Final Project Evaluation

This project was something quite new for me but I thoroughly enjoyed trying new styles and learning new techniques I can continue to use in the future. It started quite tricky getting all the elements to work as one, the first photoshoot created some interesting results while trying different lighting techniques. As I progressed in the project I started to be able to manipulate and change how I was asking the model to pose or knowing how the lighting needed to be adjusted. My favourite technique out of the three I used was by far Rembrandt, while it was tricky to achieve the triangle at times, it created unique results that were flattering on the models, I also felt it best fitted my style of photography, such as the models tended to be rather solemn and the Rembrandt lighting highlighted their facial features well creating interesting shots. When it came to editing the best shots of each lighting technique I used Lightroom, experimenting using different tools like the adjustment brush to further enhance my photos, particularly the dark parts of the Chiaroscuro lighting shots. I would love to try more complex and interesting portrait shoots in the future, possibly using more lights or even more post production editing.

Gallery Evaluation

Below is my virtual gallery for this project, I picked some of my favourite shots from each lighting style and presented them in a virtual gallery. I chose an industrial style gallery as I think it contrasts the photos well, as ether the background is black contrasting the white walls or the model is wearing a contrasting colour like black or pink. This helps the photos really stand out in the gallery. I also didn’t choose to group the photos by technique instead using the walls and change of direction in the gallery to get people to look around the gallery. I feel if I had grouped the photos by technique the viewer would have gotten bored an stopped noticing the smaller details the technique highlights in the shot.

For this lighting set up I used the set up below. I found this one the trickiest to get right, but it has produced some great shots. Below I have put my best shots and shown the editing process.

By being under the light to create the butterfly lighting gave me the best results when taking the photos. I mostly had the model facing front on to emphasis the butterfly lighting under the nose.

For this contact sheet there is a mix of Chiaroscuro and butterfly lighting shots as while I was trying to get the butterfly lighting to work I took some great Chiaroscuro shots.

This was some basic lighting adjustments to level the shot out with the pink jumper reflecting making the models face have a pink tint. I would like to remove the lanyard in the future as I think it looks messy but it is accurate to the model being a student.

For this shot I used the lighting settings to manipulate the image. While this isn’t the best shot I took for butterfly lighting the shadow was improved when enhanced by editing. By also adjusting the presence settings the texture was increased while taking the clarity down and dehazing the image added to the smooth effect the lighting created. It also brought out the golden colour in the models hair.

These are some shots I have picked from other shoots that actually have butterfly lighting features. By changing the lighting to get different shots often means that sometimes when while you are trying to take photos for a particular style you end up with different techniques.

This is one of the shots that is bordering butterfly lighting while this isn’t textbook butterfly lighting it certainly has elements and in general is a nice shot. I like how the model is looking at camera, her hair frames her face nicely creating a frame around her face, pulling the viewer to models face.

I had a quick go at removing the lanyard off the model on this shot I have already edited. By using the clone stamp tool on varying brush hardness’s and it allowed me to play around with removing the lanyard, while it’s not perfect it is a good insight into potentially future editing.

Final Favourite Shot

This lighting technique is definitely my favourite, I think the high contrast is really interesting to highlight certain features of the models.

Below is how I set up my lighting, a lot of the time this style peaked through in other shoots making it quite easy to have a wide range of shots to choose from. I think while I’m editing I will change a lot of them to black and white as it’s a great way to show off contrasting and tonal lighting. I also used a reflector in some shots to try different ideas and executions of photos.

For this technique, Chiaroscuro, in particular I moved the lighting sources quite a bit trying to get different shadows, I also used a black backdrop which isn’t featured in the above photo.

For this shot I wanted to change it into black and white to use the shadow well. I started by using the adjustments brush to fix the over exposed part, by fixing this it corrects the rest of the shot. I had the settings on the brush as a small brush size with heavy feathering to blend the two parts of the shot together. I then moved the saturation adjuster all the way down to change the shot to black and white. This editing works well for Chiaroscuro lighting as it empathises the dramatic two tone shot.

For this one again I changed the shot to black and white as it enhances the lighting set up which looks at tone within a shot. Black and white is a great way to create a tonal photo as it is only two main colours and the rest is different versions of the colour highlighting the darker patches, less exposed and the highlights which contrast well in Chiaroscuro lighting.

Final Favourite Shots

For this technique to work I made sure the light source was in the right place. The photo below is the set up I used.

I sorted through my photos by adding lines through the worst shots and green circles around the best. I will now go onto to do some minimal editing to improve the images that have green circles on. I looked for certain aspects within the shots like the triangle under the eye for the technique of Rembrandt lighting and then looked at the models facial expression and pose. By sorting photos this way it gives me a clear idea of how many good shots I have to work with.

Small adjustments to the lighting has helped bring out the golden colour in the models hair, it also helped bring out the models face as before it was rather shadowed by a fairly dull, grey shadow making the model appear washed out.

Again I used small lighting adjustments to pull out the brighter more golden colours in the photo. This is enhanced by the Rembrandt lighting technique under her left eye.

Chiaroscuro lighting is the name of a lighting technique where half of the models face is in the dark and the rest is well lit, creating a bold contrast between each section of the photo. The background is dark while the model is mostly illumined creating a stark contrast and making use of a low key lighting set up. The name chiaroscuro is Italian for light dark, which is fitting for the technique itself.

Why use Chiaroscuro lighting?

Many people use chiaroscuro lighting because they want harshly contrasted photos, creating detailed, intense portraits. The heavy contrast creates a moody atmospheric feel to the shot. It is also great for drawing the viewers eye into the photo, dragging their gaze around each element and change of lighting. Having the changes in lighting within the shot provides depth to the image which is sometimes tricky with portraits making sure the shot is interesting and of a high quality.

History of Chiaroscuro

The style first became well know when the Baroque painters used it in any paintings like the one above to give it a dramatic flair. It was then more widely used in 20th century cinematography to emphasis spooky scenes or add further dramatic to the piece. It originally appeared during the Renaissance period explaining where the name, chiaroscuro originated from. As time went on the technique became very popular for the making of ‘Film Noir’ which is French for black film. This was used to describe classy Hollywood crime films, particularly those with a look at moral ambiguity.

How to create Chiaroscuro lighting

To create the harsh lighting, you need to have the light like a flash head on a 45 degree angle to the models face, fairly far away. You can also use a reflector like in the above diagram to create the desired lighting. You will also need to use a black background or backlight your photos, to create the look of the model being in contrast to the dark background or blending in. depending which part of the shot you are looking at.

Rembrandt Lighting

A patch of triangular light is below one eye of the model on the less lit side of the face. This is a natural looking technique that creates dramatic, interestingly lit photos.

To achieve this style of lighting the best option is to, place one light on one side of the model above head height casting light downwards and at the front of the model so not backlit. You could then use a reflector or a fill light, but more commonly a reflector at half height on the other side of the models face still at the front of the models face. To create a successful image the triangle should be no longer than the nose and no wider than the eye. A simple way of looking at it is to have one lighting source on a 45 degree angle from the front of the subjects face and making sure the light is above them. This is also a great technique as it allows for people to use it even with non professional equipment as it only requires one light and a reflector is useful but not essential.

It began as a technique used by a Dutch painter, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn featured throughout a lot of his work however it became better known when a 20th century filmmaker, Cecile B. DeMille borrowed spot lights for the film he was making. The actors face was only half lit creating the triangle. His business partner was afraid the exhibitors would only pay half price due to the actors face only being half lit. DeMille then announced it as ‘Rembrandt’ lighting and his business partner was excited as he thought the exhibitors would pay more for using this technique. Since then the technique has been well used around the world to create dramatic portraits.

Why use Rembrandt lighting?

Rembrandt lighting adds an element of drama and psychological depth to the character of your sitter.

It is a great way to create dramatic shadows and harsh contrast. Drawing the eye to the photo is a huge part of photography and is done in many different ways from leading lines to creative editing however these are not always completely transferable to portrait photos, this lighting technique allows the photo to remain looking natural. When it comes to portrait photography you are normally wanting to draw the eye to the eye of the model, by having a darker side of the face it provides a nice contrast to then having the well lit triangle under the eye draws the eye to the one point of light in the darker side.

butterfly-lighting is when there is a shadow below the models nose almost in the shape of a butterfly. It’s often also called paramount or glamour lighting after it’s constant use in high fashion or glamor shoots. It’s main benefits is that it highlights cheekbones and produces shadows on the neck, making the model look more defined.

Butterfly lighting first appeared when it was used for a portrait of Marlene Dietrich, a German silent film actress who became a Hollywood star in the 1930s, was presented on film in a way that gave this look its name. The technique only grew in popularity from there now commonly being used for glamour shoots as it very flattering for the model.

To achieve this style you start by having the model face forward with the reflector at their waist. Then the light source will be placed above the model and the photographer will stand under the light source with the camera. The light source should be at a higher angle than the models face and been angled down onto their face.

It is a great technique as it doesn’t require great lighting and instead the set up of the lighting is more important than the quality of the light.

Lighting can be used in many different ways to achieve many unique photos. Studio lighting in particular is great for portraits. It is often used in many different ways, from flash to a technique called practical lighting which is where the light source is visible in the frame but appears natural light a lamp in a set of a living room. Within portraiture there are many different techniques used to achieve the perfect shot.

The best lens for this type of photography would be a 35mm or a 50mm as both allow for different changes in lighting, while keeping the subject wholly in focus. These lens would work great in a studio situation where there is plenty space, as these lens allow for the subjects shoulders to be in the shot creating a photo that doesn’t seem cut off. The 50mm lens will give a great depth of field even at a low aperture where as the 35mm will give a wider point of view and allow for more of the models body to be in the shot.

Lights

There are many different styles of lights, in studios spot lights and flash heads are mostly commonly used. The cameras are equipped with transmitters that are connected to the flash heads to allow the flash heads to work.

Different lighting sources produce different levels of hard and soft lighting, soft lighting has little to no shadow and the hard lighting produces heavy shadow. To achieve hard lighting a continues light is used like the sun, a flash can also be used as the light is strong and directional. Soft lighting is created by a large light source but at distance to compared the subject so they illuminated rather than lit up. High key/low key lighting is often linked to hard and soft lighting as high key photos are created by using soft lighting and low key photos are created using hard lighting to created a dark contrasting image.

Warm vs Cool lighting

Cool lighting has deeper blue undertones where as the warmer the lighting is the deeper the yellow/orange undertones are. In portrait this is often used to make people appear friendlier or more closed off as the cooler the tone in a photo the more unwelcoming and sterile the photo can seem where as the warmer the tone in a photo the more welcoming and nostalgic the photo can be.

This is my final outcome I haven’t included any photos from my original shoot as I wanted a small selection of the best few shots which happened to be three photos from the second shoot. I chose to contrast the dark and blue tones of the photos with brown wooden frames to also make sure the photos don’t feel too flat on the wall. I placed the two landscape shots next to each other and the portrait one on a wall by itself as the photo is busier with it being a closer cropped shot I didn’t want it to take attention away from the landscape shots.

Comparison to August Sanders Work

These two images in particular and interesting to compare, as they are very ear appropriate with Sander’s work featuring old fashioned bicycles in full suits and my photo which is a motorbike and motorbike jacket and boots. A large part of Sander’s style is having the model have a blank facial expression, which similarly I have asked the model to do in my photo. I also used the same framing ideas while I only had one model which is more common in environmental portraits but I kept to using the rule of thirds and keeping the subject in the middle ground in the depth of field. Something unusual for portrait work is keeping the background in full focus around the subject however due to the style it is very common to and like Sander’s work I kept a slightly cropped out background look to focus in on the subject. Unlike Sanders work I chose to keep my shots in colour as while it was a choice Sander made as colour cameras were common at the time I felt it would take away from the image unless it was a high contrast version but even then I would rather use the colours in the photo to my advantage and help tell the story in the photo and help describe the subject.

Final Image Analysis

This is my favourite image of this project. It’s a particularly strong image compositionally. For example I place the model under the point of the arch as when looking at the photo the first thing that draws your attention is the motorbike and then the castle ruins, by placing the model in the middle of the two I have not only used the rule of thirds to my advantage I have also put the model in natural eyeline when looking between the two major parts of the image. Continuing from this I have used the rocks on the right of the frame to add depth to the image, however by having the rocks out of focus it removes any of the rough texture that could distract from the subject. I chose to use this location because it is very representative of the models hobbies and due to the nature of it and the props used (his motorbike) it is obvious to the viewer what the models interests are and it’s not too complicated to work out some context to the image and learn about the person which is the intention of environmental portraits. By lightening the granite I have pulled out the grey and pink tones, typical in Jersey granite, without making the texture too smooth for the rough rock. To contrast this I darkened the black plastics and jacket to make the subject stand out against the blue sky background framed by the granite.

I took a variety of different shots from different angles and depths. To achieve this I used ether a 70-200mm or a wide angle lens 10-20mm. I have used a colour coding system to make quickly look through the shots and select the ones I want to edit. The green photos are the ones I like and want to potentially edit some, the red are the shots that are repeats or just don’t work, for example they could not be in focus or have a busy background that just doesn’t work for the results I want.

I did a second photo shoot as I felt my first one wasn’t overly telling or interesting. I used the same model but instead of a his work I asked him ‘what is an environment that describes you and your passions?) I got many answers of different hobbies, interests, work and even things like food. However I chose to use the prompt of my motorbike and off – roading. This led to me exploring where we could take the photos over here as there isn’t actually anywhere over here that represents the style of riding he does. I picked Gronez Castle as not only it was the closest to the rocky mountains in Spain etc but he also has a large interest in Jersey’s history so this was a great location to show the models different interests and what makes up his ‘environments’.

These are the settings I used for the three photos below. By using a 70-200mm lens it allowed me to take a range of shots with high quality.

Before

After

I started by using the RAW settings on photoshop, when you upload a RAW file it allows you to make some basic adjustments to the image prior proper editing. This helped bring some colour back to the photo before I changed too much about it.

To complete this edit I made sure to use the dodge and burn tools to add depth to the image, the darker parts, like bricks lacked colour so using the dodge tool brought light onto it and made the image feel more open. I then mixed this with using the dodge tool on the grass and motorbike to draw attention to the subject and making the colours feel more vibrant and true to life.

For this edit I felt it only needed Lightroom editing, so this meant I adjusted the colouring and lighting. I felt it needed the exposure bringing down to reveal the blue sky and sea, this also made the rest of colours less washed out. By then continuing to edit the image by decreasing the whites, blacks and highlights it took away from the over exposed look.

With the final image I edited I chose to mostly just use the RAW settings adjustments as I felt it didn’t need much else as too much editing can over complicate the image and I didn’t want it to take away from the photography style. Overall I’m really happy with the results of this shoot and I think it has produced strong results and that are inspired by August Sander’s work. By editing my best three shots I have now got good final images to presents in a virtual gallery.