Studio Practice

This week we are spenting our time getting to grips with the studio equipment. Guest lecturor Dara is showing us the ropes. We have a number of introductory modules to attend. We were given a talk yesterday on the different types of lighting.

I'm stuck between two photos at the minute. I've chosen "Girl with a book" by the Italian baroque painter Pietro Rotari and also Antonio Donghi's "Woman at the Cafe" (1932). I think I'll base my decision on the props. I've been looking in charity shops for the appropriate hat. I'm drawn towards the second painting because the simplicy and class of the womans pose. It's timeless.

 

 

Preparatory Shots 

 

These are the preparatory shots taken in the studio with Dara.

 

Original

 

Pietro Rotari (1707-1762), "Girl With a Book"

Reconstruction

 

 

I used the two soft boxes on either side of the figure and the reflector to cast a soft light on the face. The original painting is very playful. The girl has a secretive smile. I wanted to reconstruct this look.

 

 

Original

 

 

Antonio Donghi's "Woman at the Cafe "

Reconstruction

 

 

I used the softbox. The pose is very relaxed. It's simple and elegant.

 

Here are some more shots from the studio....

 

 

 

 

 

Outdoor Portraits

Environmental Portraiture

 

Tips for Improving Outdoor Portraits

Location

One of the great things about outdoor portrait photography is that you can shoot almost anywhere, from your back garden to a glorious tropical beach. But it’s important to know how to get the most out of any location you choose.

There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to working a location. If the location adds to your portrait, you can include the background, but if the location isn’t particularly photogenic, try using limited depth of field or tight framing to concentrate attention on your subject.

For the most striking portraits, it’s often best to keep things simple, so try to shoot against uncluttered backgrounds such as the sky, a wall or foliage. This will help your subject stand out.

However, like most rules, there are times when it’s best to break them – particularly when you’re shooting environmental portraits where you want to show the surroundings almost as much as the subject itself. 

Composition and framing

Try to position either your subject’s face (on a half or full-length portrait) or eyes (on a head-and-shoulders or close-up shot) using the rule of thirds. This gives a much more balanced composition than if they are in the centre of the frame.

How to make the most of natural light

Bright summer sunshine might seem like the perfect light for shooting outdoor portraits, but these conditions can also produce the least successful results. With the sun high in the sky, ugly shadows will appear under your subject’s nose, chin and eye sockets.

01 Find yourself some shade

A simple solution is to position your model in a shady area. Don’t forget to watch the white balance setting though. If the background is still in bright sunlight it can make your model’s skin look too blue, because it will choose a daylight white balance, rather than shade.

02 Wait for some cloud

If you can’t find any shade, and there are some clouds in the sky, you can try waiting for the sun to disappear behind cloud for a natural diffused effect.

Shooting in changing light means that you’ll need to work quickly to get your shots though, and you also need to watch the exposure.

Make sure that you set the exposure for the model, rather than a bright or dark background.

03 Diffuse the light

If there aren’t any clouds to diffuse harsh light, you can get a similar effect by holding a diffuser between the subject and the sun. The diffuser can be as simple as a piece of translucent white cloth or one made specifically for the purpose.

This works very well for head-and-shoulders portraits, but it can be impossible to find a big enough diffuser to diffuse the light for a half- or full-length shot.

Even for head-and-shoulders shots you’ll find it much easier if you have a willing assistant to hold the diffuser in position.

04 Shoot into the light

For a completely different look, try getting your model to face away from the sun, and shoot into the light. You’ll need to avoid under-exposure, because the bright background will fool your camera’s meter. Try using

+1 or +2 stops of Exposure Compensation

05 Reflectors

If you find that there are shadows on your model’s face, or it’s simply a bit too dark, using a reflector is one of the simplest ways to add some light. These come with white, silver or gold surfaces, which reflect light in different ways for slightly different effects.

 

 

Here are some of the outdoor portraits we took with Dara. He showed us some techniques to use and different ways to achieve lighting effects for our shots. We met again on the lawn to reconvene for our afternoon photoshoot!

CCS Essay and Exam

We've a really busy week this week with both the CCS Art History exam this wednesday and our essay deadline.
I've written about the photographer Roger Ballin for the essay.
Can't wait to sit the exam and have it over with.

Here's some of Roger Ballens work:

Photo Studio

We are using the photo studio for the next 2 weeks. Guest lecturor Dara McGrath is in teaching us how to use the studio and equipment.

Studio Light Techniques

 

1. Characteristics of light

-Quality of the light

-Direction

-Contrast

-Evenness

-Colour

-Intensity

2. How a flash head works

-parts location

-function of each component

 

3-Lighting Equipment

-Soft box-

-Reflector

-Barn doors

-Snoot

-Honeycomb

-Umbrella

-Synchronising 

4. Sources of Light

-Ambient

-Artificial

-Tungsten

-Daylight

-Flash units

5. Setting up your photograph

-Camera setting

-What type of light to convey meaning

-Main/Key Light

-Fill Light

-Additional Lighting

-Reflection/bouncing light

-Separation of background and subject

- Rules of Composition for portraiture

-dos and don’t

 

6. Types of Lighting

-Rembrandt. Single light source for creating dramatic lighting effects.

-Clam Shell. Created by placing two lights, one overhead and one under your subject

-Rim Lighting or Edge Lighting. Main light source is placed at same height of a subject, perpendicular to the camera at about the "9:00 position"

- Back Lighting. Placed behind the subject for hair highlighting

-Butterfly Lighting. Created when a single light source is placed just above the camera, thus creating a butterfly-shaped shadow under a model's nose.

-Fill Light. Placed behind the camera to light up the shadow area on the side of the face opposite the key light side.

 

Contemporary Case Studies

Diane Arbus

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nan Goldin

Heinrik Kerstens

 

 

 

Doug Du Bois

 

 

 

Helen Van Meene

 

 

 

A link to his website: http://www.daramcgrath.com/