This weekend I taught an “Introduction to Studio Lighting and Posing” class at the Photo Connection of Colchester, CT. It was among several classes I taught this weekend including “Introduction to Portrait Retouching”, “Creativity Morning, Noon and Night”, “Raindrop Reflections” and “Organization in the Digital Age”. They typically bring me to their store about two times each year to teach on a variety of topics and its always a GREAT time. Not only are the store owners extremely sweet and nice and professional… but the students are always very enthusiastic and eager to learn.
During the demonstration (Saturday 1pm-5pm) I shot tethered (connected to my MacBook Pro) using Lightroom 3 ‘s tethered capture mode, so that the images I was shooting during demo would appear on the projection screen for all to see. Here are some of the sample diagrams from my basic lighting setups. For this demo Westcott Lighting provided the lighting including three 400 Watt strobes, barn doors, and softbox.
For this blog post I will provide diagrams, and in subsequent posts I’ll include a little behind-the-scenes video and some other images resulting from the class.
I think that there are a variety of great setups that can be achieved using just 1 or 2 lights, and these images illustrate some basic setups.
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Paramount Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Loop Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Rembrandt Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Rembrandt with Fill Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Rembrandt with Background Light Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Rembrandt with Kicker Light Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Split Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Back 45, Short Rembrandt Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Softbox with Kicker Light: By Lindsay Adler
Intro to Lighting Diagrams: Softbox with Background Light Lighting: By Lindsay Adler
Buttermilk Falls Owego, Paint with Light, by Lindsay Adler
I love painting with light. As a control-freak photographer (not always but often), I like the idea of having complete control over the illumination of my image. Every pixel of the image is lit because I wanted it lit, and is lit HOW I wanted it lit. The color of the light, direction of the light, brightness of the light… all of these elements are under my control.
A couple of weeks ago I took my assistant and a friend (Joel and Decker) to a waterfall in Owego, NY at a midnight. It was pitch black. The waterfall was less than 100 yards off of the road, but in the pitch black it was certainly a perilous route! We each had flashlights and I had my camera, flashes, pens lights, gels, tripod and cable release.
I have talked about painting with light before in my blog, but this was one of my favorite.
First we lit the scene from the front… and the images were… frankly… ghastly! They were boring, flat and just unpleasing to the eye.
Front Lighting Paint with Light, Unsuccessful (in my opinion!)
Next I had Joel walk up and down the waterfall (in the pitch black) illuminating the water with nothing more than a tiny white pen light. I was actually amazed the the results. The water was lit in a surreal and glowing manner, and the flowing water looked soft and silky. Be sure to compare this image with other images, and see how the constant light source effects the water in comparison with the flashes.
Waterfall Paint with Light, LED keychain light by Lindsay Adler
Waterfall Paint with Light, LED keychain light by Lindsay Adler
Next I had Joel light the waterfall with flashes. I had him climb the side of the falls, and illuminate the falls from a back 30 degree angle so that he was lighting mostly from the side of the falls. This gave them depth and interest. He used 1 580EX flash, which had a significantly faster recycle time than the 550s I had.
Waterfall Paint with Light, One White Strobe, by Lindsay Adler
Finally I had him illuminate the falls using two flashes, one with no gel and the other with a blue gel. The resulting image was vibrant and surreal, just like the scene had been professionally lit by a movie company!
Waterfall Paint with Light, Two Strobes (one white, one blue), by Lindsay Adler
There are so many things that go into making a great image: composition, subject matter, aperture, and much more. Yet I have discovered time and time again the main difference between a good image and a great image is one thing… LIGHT.
Lets say that you have your camera on a tripod and are photographing from the top of a mountain. First you shoot mid-day, then one toward the evening, then one at sunset. If you have your camera on a tripod, all images have the same composition, the same (or similar) aperture, and are fundamentally the same image. Yet it is likely that you have one terrible image, one acceptable image, and one outstanding image. Why? Because light makes all the difference. This is why Canon Explorers of Light have that name… that’s what they do… they find the light, create the light, or wait for the light to create stunning images.
This is true in all types of photography. The light is fundamental in nature photography, photojournalism, fashion photography, portraiture. I’ve seen very strong images taken with average light– there was something in the image that was redeeming like stunning subject matter. Yet I have seen few if any amazing images with average light.
If I could give any beginner photographer a piece of advice to improve their photography, I would tell them this: “Learn to see the light. Go to the Light.” It sound like I’m preparing someone for death, but really its fundamental for a person’s success in photography. If you learn to see the way light shapes a model’s face, your portrait and fashion photography will improve drastically. If you learn to anticipate and wait for the right lighting in landscape photography, your images will improve drastically.
Here is an image I took on top of Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park in Maine. The image was taken in June 2005 with my Canon 10D and a Sigma 17-35mm wide angle lens. Why is this image not just a good image? It is a great image because of the light. I woke up at 3:30am to drive up to the top of the mountain with my mother. We set up our cameras, our tripods, and waited for sunrise. It was so windy I could barely stand, it was freezing cold, and I remember tears freezing to my cheeks when the wind blew them down my face. Yet I can say without a doubt, it was worth it.
The Human Form Workshop Behind the Scenes Courtesy Bob Trautman
Recently I’ve been trying to share a bit more video content with my blog readers and followers. Here is a video that my friend Eddie created of me after a nude photography workshop I created over a Unique Photo in Fairfield, NJ. In this class we covered lighting, posing, concepts, finding models and much more. Through lecture and demonstration I helped students get more comfortable photographing the nude form, and then students had several hours to practice with live models. I had great feedback from the class, and I am schedule to teach another in January 2011 for Unique Photo. In fact, I am working on organizing another nudes on location workshop for sometime in the late summer. Watch my twitterfeed or blog for updates if you are interested in taking a class. Anyway, enjoy the video!
Lindsay Adler, We Are Miller's Ad, by Kathleen Adler
This fall I will be spotlighted for the “We Are Miller’s” Ad Campaign. An advertisement with my photo will run in a variety of publications including Professional Photographer Magazine and Rangefinder Magazine. For this process I had to produce an image of myself and also answer a series of questions that are converted to “I am” statements.
The image I am sharing in this blog post is NOT THE IMAGE that will be used in the ad. Another image was selected from a totally difference scene/location, and that will be released when the advertisement runs. I just wanted to share a shot that we created with some behind the scenes video of the shoot.
As a portrait and fashion photographer, I am often asked to take pictures of couples. These are either soon-to-be-married couples, or a male and female for a fashion ad campaign, etc. It is very easy to stick a simple ‘prom pose’ and get a nice image. If you are just required to capture an engagement photo for a newspaper, this is sufficient. But it is easy to get too comfortable with easy poses, and therefore your images are static and not compelling. Boring images are sometimes as bad as technically weak pictures…boring is pointless. Anyone can capture a boring image.
Your images should try to say a bit more… tell a story, capture an emotion, or convey action. I have a few hints for photographing couples that I share below. The images in these posts are from a couple’s portrait session I shot last week for Megan and Jay. The session was not an in-depth engagement session, but instead a short evening portrait session with a bit of video (see YouTube videos below).
Couple’s Session Suggestions:
1. Look for Pose Inspiration: I often try to find poses in magazines or online when trying a new couple’s pose. I might ask the couple to send me ideas of images they have seen before. Many women, particularly brides, can immediately think of a great pose or image they have always wanted to recreate. A good place to find poses are movie posters or promotional stills from movies. These poses are often dramatic and communicate a lot in a single image.
2. Take Hints from the Movies: As said above, movie posters can be great for pose inspiration. Furthermore, you can come up with great dramatic lighting from the movies. You’ll notice that several of my images in this post are heavily backlit (with fill-light from a silver reflector in the foreground). This lighting is very dramatic and cinematic. The movies can provide you a lot of ideas.
3. Think Action: A picture of a couple with their faces side-by-side can be nice, but even a beautiful image can be a bit boring if it is static. I often try to incorporate action into my couple’s portrait. Whether they are wrestling on the floor, or tickling each other, or dipping and kissing, I find a way to incorporate action to help make the image more engaging.
4. Tell a Story: Powerful images tell stories. In the case of a couple, you tell the How does the couple normally interact with one another? Are they serious and very deep/romantic? Or are they constantly giggling and playful? Be sure to convey this.
5. Get intimate: Don’t be afraid to capture images that are a bit more intimate. A quiet moment in a hug, or a soft kiss can be the perfect image to capture a relationship.
Behind the Scenes, Couples Portrait, photo courtesy Bob Trautman
Unusual Pose, Couple's Portrait, by Lindsay Adler
Behind the Scenes, Couple's Portrait, courtesy Bob Trautman
6. Value Added with Video: Recently I have been offering my portrait and wedding clients an additional service… I’ve been offering them video shorts. For couples or high school seniors, I can produce “Video Profiles” to capture the essence of the person/couple at a point in time. I can also create video shorts to tell a story. For weddings I have offered these shorts to be sent out as wedding invitations, or to be played to introduce the couple at their reception. In September I will have a more in-depth article about these services in Professional Photographer Magazine, so I won’t go into too much detail now. The video below was captured of a couple during their portrait session last week. The video took approximate 15 (or less) to capture, and then another 30 minutes to edit and add music. I am not the ultimate video expert, but I was able to put together this content quickly and efficiently. Again, I am not trying to pretend like this is the most amazing video short that has ever existed… it doesn’t have a strong plot line, or particularly compelling images… but it was quick, easy and cherished by the couple. Just something to think of that I wanted to share. Again, watch for my article on the subject for more inspiration and how-to.
This past weekend I taught a class for Unique Photo in Fairfield, NJ on the Human Form. This four hour workshop included a little over an hour of lecture, 45 minutes of demonstration, and 2 full hours of time to shoot with two fantastic models. We had two lighting setups, and students had plenty of time to experiment with lighting and poses.
Below are two images I captured during the demonstration part of the workshop. I’ve included the notes from the class for you to review. Enjoy!
Behind the Scenes, The Human Form Workshop, Unique Photo, Image by Bob Trautman
In this image the main light was the beauty dish, and the final image had beautiful rembrandt lighting on the face, stunning curves, and an overall dramatic result.
Behind the Scenes, The Human Form Workshop, Unique Photo, Image by Bob Trautman
Behind the Scenes, The Human Form Workshop, Unique Photo, Image by Bob Trautman
In this behind the scenes image, we are capturing the semi-silhoutted white blow-out background shot. Joel (assistant near the model) is there to brace the model in case she fall after doing difficult dance poses. The students look on and snap a few shots before getting two hours of shooting time with the models.
