OLD HOLLYWOOD MEETS CONTEMPORARY

As our shoot progressed (see previous two pages), Aléna was thrilled to take off the scratchy wig—and excited about making images for her yoga website (www.yogaforthesoul.com) and updated headshots for calling cards to promote her singing/dancing career.

To create a peaceful mood for photograph 3-15, I placed a medium softbox high on a boom. This acted as a fill light— a soft, even source of illumination for the entire scene. Two additional monolights were placed just behind the model, to her left and right, creating the depth necessary for this image. Both 7-inch parabolics were fitted with grids to control the field of light. To create the main light pattern on Aléna’s facial mask, a monolight was fitted with barndoors and placed high and to camera left. Because the light appeared too hard, I simply placed white diffusion material over the barndoors, creating a serene image that was used on her yoga home page.

To create a casual, contemporary image for Aléna (photograph 3-16), the same main light as in the previous image was moved closer to the subject, but still placed at a high enough angle to ensure nice shadows on her face. The diffusion material (used in the previous image) was then removed to create a bolder look. Additionally, the background light to camera left (minus the warming gel) was moved higher and increased by about 1/2 stop to create a hard accent light on Aléna’s hair, giving further separation from the background. Looking at these two images, you can see the difference a few minor lighting adjustments can make in your portraits.

PHOTOGRAPH 3-15 (FACING PAGE). This image was intentionally underexposed for a soft, low-contrast, soulful look. SUBJECT: Aléna Watters. CAMERA: Nikon D300, Lexar media. SETTINGS: AWB, manual mode, 1/100 second, f/10, ISO 200.

PHOTOGRAPH 3-16 (RIGHT). Here, the main light was a monolight with barndoors positioned to concentrate the light only on desired areas of model’s face. SUBJECT: Aléna Watters. CAMERA: Nikon D300, Lexar media. SETTINGS: AWB, manual mode, 1/100 second, f/10, ISO 200.

With just a few changes, I quickly produced a high-fashion headshot (photograph 3-17; next page). A white background replaced the warm canvas background used earlier. No lights were used to illuminate this, as I desired a neutral gray background. The accent/kicker light was fitted with a warming gel, then placed directly behind Aléna to cast a pleasant light on her hair and right shoulder. The main light remained the same as in the previous shot, but I chose much different camera angle for this gorgeous headshot.

PHOTOGRAPH 3-17. A few simple changes resulted in a much different look. SUBJECT: Aléna Watters. CAMERA: Nikon D300, Lexar media. SETTINGS: AWB, manual mode, 1/100 second, f/10, ISO 200.

PHOTOGRAPH 3-18. The main light was positioned very close to the model—much as in photograph 3-17. It’s a great modern take on an old technique. SUBJECT: Aléna Watters. CAMERA: Nikon D300, Lexar media. SETTINGS: AWB, manual mode, 1/100 second, f/10, ISO 200.

For the final photograph of the session (photograph 3-18 and diagram), I incorporated the same Hollywood-style lighting used in earlier illustrations—but here it was to produce a fun, funky, contemporary fashion photograph with a different look from all the other images. Keep in mind that metering your lights is critical to ensure your highlights and shadows are retained in the final image. Looking back on this image, I would have placed a cutter or gobo just below the camera-right accent light to block or reduce the light on her left biceps. I could have Photoshopped out the unwanted highlight—but that would defeat my purpose in this book! Next time, I will pay closer attention.

Diagram for PHOTOGRAPH 3-18.

background

light with grid

and gel light with barn doors

light with barn doors

medium softbox for fill