We're going to continue easing our way into composition in this installment of Pro Pix Tips. As I have mentioned before, there are some many things that make up composition that it just can't be covered in one post or even a lot of post. So far we have discussed the importance of why we are taking the photo in the first place. Once we do that, we need to determine how we are going to accomplish our purpose. Since our tool of choice is the camera and since camera work by capturing reflected light than it only stands to reason that how we capture that light plays a very important role in composing the picture we what to "paint". How we use light in order to capture the subject of the picture sets the tone for the overall feel that the viewer of the picture gets. An example of this is easy and fun to demonstrate especially around Halloween (pay close attention Chris). Get a flashlight and stand in front of a mirror. With the room dark, stand in front of the mirror and take the flashlight and hold it just under your chin and shine the light up into your face. Spooky, right? Now move the flashlight around so that it shines on your face for several different angles and note the different looks and feeling that each angle creates. Don't forget to shine the light at the back of your head on order to create a silhouette in the mirror. How does the light make your face look different. Light that is shined directly into your face generally fattens out your facial features and usually makes your face look fat or in my case, fatter. Lighting up only half of your face usually gives a feeling of mystery. Continue to play with the flashlight in front of the mirror and really study what the light does but you might want to do that when nobody is around to see you.
So while you're standing in front of the mirror with a flashlight let's take a look at five of the most popular styles of lighting.
1. Butterfly lighting. To demonstrate this lighting pattern take the flashlight and shine it directly into your face from just slightly above you. Note how your face is fully lit while noting the shadow that is formed under your nose. Because of the angle, the shadow will take on the appearance of a butterfly, hence the name. This type of lighting is use primarily in high fashion but doesn't do well for most people as it is not very flattering because it flattens the face. You should note that this light is easily produced by the camera's pop up flash or on board flash. Both flashes have the nickname of "ugly lights" for a reason.
2. Loop lighting. To demonstrate this lighting pattern, move the light slightly to the right or left and raise the angle of the light to about 45 degrees. The object is to produce a shadow created by your nose down toward the corner of your month on the opposite side of the face where the light is shining from. This shadow should resemble a loop shape. You should also note that the light starts to drop off in intensity as move around the opposite side of your face. It's important the the loop shadow under the nose and the shadow caused by the drop off do not touch or meet. There should be a highlighted area on the opposite cheek which should extend to keep these shadows from connecting.
3. Rembrandt Lighting. This lighting pattern gets its' name from the style of lighting used by the painter Rembrandt (go figure) in most if not all his portrait painting in order to create the kind of contrast in the composition that would create the 3-D illusion from a 2-D image. In photography this pattern is created by moving the light slightly further left or right causing the loop shadow to meet with the shadow created by the light fall off which now creates a triangle shaped highlight on the opposite cheek. It's this characteristic triangle highlight that the Rembrandt pattern is known by.
4. Split Lighting. This lighting pattern gets its' name because the light is positioned at a 90 degree angle to the subject thereby illuminating only half of the subjects face with the split going right down the center of the subjects nose. This pattern for me adds mystery or what other photographers call drama to the shot.
5. Rim or Accent Lighting. This pattern is usually use in conjunction with one of the other lighting patterns to give some separation between the subject and the background. But don't forget the silhouette shots. While these are generally lit with natural lighting from behind the subject it can be done with a studio light.
The important thing to remember here is that the overall feeling of the photograph is very much controlled by how the light is shining on your subject. If you're going for a soft and tranquil feel or mood than you probably don't want to use Split Lighting. Likewise, you probably won't want to use Butterfly Lighting for a dramatic look or feel to your photograph. But remember that with every rule there are exceptions and you're not confined to these set positions. The key is to experiment with the light much as you have while standing in front of the mirror. But keep in mind that is some cases the lighting may generate a variety of emotions or feelings leading to a misinterpretation of the ones you as the photographer intended. The success or failure of the photograph you take depends on how accurately you compose the shot and how you use your light plays a critical role.
Experimenting helps you to grow as a photographer. You can read or hear a bunch of techniques and theories and not have them sink in so you learn from them. Get your hands dirty and continually ask the DZ (David Ziser) question, "What happens if ....?" Don't get upset or discouraged if you look at the camera's LCD screen to view the photo you just took and you instinctively scream out loud "Were the hell did that come from?" That is a phrase that crosses the lips of even the biggest dogs in the photographer pack. It may be an ops but it's an opportunity to run with the big dogs and improve your skills. Stick with the shot till you get the look you're after cause that's when you do your best learning. So when your spouse or kids catch you standing in the dark in front of the mirror shinning a flashlight at your face and they ask you what you're doing you answer, "I'm learning stuff, that's what I'm doing!"
Well, that about it for this PPT's. Have a great day everybody!
Richard
No comments:
Post a Comment