Studio Lighting

Summary:

In this FotoTV film, photographer Urs Recher discusses at length how to create a typical beauty portrait using atypical harsh lighting. In his first installment on portrait shooting, "The size of the light source", Recher discussed the difference between various sizes of light sources and incremental distances to the subject.

The main emphasis of today's film is that of modulating the face to bring out its three-dimensional characteristics. Recher achieves this by creating two distinct shadows along his model's face using a light modulator, resulting in multiple gradations from light to dark. Typically, a beauty shot is known to most as having a set-up with a large soft box placed close to the subject to create an even, soft and almost non-existent shadow. But Recher does the exact opposite in that he uses harsh lighting, which produces stylistic, sexy results on model Julia's striking face. Another important aspect of the film is the model's make-up and industry standards regarding booking models for shoots. Recher gives a comprehensive breakdown of Julia's make-up technique and application and shares important tips and tricks to enhance the beauty aspect of the shoot.

This film is a treasure trove of information for photographers interested in portrait and beauty shooting. Recher's photos are absolutely stunning and he teaches the one most important thing about photography; Photographers will never create anything remarkable if they don’t experiment and try new things.

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.

Summary:

Water, Fire, and now, Smoke. Today, photographer Herbert Wannhof demonstrates step-by-step in this latest instructional video, how FotoTV viewers can flawlessly photograph trails of smoke as depicted from a broken lightbulb.

There is no one correct way to photograph smoke, but it is clear Wannhof has developed his technique over a period of time. And as most photographers will agree it is a learning and discovery process every time they take photos.
As Wannhof begins his set-up run through, we learn the most important thing when photographing smoke is getting enough light to freeze the motion of the smoke in mid-air. Wannhof does this by using more than one flash and with a clean and simple background. Wannhof comprehensively details all technical requirements, safety considerations and the tools needed to complete the spectacular shot of the broken bulb with trails of smoke.

Although smoke is an interesting subject matter, in Wannhofs photos, the smoke itself isn’t actually the subject matter, it is simply the tool used to create spectacular photographs. Wannhof simply does not create pictures of smoke, he creates pictures by using smoke. A very solid approach to ensure complete creative control, and to manipulate the smoke as needed to get superb end result.

Wannhof’s primary points of interests, and therefore his specialties are; portrait and nudes and special effects photography, as well as devoting more time to further develop his interest in panoramic photography. He also works as a consultant for Artlight-Studios in Leichlingen, Germany, a fully equipped and easily accessible studio, which is very "photographer-friendly".

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.

Summary:

In this follow-up video, Eberhard Schuy of Loft 2 is back perfecting his oversights, bringing a successful conclusion to “The Hot Ice Cube”.

After the many viewer responses that resulted from The Hot Ice Cube, Schuy decided to put those comments to good practical use and started right away working on the imperfections of the first video. Most viewers were not satisfied with the “authenticity” of the ice cube and felt it could go much further in an attempt to make it look realistic. Beginning with an evaluation of the previously produced ice shot, Schuy explains the errors that were made the first time around. No small feat for most photographers, but Schuy approaches this topic like a pro, very thankful for the viewer responses.

The first ice cube, when viewed in the finished shot, looks somewhat metal-like and is also missing the transparency so characteristic of ice. This is partially due to the fact that Schuy used an acrylic ice cube; filed down into the desired shape he was looking for. To remedy that solution for the reshoot, Schuy makes a form cast of the plastic ice cube, therefore guaranteeing him the exact shape he desires. Next to the simple materials that can be purchased in a hobby or hardware store all that is needed is time, three hours to be exact, and water to pour into the hardened form cast.

Moving along, Schuy notes that the same lighting set-up was used with the small exception of placing a candle underneath the ice form. And this makes all the difference, as he explains, “When I place a candle underneath the ice cube, it radiates light from within as opposed to being lit up from the exterior.” But Schuy does not stop there; he uses a small spotlight to simulate the effect of the candlelight, resulting in the same yellow nuance achieved with the candlelight.

Viewers will definitely not be disappointed this time around. Not only does Schuy offer a professional and technical guide relating to light and its affect on the different materials being used, but also he has perfected the art of photographing a real ice cube.