Lighting Techniques

Summary:

In this practical FotoTV tutorial photographer and blogger Dirk Wächter demonstrates how to achieve better flash photos in indoor areas.

Most photographers know that shooting indoor flash photos can be at times quite challenging and some photographers are even often shocked at their results of overexposed people in the foreground and dark undistinguishable backgrounds. Weddings, corporate functions and birthday parties are just some of the situations where an additional light source is needed to achieve great indoor photography results. Today Wächter discusses numerous manual and AV camera and flash settings and useful techniques for indoor portrait photography, as well as a few special effects that will more than satisfy your expectations. The settings and techniques he demonstrates result in great lighting on people in the foreground and still have the impact of the room lighting and features in the surrounding shot.

Wächter does not stop with producing fantastic portraits; he also shows several special effect techniques. Although using slow sync flash is for more complicated exposures, Wächter uses it to compose an impressive and creative shot using blurry long exposures. Your photo will definitely stand out of using this technique.  

As we watch Wächter, we learn the best way to become better at flash photography is to analyze the photos and try to figure out what could have been done differently in order to create a better flash-filled exposure. Simply follow his tips and techniques, and you too will be creating stunning indoor flash photos.

Summary:

Photographer Jean-Francois O’Kane talks about painting with light while comprehensively demonstrating the techniques to follow for a sensual erotic shooting, as well as the tools and equipment needed.

As O'Kane demonstrates on his model Alexa, light painting is a creative photographic technique in which exposures are made in a darkened room by moving a hand-held constant light source to illuminate the scene. He moves the light to selectively illuminate and accentuate parts of the model's curves and highlights, by facing it directly into the camera. As viewers quickly learn, light painting requires a significantly slow shutter speed of a second or more-- besides that, to create a stunning photo, total control over exposure is essential, as is dressing in black and using a tripod and white balance.

Although O'Kane admits, "It's difficult to achieve perfect settings such as exposure on the first time around, "A prerequisite is to be prepared to experiment, use a light meter or grey card, and have fun while you are doing so."

Painting with light is indeed an exciting technique for amateur and professional photographers alike, and fairly simple to recreate. It offers photographers a chance to express their creative side, and artistic ability, perhaps to impress clients or simply to explore new photographic disciplines, and O'Kane demonstrates so with flowing ease, using the tools and equipment readily available from a house or garage, and with the camera equipment most photographers already have.

Summary:

In this FotoTV film, photographer Steve Thornton discusses and demonstrates shooting on location in a fantastic urban setting in Cologne, Germany. Other informative topics that are covered are: Models and directing them, location lighting and understanding how it affects the subject and overall scene, locations and how to scout the right one and which equipment is necessary to bring on location.

Many new photographers do not have the time or resources to obtain a studio or studio equipment. At the same time many studio photographers do not understand the potential problems when shooting at an unfamiliar location and there is almost always something unexpected that arises. Thornton guides us on his approach to shooting on location, giving many helpful tips and useful techniques. First, he scouts a location beforehand, evaluating the possibility to shoot at that location and get several scenes or shots from that one location. Today he has scouted an incredible gritty location that is not frequented by many people with some graffiti on the walls, nice textures and alleyways.

We learn from Thornton that urban scenes can be an excellent backdrop full of photographic potential for fashion work; not only the streets themselves but also warehouses, industrial areas, alleyways, doorways, and walls with old paint peeling off, anything that may provide you with remarkable shots and work visually with the subject.

Thornton uses the natural lighting conditions to his best advantage, often using a reflector for fill or a diffuser scrim to create pleasing lighting effects. He also makes appoint to change his perspective several times throughout shooting a scene to ensure the best shot possible. “Standing static in one place while photographing your model will definitely not provide any good shoots. It's important to move around and change your point of view.” He says.

Directing the models is also very important to Thornton, as he points out it is the best way to get what you want for that perfect shot. And to get that perfect shot he recommends doing whatever it takes, whether it be kneeling, or even lying on the ground. As most location photographers will learn, getting dirty once in a while comes with the territory.

Summary:

Photographer Urs Recher has been involved in photography for a good 17 years. He is responsible for all the advertisement photography for Broncolor, Visatec, and for Kobold which are daylight, halogen and tungsten lamps.

A specialized shoot for women's portraits is what Recher shares with the FotoTV viewers today: beauty shots, and the affects of using different sizes of light sources as well as define the difference between “hard” and “soft” lights so afterward the light can be implemented precisely. Most importantly, the difference pertains to the size of the light source.

Recher begins by shooting with a soft box that is relatively far away from the subject that will produce a very “hard” light, actually a two-dimensional light consisting of just light and shadows, without gradation. Then, he changes the size, as well as the distance of my light source. This results in a softer light. It significantly affects the skin and it’s appearance. The skin appears more matte, less reflective, and less shiny. Therefore, a more three-dimensional photo is achieved and the skin will have more gradation in its tones, a three-dimensional illumination, not just light and shadows.

Recher rarely uses a light meter when working anymore. He relies on viewing the Polaroid or looking at the preview image, in this case the display monitor. In the beginning of the film we saw the enormous influence the distance of the light source had on the model and on the harshness of the light. That meant the further the light was away from the model, the harder and more two-dimensional it was. The gradation between light and shadows were more abrupt. The farther away the light was placed the brighter it would have to be to light up our entire set-up. The light being so bright will have a harsh or domineering effect on such features and aspects such as the direct reflection on the eyes, lips and the tip of the nose, on shiny skin, or with people who wear glasses. When the light source is brought extremely close to the model or subject, reducing the distance, the light can be dimmed and the light source output power is much lower. Still resulting in wonderfully exposed skin tones, but no longer with the disturbing reflections on the lips, in the eyes, and areas on the face without adequate make-up.

Recher gives FotoTV further important information on fill lights and selecting the right values with the RGB mode in Photoshop to collectively achieve a striking, beautiful woman's portrait.