Break the rules.
With the upcoming photography workshop put on by zivity, I have decided to start writing blogs on the sets of mine that are being published.
With the content that I have been submitting to zivity, I have been trying to showcase different styles with every set to show that there is not one right way to shoot sets. There is room for natural light, well lit strobe lighting, incidental lighting, and dramatic single strobe lighting. These different lighting styles are nothing more than tools we use to get the job done. Don’t fall into the mindset that all sets needs to be shot a certain way, or that one tool is all you can use to get the job done.
I have two basic ideas I follow in photography. Ignore the rules, and learn from the mistakes.
If someone tells you that something needs to be done a certain way, smile, nod, listen to their opinion, and then take that knowledge to do something completely different… and blow them away.
One word though, by breaking the rules you have to be prepared to recognize your mistakes and to keep shooting till you make the mistakes look good.
Start off small. Start with one element that is controllable and see how it changes.
A single strobe is a very dramatic light source that when paired with a medium softbox can be used to great effect at creating mood. It is my go-to combo if I am looking to create a “noir” look.
In this set, “a chair affair” I used a 3′ octobox. I use profoto, but I linked to alienbees because they are a good, affordable place to start.
I hung the octobox about 3 feet above the model, and hung it straight down…pointing at the floor.
I then positioned her a little off center, and closer to me than the box. This had the effect of highlighting her curves, and making the chinese dress (found at goodwill, thank you very much) shine. The decision to shoot against a white wall came from the bounce it produced. With the white wall reflecting it kept me free from having to use a back light to create the silhouette effect.
The light being above the model is called “top lighting.” Any light source that is perpendicular to the camera, such as top lighting or side lighting has the effect of enhancing curves. It adds depth. But when side or top lighting a model you have to use a lot of diffusion on the slight source to keep the skin smooth, as any perpendicular light source will show off skin imperfections more than straight on lighting. By using a single light either to the side or to the top you also control where the light fades easier. In this case the light being above the model also has the effect of a getting darker towards the bottom, as that is farther away. I kept the light in the same place the whole time and instead changed model position to change where the light was strongest.
I have never taken a formal photography course, and have never apprenticed to anyone. I have listened to what others said, and done my homework on the technical side of things… but everything I have learned, I have learned from making mistakes.
Feel free to come to our workshop and get a foundation to build your own mistakes off of.
Ciao!
Conan
About the author - I am Godzilla. You...are JAPAN!!!! Read more from this author
