I created a virtual gallery in Photoshop to portray my environmental photography. I placed my best environmental portraits into my photoshoot virtual gallery. I picked these 3 images because I think they demonstrate the meaning of environmental photography the best. I imported a photo of an empty gallery from Google, and pasted it into Photoshop, I then imported my 3 photos into Photoshop and sized them to place them effectively. I used Adobe Photoshop to display these three environmental portraits, for this I imported them into Photoshop and created a shadow behind to make them look 3D, this helps them look more lifelike. I also resized and distorted them to fit onto the wall realistically.

I then used Photoshop as a method to display some of my lighting technique photos using a virtual gallery, this contained Rembrandt lighting, Chiaroscuro lighting and Butterfly lighting. For this gallery I used one of each, this contained my best image for each lighting technique. I used the same method for this by distorting and moving my photos around to fit the shape of the wall, I then also created another shadow behind the photos in order to make them look lifelike and effective.

MY SETUP:

I took these headshots in the lighting studio with two different models. I wanted them to be comfortable and embrace themselves, this helps to make the photos I took to be natural and portray whatever mood they are feeling at the current time. I also then categorized these photos I took into different groups with colours separating them. I chose to take around 250 photos which is definitely larger than the photoshoots I have done in the past. I chose to do this amount of photos to have a larger region of choice when it comes to taking photos and choosing photos to edit in my different cameos in my headshots topic. I had 3 people help whilst taking my photos, I first had one person moving around my flash head in order to get different angles of lighting through the flash. I then had a person moving and manoeuvring a reflector in order to reposition lighting on my models face. I also then had myself taking the photos of my model with the best angles possible. I then finally had my model posing with multiple poses in order to create an array of photos.

I chose my low quality images with a low shutter speed or blurriness to be RED – Here is a few examples of some red images…

I then chose my ‘good’ photos to be YELLOW ,these photos are okay but not my best work – Here is a few examples of some yellow images…

I then picked my photos that are high quality and good enough to use for display in GREEN – Here is a few examples of some green images…

I then used BLUE to show my absolute best images I took in this photoshoot.

My BEST Images

These are my best images and also my ‘blue’ images which are classed as my most highest quality images in this photoshoot and the photos I could get the highest marks from whilst using lighting techniques.

These photos that I marked with the colour blue, truly capture the effect I was going for, for my first headshots photoshoot. I really like how I attempted to have my models use their hands slightly but not too much. Whilst editing the photos I only slightly changed the contrast, increased the clarity and the sharpness to help my photos look more professional and efficient. I also think the most effective method whilst editing these photos was to cut and resize them, I really think this helped with the more professional and ‘headshot’ look I was aiming for. By cutting out the parts of the images that are plain or had a white or black background.

Diamond Cameo

Here is how I made my diamond cameos…

I first opened Adobe Photoshop and imported 4 images of my first model from Adobe Lightroom.

I then clicked and dragged these photos into a diamond formation with my model looking at angles where it looks like she is looking up, looking left and looking forwards.

I then selected the rectangular marquee tool and pressed the elliptical marquee tool in order to create an oval shape around my photo.

This diamond shape then cut my image into a diamond shape with no background, I did this by deleting the layer by dragging it into the bin.

I then clicked the free transform button to arrange these oval shaped images into a diamond shape, this helped to create a ‘diamond cameo’. This is in inspiration of Henry Mullins’ work of diamond cameos.

I also created another diamond cameo with my other model Lexi, for this I compiled an array of images where Lexi was looking at some other angles and doing other poses whilst I photographed her. These are the four photos I included in my cameo.

I chose these 4 images for my diamond cameo, after choosing these, I then edited them in Adobe Lightroom…

However, after careful consideration, I decided to use the unedited images to use in my diamond cameo, I did this because I wanted my photos to be more raw and less digitalised in care I wanted to take my diamond cameos further with editing in Photoshop.

Henry Mullins – (1818-1880) was a photographer who, between 1850-73 Henry Mullins made over 9000 carte de visite portraits of Jersey’s ruling elite and wealthy upper classes. The collection that exists of his work comes through his studio albums, in which he placed his clients in an ordered grid with reference to mid-nineteenth century social hierarchies. Throughout his career, Mullins collaborated with numerous acclaimed actors, directors, and production teams. Not only did he provide stunning headshots, but he also worked on set, capturing behind-the-scenes moments and promotional images for various films and television productions.

Cartes de visite:

A cartes de visite was a thin paper photograph mounted on a thicker paper card. The size of a carte de visite is 54.0 × 89 mm and this is placed on a card sized 64 × 100 mm. 

Henry was known for specialising in Cartes de visite, the photographic archive of ‘La Société’ contains a large amount of these (online archive being 9600 images). This archive has been described as the ‘first commercial photographic print’ this print was produced using egg whites to bind the chemicals of the photos and straight onto the paper. However, this method is very much avoided these days as more reliable methods have been discovered. Due to the photo being a result of exposure to light, an albumen print may be said to be a printed rather than a developed photograph. Traditionally small thin photograph mounted onto a thicker piece of card would be used for this but Henry Mullins used an album to display his work instead.

Many of these images contained the island’s most affluent and influential people, alongside officers of the Royal Militia Island of Jersey, for whom it was very popular to have portraits taken, as well as of their wives and children. The images of the officers document the change in generations as they do not look like the general person today, showing the fashion for long hair, whiskers and beards in the mid-1800s. Their appearance makes it difficult for the viewer to differentiate who is who as they were styled almost identically during this time.

Diamond Cameo:

This layout of final images is called a Diamond cameo due to the diamond-like shape produced by the placement of oval images. I like this technique as it is more unique and more appealing and eye catching to the eye as you can see all format and possible sides of his face allowing you to see every detail rather than a normal layout of images put together.

Here are some examples of diamond cameos from other artists, I decided to also research some other artists cameos just to see if there are any other ideas or techniques that I could pick up or recreate to use in my own creations. I also have attached some images of Henry Mullins’ work on diamond cameos as I think his work especially captures a more rustic and meaningful message through his cameos. I hope to capture the effect of my models looking from different angles as I think this will really escalate my edit of my photography to the next level and get as close to Henry Mullins’ but with my own individual twist on it.

(Definitions Obtained From Google)

Lighting :

What is the technical definition of lighting?

Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight.

soft lighting :

Soft lighting is a type of light with few hard shadows that’s bright yet balanced. In soft lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is more of a gradient and much smoother. When your subject is bathed in soft light, there will be little to no shadows on their face.

hard lighting:

What Is Hard Light? Hard light is a focused, often bright light that casts harsh shadows and draws attention to a specific part of a photo. In hard lighting, the transition between the light and the shadows is very harsh and defined.

framing :

Framing in photography refers to the process of composing a picture. It involves choosing what you’ll include in the frame and what you’ll leave out. The goal is to create a pleasing composition that directs the viewer’s attention to the subject matter.

headshots :

A headshot is a tightly cropped photo of the face, from the shoulders up. The subject is camera aware — typically looking right in the lens. Years ago, headshots were reserved for actors and models. For talent, these images are in some ways more important than a resume.

focusing:

In photography, focus is the sharpest area of the image. It is the area where the lens works to highlight an object, a person, or a situation. Focus is one of the pillars of photography, along with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You can either use automatic or manual focus.

focus on eyes:

In photography, focus is the sharpest area of the image. It is the area where the lens works to highlight an object, a person, or a situation. Focus is one of the pillars of photography, along with ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You can either use automatic or manual focus.

Using AF (Autofocus) place the square, or set of squares on one eye of your subject. If the subject’s other eye is not on the same horizontal plane as the AF square, it will be out of focus. So, move your subject, or tilt your camera (if you can without ruining composition) so that the eyes are on the same plane.

pose :

If you pose for a photograph or painting, you stay in a particular position so that someone can photograph you or paint you. Before going into their meeting the six foreign ministers posed for photographs. [ VERB + for] Synonyms: position yourself, sit, model, strike a pose More Synonyms of pose.

expression :

Expression, according to an online dictionary, is the action of making known one’s thoughts or feelings. In impressionist photography you create an image to communicate to others, using visual language, how you feel about a specific idea or a subject.

Flash Lighting–

In photography, flash lighting or strobe lighting refers to either built-in flash units or devices that are external from the photographer’s camera that when used emit a strong artificial light for a designated period to light up a background.

Continuous Lighting–

What is continuous lighting?

Continuous lighting, such as LED panels, fluorescent tubes, or tungsten bulbs, is any source of light that stays on constantly. It has some advantages over flash lighting, like allowing you to see the effect of the light on your subject and background before you take the shot and being easier to use with video.

What is the difference between flash and continuous lighting?

Flash offers more power and depth of field and is generally preferred by professional photography. Continuous can serve for both video and photo but they are generally less powerful but they give you more options when used with smartphones.

The deadpan aesthetic

Deadpan portraits are typically shot in a straightforward, uncontrived manner. The photographer does not use any special angles, lighting, or props to create an emotional or dramatic effect. Instead, the subject is simply captured as they are, in their natural environment.

Passport Photos

Passport photograph means a two inch by two inch (2”x2”) photograph of the applicant/licensee taken recently prior to the date of application or renewal of license.

Typologies

Study of or study based on types. especially : classification (as of personality, human physique, or bacterial strains) based on the comparative study of types.

Up close

very close; in close range to.

Background

the part of a picture, scene, or design that forms a setting for the main figures or objects, or appears furthest from the viewer.

Face

Camera settings (flash lighting)
Tripod: optional
Use transmitter on hotshoe
White balance: daylight (5000K)
ISO: 100
Exposure: Manual 1/125 shutter-speed > f/16 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 105mm portrait lens

Camera settings (continuous lighting)
Tripod: recommended to avoid camera shake
Manual exposure mode
White balance: tungsten light (3200K)
ISO: 400-1600 – depending on how many light sources
Exposure: Manual 1/60-1/125 shutter-speed > f/4-f/8 aperture
– check settings before shooting
Focal lenght: 50mm portrait lens

Photoshoot One:

My plan for my first headshots photoshoot is to take some images similar to passport like photographs, I will try to avoid any shadows and I want my models to have a very straight and plain face with no particular facial expressions, I think this helps to portray a very formal image which only has their shoulders and head in and shows their clear facial features.

Photoshoot Two:

For my next photoshoot I will be using diamond cameo, for this i will need to take some continuous photos of plain expressions. I would also like left and right side profile images and a large variety of many photos of my model looking in all different directions, I will then create my diamond cameo using Photoshop and editing tools.

Photoshoot Three:

For my third photoshoot I will then need to make some more multi-exposure photos, I will create this in Photoshop and use my best editing skills. I will have my model look at the camera at all different angles with all different lighting techniques to be able to accomplish the best image possible.

Chiaroscuro was a compositional device developed by Ugo da Carpi, however high renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci was found out to have also helped to ‘pioneer’ the creation of Chiaroscuro lighting. Chiaroscuro is a renaissance painting technique which means “light-dark” in Italian. The theory of Chiaroscuro is that it is always best achieved by the effect of light falling on the model/ subject however it must also allow the shade to give two-dimensional figures a sense of volume.

How To Do It

Through my research I have found out that the most important elements of chiaroscuro lighting are:

(Definitions obtained from google)

•  highlights– Highlights are the lightest elements in an image, whereas shadows are the darkest areas. Dynamic range is the ratio between those vivid highlights and dark shadows, from bright white to pure black. That range is key to an image’s depth and drama.

• halftones– Halftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous-tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect. “Halftone” can also be used to refer specifically to the image that is produced by this process.

• deep shadows– Shadows are the dark areas where a light source is blocked by an object. Shadows change shape, intensity, and even colour along with the angle, direction, and temperature of light.

• reflected lights– Reflected light is light that’s reflected off a subject. No matter what direction the light is coming from, it will be affected by what it’s bouncing off. The subject will determine which type of light will be reflected.

• cast shadows– The difference between core shadows and cast shadows is that core shadows are the darkest part of a shadowed region on a subject, whereas cast shadows are shadows that are cast by one object onto a different object. The silhouette you see of yourself on a sunny day is a cast shadow of yourself.

Creation and Development of Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro lighting is known as a ‘high-contrast’ lighting technique that uses a low-key lighting setup which achieves a contrast between the model and a dark background. Chiaroscuro lighting helps to balance its high-contrast light and its shade which gives the appearance of depth, creating an enhanced or more dramatic monochromatic effect. 

Da Vinci quickly discovered that he could create depth through slow gradations of light and shadow. He then decided to use this in his paintings, this is demonstrated in the painting below. The parts of the painting in the squares are the particular areas that highlight the chiaroscuro lighting technique and how Leonardo Da Vinci used it in his paintings.

Examples of Chiaroscuro Cinematography

These images I have collected from a movie I have researched called ‘Apocalypse Now’ I chose this movie because I have seen the amazing cinematography throughout. Here are some images that represent the elements of chiaroscuro lighting in this film.

These photos are a perfect example of low-key lighting in cinema. During the ‘Willard’s scenes’ it shows the characters face is darkness apart from a small yellow back light, which lights up the image from behind with only the left half being illuminated. This element of chiaroscuro is shown by some parts of the face being shaded, some slightly exposed to light and some completely exposed to light. The creator made a challenging lighting scenario, however it has positively impacted the images as they create a sense of mystery melancholy and sinister impression . This has inspired me with my photography using the chiaroscuro technique.

My Chiaroscuro Photography

This is a virtual gallery of all the photos I have taken during my photoshoots. I labelled these photos with multiple different colours. I labelled my Rembrandt lighting photos red, my chiaroscuro lighting images green and my butterfly lighting photos in blue. I also then labelled some photos in yellow, this was for photos that include none or multiple of these lighting techniques. This is an easy and simple way to identify images and separate them into different categories. I then categorized them further with stars. This helps me to further categorise my photos and easily pick my highest quality photos. I categorised these by having my best images at 5 stars ‘*****’ and my least favourite, low quality images at 1 star ‘*’.

I think this photo is a perfect powerful stance for my model. It is a beautiful 1/4 body shot which demonstrates power through her pose and the chiaroscuro lighting.

I then took these chiaroscuro inspired images and edited them into black and white, this black and white effect has added an extra element of wonder and dramatic impressions. I think the lack of colour has brought out more contrast and has given them more cohesion to the overall look of my images.

These photos I think perfectly demonstrate chiaroscuro lighting, the way some parts of her face are shaded and some are exposed shows this interesting and mysterious impression about my photos. I think that the lighting technique of chiaroscuro is definitely a great method in accentuating form throughout my photography and editing. Chiaroscuro lighting also will help draw viewers’ eyes to things they might not focus on otherwise in my photos.

I think in order to take my work to the next level when it comes to Chiaroscuro, Rembrandt and Butterfly, I should use a reflector, this includes another person helping and holding a reflector that looks like this..

These photography tools called ‘reflectors’ help to redirect light onto my model, I must remember that it does not It doesn’t create any light but it will move and redirect light that is created by a flash head create fill light and lessen shadows.

Butterfly lighting is a lighting technique used by photographers where a light source such as a flash head is placed right above and ever so slightly in front ‘an exact 45-degree angle’ of the models face. This creates a small butterfly-shape made from a shadow under the nose. This technique is often used to make the model look thinner and their eyes look larger.

Creation and Development of Butterfly Lighting

One of the most famous photographers to use butterfly lighting was George Hurrell. Hurrel used multiple sources such as precision lighting, spotlights, shadows, and hand-retouching. He made ‘romantic portraits’ these portraits then became his trademark style, this style of photographing became extremely famous and glamourous in the celebrity and movie industry. This look then became known as “Hurrell style.” Here are some examples of ‘Hurrel style’ butterfly lighting images.

My Attempt at Butterfly Lighting

Whilst editing this 1/4 shot photo I focused on capturing butterfly lighting. In this setup, my light is placed directly in front of my model , right behind my camera. It was around one foot above my model’s face, this creates a slight shadow under her nose. This shadow is meant to represent a butterfly shape, to edit these photos I mainly focused on decreasing the highlights, increasing the texture and increasing the shadows.

EXAMPLE:

Above is a perfect example of butterfly lighting, this shadow under the lose creates a butterfly- like shape. Here are my attempts of butterfly lighting in my first photoshoot.

These are the camera settings I used for these photos, I focused on having a reasonable shutter speed, a fast shutter speed creates a shorter exposure and a slow shutter speed gives the me a longer exposure. I also made sure my aperture was not too high, if it was, too much light would be let in and my photo will look washed out.

This photo I took is high quality due to my model having a strong pose and the photo is balanced, however, my shutter speed was too high. I want the shutter to move fast and let in less light. Next time I will start with a shutter speed around 1/125 for my still portraits and increase as needed to darken your photos.

Rembrandt lighting is a technique utilizing one light and one reflector or two separate lights.

It can be described as a low-key lighting technique. It is lighting particularly for light/dark contrast to emphasize volume and specific areas.

Rembrandt lighting is characterized by an illuminated triangle under the eye of the person, particularly on the less illuminated side of the face. It’s a popular technique because it creates images that look both dramatic yet natural.

Studio Photography Using Rembrandt Lighting

Camera settings I used:

This photo was my favourite photo from my collection of Rembrandt photos I took of this model.

• I first of all cropped this image to dispose of any extra space in the background. Cropping this image helps the photo to increase in detail as the person looking at it is able to focus more on the important parts and the focal points such as the eyes or the mouth etc.
• The pose I asked my model to do is to look shocked into the camera, she did this by widening her eyes, opening her mouth and covering her face and mouth with her hands. This emotion in the photo portrays shock, surprise or fear.
• I then edited this photo further than I usually do with my images. I first edited the highlights, texture, clarity etc.
• I then went into further editing on Photoshop and edited the colour, saturation and luminance. I increased the colour purple fully up and then the saturation colours orange, green and purple. I then increased the luminance of red slightly and then blue completely.
• This further editing with colour added extra dimension to this photo, the background colour has slightly changed and the photo is slightly more vibrant but still maintains its shadows and darker parts of the face and hands.

For these headshots I took photos of a new model. I focused mostly on different facial expressions than different positions. I asked my model to be herself and act natural to be able to take more personal photographs. I edited these in adobe photoshop. I can really see the Rembrandt triangle shown here on my models left cheek.

This photo is my favourite photo I’ve taken in my first photoshoot. This 1/4 body shot perfectly represents Rembrandt lighting, this is because there is a triangular shape on my models left cheek. I made this triangle on a 45 degree offset from the subject, about 5 feet away. The triangular shape truly demonstrates the Rembrandt effect and how it shows an image to look professional and high detail. I have highlighted the triangle created to clearly show the technique I have used.

these are my two images after cropping them to capture only the model and less of the background. This is to help improve my image’s quality as there is less of a backdrop.

I edited these two photos to create a coloured background. The first I created a more pink background and maintained the colour of her face and body. I did this by increasing the luminance This helped to experiment with different backgrounds and how these can improve my photos. These are the editing tools I used to edit the photos above.

Further Editing Settings

I then took these half body shots. In the first photo I told my model to look straight at the camera and pose naturally. This creates a perfect position to capture a portrait of my model and experiment with different lighting techniques. I like how she is looking directly at the camera, due to my lighting techniques and correct camera settings, these photos did not need a large amount of editing.

I then used another model to help with my portrait experimentation. I was able to capture Rembrandt lighting on my model on the right. However, my model on the left is missing the clear triangle on her cheek. To improve these half body shots, I would attempt to capture clear Rembrandt lighting techniques on both of my models to elevate these images even further. These photos are black and white, this helps with creating more mystery and dimension into my images, I think this black and white effect In Lightroom has really made these photos more effective and look much better. These are the editing tools I used to create this black and white effect:

I then took photos of a new model, these photos were taken originally very dark, this was due to a incorrect exposure. Exposure is the amount of light that gets into your camera and produces the picture on the image sensor. To improve these photos, next time I need to widen the aperture, extend the shutter speed, and boost the ISO. However, I needed to edit these on photoshop instead, I increased the exposure, highlights and whites to help the quality of the photo increase and make it brighter. This was a challenge for me as I found it difficult to maintain the high quality of her features and textures etc, whilst brightening up the photo.

I like this three quarter length photo that I took because she is looking directly at the camera, which shows she is engaged and se is in a posed position. She is surrounded by random objects around her which we attempted to convey a message of randomness. I like the contrast between her uniform position with a blank expression with the amount of objects around her.

I then edited another photo which is a full-body shot from these series of photos I took and made it black and white. I trialled this in black and white to see if this would help with the contrast of my models seriousness with the wildness of the background. I prefer these photos in colour so that you can all the colours of the objects.

This photo is a half body shot which shows my model in the same shot but at a closer up angle, this is a strong photo I think, but I think to improve she could be doing something in the photo for example, completing work or doing what she would be doing in her ‘natural environment’.

I like these half body shots of a teacher in her natural environment. She is teaching, which is her job. My model is standing doing her work by using test tubes and scientific equipment, her posing perfectly portrays what she does in her day-to-day life. I like the different colours such as the greens and reds, I think this is a good focal point for the picture. I also like the shadow behind her, I tried to maintain this whilst editing this photo.

After Before

I had to edit this photo and focus on increasing the brightness as I took it in an aperture which made the photo very dark.

I think that this photo is the strongest photo I took during this photoshoot. I think this perfectly shows a students natural environment around my model, I also think a big impact can be made from her standing in the middle of the street, making a full body shot. The way the world is still continuing around her but she is not reacting creates a powerful message for my environmental photography.

These photos had a white shadow reflecting on my model, due to this, I used Photoshop to attempt to edit and remove the white glint as much as possible however, this made the exposure very high and the photo very dark. This reduces the quality of the photo, however without this white glint I think this image of a guitarist learning a song could be very strong.