the different instruments in an orchestra, but it’s so much more. Every instrument has it’s own “voice/character” you immediately hear if something is BAD, big, small, happy, old etc. it’s actually a stunning piece of work when you think about it. Now how do we translate this to lighting?

 

Very simple.
If you want something to be bright and friendly use large soft light sources.
If you want something eerie, aggressive or full of character use harder light sources.
Now you don’t hear me say you can’t shoot an elf with harsh light… but it doesn’t really make sense if you want something to be nice and free.

 

Hollywood uses this technique for… well for ever. They even add a lot of toning to this. Think about the Matrix with it’s distinct green and blue tones, or Titanic with it’s beautiful reds, but also Saving Private Ryan with the high shutter speed material and damaged almost BW material… the list goes on an on and on, and still for a lot of photographers light is …. well just light.

 

Try to image a story with every single shot and adjust your lighting to this.
This is one of the reasons I love to be able to really steer my light (hence the grids), it opens up a lot of possibilities. But there are of course a lot more different sources you can use, for example the Westcott Ice Light (but make sure you use the barn doors), or what about led panels (we use LedGo), the possibilities are endless as soon as you start to see light as character.

 

For example here two images from Nadine shot with VERY directional and aimed light.

 

 

Nadine Digital classroom September 23 2015 0347 BW

Nadine Digital classroom September 23 2015 0347

So the next time you shop for lighting make sure you are able to add grids later on, we love to work with a company called Honeycombgrids who makes grids for almost any modifier you will probably use, and they are pretty inexpensive (highly recommend them)
But most of all realize that light actually creates character, and shadows are the soul of a shot.
Good luck.

 

Want to learn more on model photography check out my book Mastering the model shoot and our instructional videos (via this site), or of course check out kelbyone.

Feathering the light

/in , /by

One of the most powerful things you can do with light is actually something that is often not used by most photographers.
Every light source has a similar behavior (some more some less), the middle is pretty harsh and bright and the more you go to the edges the softer but also dimmer the light gets. With some light sources this is less obvious and with some it’s very obvious but the following trick works for all.

 

When we “normally” light a model we are used to aim the light source directly at the model, meaning the model is in the hotspot, however this also means that the light falls off near the model in all directions. In other words the model is in a sort of “bubble” of light. Normally this is not really a problem, but if you place your model next to a wall and you want less light on the wall this is often not so perfect. This is where feathering comes into play.

 

If you feather your light you actually aim your light away from the model and in essence you light the model with the sides of the light, meaning less power but also in almost all cases a nicer light quality (softer).

 

In this example you can see the effect with our model Sanne and a LedGo led panel we normally use for video.
The wall is highly reflective and when you light your model in the hotspot the image will not be pretty (to say the least), by feathering you can create some very nice vignetting on the wall, get some nice light on the model and the end result is much more pleasing. Of course you can still walk around the model for less or more contrast as you can see in the examples.

 

Sanne October 16 2015 0023

the setupSanne October 16 2015 0054

Sanne October 16 2015 0070

Sanne October 16 2015 0084

Sanne October 16 2015 0097

 

 

A quick tip about light and the car

/in /by

You must have at one point heard the expression :
“always carry your camera because it’s so fricking difficult to make a picture when you don’t have it”
And this is 100% true.
Even when we travel I always have my camera close by and I make no joke when I tell you that some of the most interesting shots were actually taken through the windshield of our car, it’s a totally different view than you’re actually used to, and sometimes the cars windshield actually helps in the lighting by adding some “funky” stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of these images end up in the pile “I love them but nobody is allowed to see them” but sometimes I really like a shot that much that it ends up in my portfolio.

 

While driving back to the Mandalay in Vegas we had to stop for a traffic light and the sun just hit the hotel (which has a very distinct golden hue) and the women wanting to cross the street. Now for some this might just be a picture/snap shot but I just loved the overal look and golden glow plus the added backlighting. If you don’t like the shot, no problem but remember that there can always be something that’s fricking awesome and you better have your camera handy……because otherwise you miss the shot.

 

Now how do you set the camera?
When driving I often have it set on auto ISO with a minimum shutter speed of 1/500 this way I know that if the car is moving you can always get something interesting…now do remember I don’t tell you to shoot while driving (blink blink) but it could happen, of course this is stupid and dumb…. but then again if you’re careful enough you could take some cool shots…. but just to make sure that you understand, this is DANGEROUS not only for yourself but most of all for the people around you so when doing this make 100% sure you do it safe, NO picture is worth hurting yourself or others.

Nevada (484 of 513) August 14 2015

That easy lightbulb again

/in /by

Every once in a while I will take it out of the closet… my favorite light source to play with… that simple 100W light bulb in the cheapest enclosure I could find. It’s always fun to see the reaction of the attendees of the workshops when they see the possibilities they can have while shooting with a light source most would label as “unusable for some cool shots”.

 

One of the things you always have to remember when shooting with light is “distance” or in other words “the inverse square law”.
In very simple terms, if you use a light source really close to your model the light will fall off very rapidly, meaning you will get a lot of contrast in your shot, if you move the light further away the light will fall off less rapidly. So if you want to light a group it’s often wiser to move the lights a but further away, and if you want a striking high contrast portrait you can move it closer (although many other factors play a role of course, but let’s keep it simple).

With the lightbulb the power, for me, lies when you use it really close to the model and the background. The outcome is always something that surprises people and often they ask me “How many strobes did you use next to the lightbulb” 😀

 

So if you have a lightbulb in your house, don’t be afraid to use it in your next shoot, it might surprise you.

 

For much more in-depth techniques, tips etc. get my book “Mastering the Model shoot” or download one of my videos from this website.

Manon Juni 13 2015 0594

Manon Juni 13 2015 0865