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Studio Lighting – Chiaroscuro

Why do we use studio lighting?

Studio lighting offers a more sophisticated level of control. You can adjust the light in numerous ways to produce infinite outcomes.

What is the difference between 1-2-3 point lighting and what does each technique provide>

The numbers refer to the amount of light sources at the scene of the shoot. Photographs taken with only 1 light will be a lot darker and ominous than the other. Images with 1 light tend to show only half of the subject’s face; this is because the intensity of the shadows allows the part of the face that isn’t illuminated to blend in with the darkness. 2 point lighting, however, is brighter than 1 and this allows the shadows to be a lot softer and more of the face to be revealed. 3 point lighting is much brighter than the other two, the subject is fully illuminated and shadows are not visible; the point of this is to erase any creases and create a whiter canvas.

What is fill lighting?/ What is Spill Lighting?

It is any source of illumination that lightens (fills in) areas of shadow created by other lights. Most often,fill light is used to lighten the shadows created by the main light. Spill light, however,  is the light that illuminates surfaces beyond the property line. An example would be the light on a bedroom wall coming through the window.

What is Chiaroscuro ?

 it is an Italian artistic term used to describe the dramatic effect of contrasting areas of light and dark in an artwork, particularly paintings. It comes from the combination of the Italian words for “light” and “dark.” It also applies to a far wider array of dramatic lighting effects, particularly in movies; anything dark and moody with great slashes of shadow.

The images above portray chiaroscuro and showcase its main aspects. The lighting used is classed as ‘lowkey’ meaning that most images are creates in a ‘low’ light environment.

Source

Studio Lighting Techniques

Why Do We Use Studio Lighting?

We use studio lighting because it enables the photographer to create a controlled environment to capture the exact photograph that you want. Studio lighting allows you to completely control how hard/soft the light is, the intensity of it and the direction of which it is coming from. It is easy to adapt the studio lights to create the best shot possible by highlighting certain parts of the subjects face and reflecting light in different directions.

Image result for studio lighting

What is the Difference Between 1-2-3 Point Lighting?

Three point lighting is a method used in studio photography in which uses three separate positions for light sources so that the photographer can illuminate the subject in the exact way that he/she wants to. The first light is a key light, which is usually the strongest light and sets the lighting of the scene. The second light is the fill light which helps to fill the shadows that the key light casts to prevent a distracting contrast. The last light is called a back light and is used to create separation and contour. the back light helps to illuminate the model from the back for example, the models hair being lit up.

Image result for 3 point lighting

What is Fill Lighting?

Fill light is any source of illumination that lightens or fills in areas of shadow created by other lights. Most of the time, fill light is used to lighten the shadows created by the key light. Below is an example of which shows how fill lighting creates an effect.

Image result for fill lighting

What is Spill Lighting?

Spill lighting is the light that falls where it was not intended to fall. This creates a distracting effect within images which can really negatively effect your pictures. Image result for what is spill lighting photography

What is Chiaroscuro? 

Chiaroscuro is a lighting technique that uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model 3D forms with a dramatic effect.  This technique creates a great deal of drama and mystery which i think is a great way to portray feelings and stories.

Image result for what is chiaroscuro photography

Photoshop Burn And Dodge Tools

What is the burn and dodge tool?

The burn and dodge tool allow you to either darken or lighten an image of your choice. This can be used to create dramatic effect within an image, and so can use it to lighten dark areas or darken parts you want to stand out the most. This is used in portraiture due to how it can be used to make certain features stand out above the rest, such as making one side of the face darker.

The image below shows the effects of dodge and burn to a grey surface:
 

I wanted to apply this to an image of mine to see the effects that could be made. These were my steps:

1) Navigate to the selection bar on the left, and pick the burn tool. 

2) Select a suitable size for the brush to match the face, and go over the parts of the face I want to darken once. 

3) Go back to the bar on the left and select the dodge tool instead, from there I lightened the parts of the image I wanted to have a clear contrast from the darkness.

 

David Bailey And Rankin

David Bailey

David is considered on of the best pioneers of contemporary photography,he is credited with photoghing such compelling images whit the last 5 decades .he became famous when when making new generation models famous for many impresses roles in order to inspire critics.He is seen continually never failing to impress and captures Manu icon images within famous icons such as the Rolling Stone and Kate moss.although he has a simple style is does not lesson his large impact go tones that generate their own light and personality to the people themselves.

David Bailey was born in East London,to Herbert Bailey, a tailor’s cutter, and his wife, Sharon, a machinist. From the age of three he lived in East Ham. He enjoyed his dads more creative fashion of creating something with power and purpose that also helps define a person in a style in which they want. Although Bailey soon developed a more educational love for history in which led him into photoghy,despite suffering form dslyexia and school being a highly troubling time for himself, he seen attended a prestigious school in which they taught him the basics.His children all later in life have too be surrounding thmslevs in creative works this gene is seen to run whiten the family. 

He was soon contracted to be a fashion photogher for vogue magazine, and undertook many freelance work.he later became a swing photogher in order to cpature many celebrities photos due to them having a large self persona in which he could easily show throughout his own work.An unusual and unique commercial release. It reflected the changing status of the photographer that one could sell a collection of prints in this way. Strong objection to the presence of the Krays by fellow photographer, Lord Snowden, was the major reason no American edition of the “Box” was released, and that a second British edition was not issued.for his work he hs know won many awards,bsed upon excellence,and his work is now even seen within the partite gallery.

My favourite image anylsis:

I then chose this image due to the dynamic range id dark and light contrasting tones that further the appearance of the structure upon his face, and also the dynamic and interposing composition of how the hands are placed and then how this forms an almost frame two the piece itself,allowing every tone and shape to work together effectively.

overall I would want to use his work of framing  and angles in order to exaggerate lighting  and reflect a personal theme to a piece.

Rankin

Rankin is a photogher and has been for around 20 years, he was training to be a lawyer but decided that he wanted to investigate more around the create side of photo journalism and soon moved to a more controlled studio photoshoots.he know has many class renowned books upon the illusion of photoghy and how you are able to also physically change an image with your own self creativity. he attendedLondon collage of painting with to him was his optimal of fine art and found that their fisilities unabated him to achieve great accounts of photoghy and inspire him fornhis future career.

He then met Jefferson Hack, with whom he formed a working relationship. In 1992, the two decided to start a magazine together called Dazed and Confused after they graduated, this magazine was inspired  by many studio shoots further developed into such interesting designs full of extraordinary  photography . he always donates many of his success from his work to charity such as the woman organisation,furthermore has work is known to have change fashion and how it is seen and also developed throughout his own work. he now has many biographies  and sometimes you are able to see him teaching young teens like himself when he started his photography journey.

Within his work he also wants to be able to capture interposing people within a vibrant personality and not be condoned to only working on shoots in which he is paid. rankin has such diversity within each photo, he chooses scenarios and angles with suit the persona of the subject and does not have a specific style inn hich he sticks to

my favourite image analysis:

This image is a fashion based image in which he is trying to connote a-sense of unity of life throughout the vibrancy of the colours and ways inward which they are used to represented the darker tones but do not lessen the achievement of highlight within the image itself. the model herself is seen complimented by the colours and not overwhelmed in presents a personality of confidence which is suiting for a fashion magazine. furthermore her hair create a. juxtaposing raggedness that also highlights the darker red tones, this bring s an aspect of unity to the image. his conceptual thought foe this piece was a new intense side of beauty and how it can be shown in a large variety of ways in which I think he haw achieved.

From looking at his work I too would want to bring a sense of individuality and creativity,and not be compressed to a specific style of achievement. I think his work has such a large range of ideas and authenticity I could look at many different angles of colour and compoktionig that I would be inspired by his work.

Rankin

Who is Rankin?

John Rankin (born 1966) is a British portrait photographer and fashion photographer. He made his name in publishing and founding the seminal monthly magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack in 1922. The magazine went on to forge distinctive marks in the arts and publishing spheres, whilst developing a cult status forming and molding trends, bringing some of the brightest lights to fashion. And today is one of the leading online fashion and cultural brands.
Image result for RankinRankin creates landmark editorial and advertising campaigns, with his work being some of the most celebrated by the biggest brands, charities etc. Rankin has published thirty books, and has his work exhibited around the world. In 2011, Rankin Film Productions was made to make music videos, commercials, and short films. Some of his work consists of:
I found that when Rankin captured the subjects features, he tended to base them around the head, making a certain aspect pop out (eyes, teeth and mouth). Through this it showed what defined them as an individual rather than what people saw them as.

 

Studio Lighting Final Outcomes

Portrait With Natural Lighting

In this photograph I used natural lighting. This allowed me to position the model so that the light was directly in her face and so that the shadows on her face are minimised. I used a shallow depth of field in this photograph so that the background was blurred out whilst the model was in focus. I used a shutter speed of 1/100 to capture a clear image of the model. I used a low/medium ISO of 400 to capture a light image whilst keeping noise minimalised.

The colours in this image are quite saturated and they bring the portrait to life – especially the contrast between the colourful wall and the stone wall. There is not a massive tonal range in this image as there is no pure black or pure white. There is a slight 3D effect to the image as the background has been blurred with a shallow depth of field. I placed the subject in the centre of the image to divide the colourful wall and the plain wall to make the image appear more appealing.

This photo was taken next to a mural in town, it was taken during my street photography homework assignment and takes inspiration from Vivian Maier in the sense that the photo is fairly close up and the model is conscious that the photo is being taken.

I used this photo to separate the colourful and the bland. This photo shows very well the mixture of environments and styles in town – in this photo it shows the mixture of the two, broken into two only by the model.

Portrait With Artificial Lighting

In this photograph, artificial lighting was used to create it in a dark and dramatic manner. I set up the environment to use chiaroscuro in the photograph, I did this by drawing a black curtain over the backdrop and then using one spotlight to put light on one side of the models face to cast shadows across the other side. I used a deep depth of field to keep all of the photograph in focus. I used a relatively slow shutter speed (1/10) to allow more light to enter the lens from the dark environment along with a low ISO to create a photograph with minimal noise.

I increased the saturation of the image to give it a warm undertone that will blend in with the black background. There is not a wide tonal range in this photograph as the majority of the image is dark. It has a 3D effect as the model appears to emerge from the background. The eye is straight away lead to the models face due to the contrast with the background, especially the brightest part on the forehead.

This photograph incorporates chiaroscuro which is a an oil painting technique (more modernly a photography technique) that developed during the Renaissance period. It uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark for a dramatic effect. Some artists best known for developing the technique are Leonardo Da Vinci and Caravaggio.

My aim whilst creating this photograph was to capture an image in the style of Rankin’s chiaroscuro photographs whilst creating a more gradual fade of the model to the background. I took multiple photos using this technique to capture one where the light falls just right on the face with a more gradual fade and a highlighted spot on the face.

Portrait With Flash

In this photograph I used flash light from the top of my camera to distribute light evenly across the subjects face. This reduced the shadows on the subjects face and exposed her features such as her eyes to the camera more. I set up a red head light on the side to create a soft light across the subject and to illuminate the environment better. It also created a sharp shadow in the background for dramatic effect. I used a deep depth of field to keep the whole image sharp and in focus. I also used a quick shutter speed of 1/60 to ensure that the image was sharp and none of it was blurred. I used an ISO of 400 in this image to allow enough the image to be bright enough whilst keeping the noise minimised. I also had someone holding a reflector with a golden foil over it to create a warm undertone to the image.

There is a warm undertone to the image along with the saturated colour of the jacket with the whiteness of the background. There is not a massive tonal range in this photograph – it is mostly light apart from the black top. There is a slight 3D effect in the photograph because of the shadow behind the model casted by the flash. I placed the subject slightly off the centre of the image so that the shadow would be in the centre of the image.

This photograph was taken in the studio whilst I was trying out a range of techniques with light. I experimented with the flash light, the red head light, the spot light, the rig light and different gel filters and backgrounds. This allowed me to find how to capture the ideal image with flash on.

I took inspiration for this image from Annie Leibovits work, who focuses on contemporary studio photography and street photography. I took inspiration from her more plain photoshoots in which it is simply the subject with no props, I will be looking into creating more creative portraits next week.

Techniques in the Studio

Why Do We Use Studio Lighting?

Studio lighting is used to create a controlled environment to capture the exact photograph that you want. It allows you to completely control how hard/soft the light is, the intensity of it and the direction of which it is coming from.

Image result for studio lighting

What is the Difference Between 1-2-3 Point Lighting?

Three point lighting is a method used in studio photography. It uses three separate positions so that the photographer can illuminate the subject in the exact way that he/she wants to. The first light is a key light, which is usually the strongest light and sets the lighting of the scene. The second light is a fill light which helps to fill the shadows that the key light casts. The last light is called a back light and is used to create contour and separation.

3-point-lighting

What is Fill Lighting?

Fill lighting is a light used in the 1-2-3 point lighting technique.  It fills the shadows that the main light cast.  Below is an example of the effects of fill lighting.

A photograph using the main light only
A photograph showing the effects of combined fill and main light

What is Spill Lighting?

Spill lighting is where light falls where it was not intended to fall, an example is light on a bedroom wall from across the street. It can be used in photography  to create different light effects and it can be controlled by re-positioning the lights.

Image result for what is spill lighting

What is Chiaroscuro? 

Chiaroscuro is a lighting technique that uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model 3D forms with a dramatic effect.  It creates lots of drama and mystery in the photograph. Below is an example of my own work.

Chiaroscuro

What is chiaroscuro drawing?

chiaroscuro is the effect of light modelling in painting, drawing, or print making where three-dimensional volume is suggested by the value gradation of color and the analytical division of light and shadow shapes (Known as shading).

Chiaroscuro has been used since the Renaissance and Baroque period where the artists wanted to engage their viewers. To do this one side of the subject tends to be darker than the other, usually bringing out an aspect of their features, and really drawing your eyes to it.
Related image
How is it used in modern photography?

Chiaroscuro is used within modern photography today to create dramatic portraits by making certain aspects of an image once again stand out as seen below:
Using this technique it allow as seen, it can also be used today to make aspects of objects as well as people stand out. When compared to the art, the chiaroscuro inside photography tends to be more dark and dramatic than the art, which tends to just make one side of the face slightly darker.

Week 10 | Studio Lighting | Creative Portraits

Concept : Rankin on “beautiful portraits”

Rankin : Joe Strummer : Destroy Project

Exploring Technique

Natural Light

Remember >>>Photography is completely dependent on the availability of  light.

In most cases we can make use of natural or available / ambient light…but we must be aware of different kinds of natural light and learn how to exploit it thoughtfully and creatively

  • intensity of the light
  • direction of the light
  • temperature of the light and white balance
  • Using reflectors (silver / gold)
Hard light vs soft light
  • Using diffusers , tissue paper, coloured gels, tracing paper etc
  • Front / side / back lighting
  • High Key / low key lighting
  • Shadows / silhouettes
Casting shadows across the face / body

Studio Lighting

Using artificial lighting can offer many creative possibilities…so we will explore

  • size and shape of light
  • distance from subject to create hard / soft light
  • angles and direction…high, low, side lighting
  • filtered light
  • reflectors and diffusers
  • key lighting, fill lighting, back lighting, 3 point lighting
  • softboxes, umbrella lights, spot lights and floodlights
  • chiarascuro and Rembrandt lighting
  • high key and low key lighting techniques
  • backdrops and infinity curves

An example of “bouncing” the flash to soften the effects and create a larger “fill” area…try this wherever there are white walls/ ceilings

Using Flash

Flash units offer a range of possibilities in both low and high lighting scenarios…we will explore

  • flash “bouncing”
  • fill-in flash
  • TTL / speedlight flash
  • remote / infra-red flash (studio lighting)
  • fast + slow synch flash
  • light painting c/w slow shutter speeds

Evidence of Your Learning

During this weeks we would expect all students to complete 2-3 blog posts  detailing how you are experimenting with various lighting techniques eg CHIARASCURO / REMBRANDT LIGHTING

Rembrandt Lighting

Add information / links showing how Chiarascuro has been used since the Renaissance in painting…but also how it used now in photography and film

You must describe and explain your process with each technique…add your images to your blog as you progress, print off your successful images and evaluate your process using technical vocab and analysis skills. Think carefully about the presentation of your ideas and outcomes…compare your work to relevant portrait photographers as you go eg

Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, Rankin, Richard Avedon, Yousef Karsh, David Bailey, Mario Testino, Steve McCurry, Jill Greenberg,  etc

Expected Final Outcomes this Week

  • Case Study and Practical Responses to Rankin
  • 1 x Final Portrait using natural light + analysis and evaluation
  • 1 x Final Portrait using artificial light (1, 2 + 3 point lighting) + analysis and evaluation
  • 1 x Final Portrait using flash + analysis and evaluation

Make sure you ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN YOUR BLOG

  • Why do we use studio lighting?
  • What is the difference between 1-2-3 point lighting and what does each technique provide / solve
  • What is fill lighting?
  • What is spill lighting?
  • What is Chiarascuro ? Show examples + your own experiments

Try a range of techniques…like this to adapt your lighting

Bouncing the flash to soften its effects

Or use light painting techniques…

  • Slow Shutter speeds (1/30th sec or BULB setting)
  • Illuminate an area / person with a torch , car headlights etc…

HOMEWORK

Refer to your tracking / planning sheet

  1. You must complete a range of studio lighting experiments and present your strongest ideas on a seperate blog post
  2. Remember to select only the most successful images
  3. You should be aiming to produce portraits that show clarity, focus and a clear understanding of a range of lighting techniques
  4. Editing should be minimal at this point…we are looking for your camera skills here