Lighting for emotion
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The document discusses the power of lighting in photography to define subjects and set moods. It asserts that there are no rules in lighting and photography, only what works. It includes quotes from photographers emphasizing how lighting can make people feel emotions and that photographs convey opinions rather than facts or truth. The document promotes experimenting with different lighting styles like mystical, hero, flirty, and sexy to find an intriguing and effective photographic style.
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Lighting for emotion
- 2. LIGHTING AND EMOTION RULES: THERE ARE NO RULES. THOSE THAT SAY THERE ARE RULES ARE EITHER LYING, WRONG OR TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING... RULES ARE CONFINING... PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIBERATING
- 3. LIGHTING AND EMOTION LIGHT DEFINES THE SUBJECT. LIGHT DEFINES THE MOOD. LIGHT DEFINES THE INTENT. LIGHT MAKES US HAPPY. LIGHT MAKES US WONDER. LIGHT MAKES US FEEL.
- 4. LIGHTING AND EMOTION "Every picture has its shadows And it has some source of light Blindness blindness and sight The perils of benefactors The blessings of parasites Blindness blindness and sight..." -- JONI MITCHELL "SHADOW AND LIGHT"
- 5. LIGHTING AND EMOTION "A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed." Ansel Adams
- 6. LIGHTING AND EMOTION "A good photograph is one that communicate a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective." Irving Penn
- 7. LIGHTING AND EMOTION "A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." Richard Avedon
- 8. LIGHTING AND EMOTION MYSTICAL
- 9. LIGHTING AND EMOTION HERO
- 10. LIGHTING AND EMOTION FLIRTY
- 11. LIGHTING AND EMOTION SOFT
- 12. LIGHTING AND EMOTION DEFINING
- 13. LIGHTING AND EMOTION EDGY
- 14. LIGHTING AND EMOTION BEAUTY
- 15. LIGHTING AND EMOTION INTRIGUING
- 16. LIGHTING AND EMOTION FUN
- 17. LIGHTING AND EMOTION SEXY
- 18. LIGHTING AND EMOTION ILLUSTRATIVE
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- 56. LIGHTING AND EMOTION THANKS FOR WATCHING
Editor's Notes
- This is a presentation that was given at the Seattle Smug Mug meeting, August 27, 2010. Thanks to all who attended, and special thanks to the folks at SmugMug for making this all possible.
- RULES: THERE ARE NO RULES. THOSE THAT SAY THERE ARE RULES ARE EITHER LYING, WRONG OR TRYING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING... RULES ARE CONFINING... PHOTOGRAPHY IS LIBERATING
- "Every picture has its shadows And it has some source of light Blindness blindness and sight The perils of benefactors The blessings of parasites Blindness blindness and sight..." -- JONI MITCHELL "SHADOW AND LIGHT"
- "A good photograph is one that communicate a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective." Irving Penn
- "A good photograph is one that communicate a fact, touches the heart, leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective." Irving Penn
- "A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth." Richard Avedon
- Florida Light can be mystical, playful... a part of a photograph that isn't even perceptibly lit...
- Seattle Light can show us the subject... create a sense of heroism and grandeur. Laura
- Detroit Light can be purely fun... like a moment captured on a bright spring morning... a breezy warmth to warm the cold. Lindsey
- Philadelphia Light can envelop the subject. Light tells us about the place... and the subjects role in it. Bri
- Light can define the the shape... and in turn provide a sense of place and time. Bri
- Houston Creating multiple edges and shadows can confuse the viewer and provide a new sense of excitement. And a bit of mystery. Robert
- Beauty lighting shows perfection in the most beautiful subjects.
- Santa Barbara Light can draw us in and make it seem like we are witnessing a new journey take shape. One that has mystery and intrigue. Bri
- Mexico Light can be warm and infectious... as the laugh of a pretty girl on a hot Mexican afternoon. Christina
- Sexy, flirty light can enhance a sexy, flirty model. Defining her beauty and charm as well as providing a reason for the demeanor and pose. Taylor
- Houston Illustrative lighting can use multiple sources to create an image that is not 'normal' or based in reality... there are too many sources the mind screams... and they eye is taken in. Robert
- Freezing the jumper while keeping the ambient and sky within the dynamic range... strobes to the rescue. Needed a small aperture which results in a slow shutter speed... Flash then is used to freeze the subject... mostly.
- Miami Arizona When the light doesn't cooperate, we bring our own. Shot in the shade, the model is lit from the ambient around her... large white buildings and a fill card. "Sunlight" is a small strobe on a stand shooting through the car window behind her. Christina
- Florida Sun was way down... and not providing me with light that looked like I saw it in my head. I used portable flashes to create the scene as I saw it.
- San Jose Natural light from a well lit bank of stores behind me allows the light to wrap around her. The wind is a bonus. Gold reflector used to lighten the area up behind her. Malita
- New York Horrible overcast, harsh light. Terrible location. Forget the negatives and make it positive... light becomes the feature of the shoot. By bringing the exposure down to show the clouds, we effectively spotlighted the model. Bri
- Surrounding the subject with soft light allows her to seem a bit alone... as in a dream world. Wen
- Direct, highlight lighting defines the subject on both sides, and the feeling is one of approachability. Color and styling must be right to pull this one off... flaws will show. Richelle
- Backlight says something to us all by itself... it has a feeling, and emotion to it... The feeling here is one of open, transparency to the subject.
- Prescott Client shoot for a "greener" approach to keeping Volleyball stats... electronically. Strobes were used to define the subject and give her 'hero' status amongst the forest. Bri
- Seattle Light can create drama where none exists.
- Seattle Light creates mood... adds elements of interest and in doing so can transform a bland location into something more fantasy like.
- Bermuda The light can make one feel as if they are there. Additional light can help show us what would be missed in terribly contrasty situations... how much it is applied can be the difference between natural and illustrative.
- Seattle Keeping the subject lit within the ambient can be a more subtle tool, but the results can be at once soft and interesting. Laura
- San Diego Light and pose can work together to create a sense of emotion. Emotional light reveals and hides at the same time in this shot.
- Seattle Light brings us into a space of mystery and adds emotion to a moment caught - and held - forever.
- Light can be whimsical and fun too. Subtleties can be revealed and tonalities exploited. Erica
- Seattle Spotlighting a subject adds an illustrative effect to the shot.
- Baltimore (left) Phoenix (right) Soft and romantic and hard and dramatic.
- New Orleans Using the natural world and the natural light as though they were studio lights. Dramatic shafts and hot overheads can be treated as though they were yours... just do it. (iPhone 2G Camera Photos)
- Seattle Beauty light lets the beauty of the subject come through. Isabel
- Florida Adding a bit of light that "makes sense" to the overall scene can create a natural looking, yet illustrative image. (I love soft overcast... a lot.) Bri
- Bermuda Illustrative use of strobe to add a sense of uniqueness to the portrait on the left. Photograph on the right is totally naturally lit... the bright street scene blows out the reality behind her and we concentrate on her 'open' exposed side coming toward us. You can almost feel the heat of the day. (You can't feel the humidity of it all though... OMG.)
- Shot on left San Diego Shot on right West Palm Beach Left side is open shade. It reveals and allows the beauty to come through... subtle shading can be achieved with fill cards and careful attention to the surroundings. Right side is also natural light. Sun to my back, and overcast. The overall softness allows the contrast to be easily controlled.
- Bermuda The sun can provide some wonderfully dramatic moments if you look for corridors of light and areas where shadows can be a player in your shot. The sun was coming down a street and going in and out of clouds... to say this shot was a challenge is to not know how far and fast the light can change with fast moving small clouds... LOL. Wow.
- Beauty shots and beauty lighting shows the subject in full on frontal lighting - highlight light . I use everything from 20" umbrellas to 60" umbrellas, softboxes to beauty dishes... all in the ever nuanced chase to find the perfect light for the specific face in front of me. ... And sometimes I just love to play around and try stuff... there. I said it.
- Sedona Playful use of light and increased drama can add interest to a photograph taken at a roadside rest area on the interstate. Bri
- Bright overcast light, an open environment, lots of light bouncing around... and a perfect place to shoot some lovely headshots... on my 2G iPhone.
- Highlights can sculpt and reveal. They add dimension and create contrast in non contrasty situations. Shot with the modeling lights on high ISO these images show what oiled skin can look like when reflecting large light sources... smooth and liquid highlights. Taylor
- Akron Surround light... coming from all angles. No additional lights added - this shot was done in a small causeway, so light spilled from behind me and on both sides of her. Sarah
- Akron Standing in the middle of the intersection with light bouncing off of a window in a building behind her and in a direct patch of sunlight behind me, she is forever frozen in a sexy, playful image. Exposure blew out the highly reflective asphalt behind her... gladly.
- Similar lighting separated by nearly 30 years.
- New Orleans Finding areas of interesting light and then making portraits is one of my most favorite things to do. 2G iPhone images.
- "In the Day" Natural light of early morning behind her, and large sand dunes behind me. No additional lights used. Images are 30 years old. Pat
- "In the Day" Sun and reflector on the left, 5 studio strobes in grids on the right. Images are 25 years old.
- "In the Day" To the left is small strobe and ambient, and on the right is a large scrim and movie lights (5K) - both images shot on 4x5 cameras.
- Editorial portrait. I wanted to show the sunset, the old growth and the subject in the middle of it. I used a small strobe to light her and worked to keep the flared sun in the image without too many artifacts. Dr Megan Abshire Hospice Director
- Mexico Subject in the water. Photographer in the water. Assistants with strobes in the water. Keeping the exposure in the range to also capture the sun and clouds behind her. Small shoot through umbrella with two speedlight type flashes in it. Prescilla
- Thanks so much for coming along and letting me blather on about what I love best... photography and light. Please visit my website, www.lighting-essentials.com for more tips and fun!