It’s not just about the high ISO, or face recognition, or auto focus.
Nope. What it IS about is light. Of course that depends on what your definition of is, is.
Sorry, just a little Clinton humor.

So it’s the addition of light or the subtraction of light that can make a photograph.
Yes, we all can walk around and make our images with the on-board flash, or existing light, or even the combination of existing light and the on-board flash for fill.
Or the framing and lensing, utilizing the light that is there. Henri Cartier-Bresson was a master of light, and he knew the light that was available to him, naturally.

Let’s step you up a bit, in the lighting dept. though. With some very simple tools, including your speedlight flash, you can create some very cool looking shots, by shaping the light.
And by shaping, we mean bouncing, reflecting, focusing, coloring, and your light.
It may be as easy as using a white wall to bounce light, as you position your subject to get that extra boost pointed in their direction.

As a kid, I bought a 12-inch reflector that would take a photo bulb with a high wattage. Then I added a Larson Umbrella that would double as a bounce surface allowing me to start shaping the light. The Larson brollie is still in the kit.

Not until I became an assistant photographer did the real learning kick in. Big lights, strobe packs, stands, booms, scrims, grids and lions and tiger and bears. Oh my.

[photopress:94_product_image_1921245218.jpg,full,alignright] But this week we have an excellent DVD,
Lighting Essentials
with Jack Reznicki, to get you started immediately in your learning of the use of light in your photographs.
Its not the final word, because we are always learning.
Perhaps this will give you the classic tools to help you make the leap into the light. Click on the picture and you’ll be taken to the Software-Cinema site for a preview

Trust me, even if you’ve been doing it awhile, you’ll pick up a thing or two.

The hope is that with this DVD, you will not only learn how to use light to simply…well….illuminate, but add the drama, emotion, and storytelling to your photographs to help you communicate in the medium you’ve chosen.

Perhaps with a little extra knowledge, when you experience an image you will also look at it, and be able to suss out the lighting techniques. Not just checking the catch lights in the eyes to see the lighting set-up, but learning how the photographer shaped and modified light to treat the subject in the appropriate manner.
Check out these diverse lighting setups:

[photopress:fotos_de_annie_leibowitz_2.JPG,full,centered]©Annie Leibowitz

[photopress:sherilynfennbig_1.GIF,full,centered] © George Hurrell
[photopress:ChristopherWalken_2.jpg,full,centered] © Martin Schoeller

The more you know, the easier it will be to discover the lighting techniques.

All of the details on getting this DVD will be in this weeks NEWSLETTER, so make sure you’re signed up. It comes out Weds. @9:00AM PST so you have to be signed up by Tuesday eve.

How did we get to this giveaway? Honestly, just been tuning up the lighting package, so it’s all top of mind.
On the portable side, added a Norman 19” Softbox for a QFlash, and a Beauty Dish to the Dyna Lite set up.
Apparently going soft.

By exploring all of the options and discussing it with colleagues, we realized that the right tool for the right job was never more apparent.

We felt that as we discuss gear, software and photography books, a solid knowledge of light is essential. For execution and appreciation.

And we’ll be offering the Annie Leibowitz book, once released, where she’ll discuss her techniques and approach to lighting

So here we have this weeks DVD. We can continue the education as a group.
The comments section is a place to start.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 8:02 pm and is filed under Photo News, Weekly Giveaway. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.