Studio Lighting Mood Board

What is Studio Lighting?

Studio lighting refers to the use of artificial lights in a controlled environment to illuminate subjects for photography. It’s essential because it allows photographers to manipulate light to achieve the desired mood, highlight details, and create professional-quality images. By using different types of lights, such as soft boxes, umbrellas, and strobes, photographers can control shadows, contrast, and colour balance, resulting in more visually appealing photos. This control over lighting is crucial, especially when trying to convey a specific emotion or atmosphere in the image.

For instance, soft lighting can create a warm and inviting feel, while harsher lighting can add drama and intensity.

Additionally, studio lighting enables consistency across a series of shots, which is particularly important for product photography or portrait sessions. The ability to adjust and experiment with the lighting setup also encourages creativity, allowing photographers to explore various styles and techniques. Ultimately, mastering studio lighting can significantly enhance the quality of photographs and help tell a more compelling story through visual imagery.

1-2-3 Point Lighting

The difference between 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point lighting lies in the number of light sources used and the effects they create in photography.

1-Point Lighting: This technique uses a single light source to illuminate the subject. It creates strong shadows and highlights, which can produce dramatic effects. It’s often used in portrait photography to emphasize facial features or in artistic shots where mood is more important than detail.

2-Point Lighting: This setup involves two light sources. Typically, one light serves as the key light, providing the main illumination, while the second acts as a fill light to soften shadows created by the key light. This technique balances light and shadow, adding depth and dimension to the subject, making it ideal for interviews or product shots.

3-Point Lighting: This is a more advanced technique that uses three lights: the key light, fill light, and backlight (or rim light). The key light is the main source, the fill light reduces harsh shadows, and the backlight adds separation between the subject and the background, creating a three-dimensional look. This method is commonly used in film and television because it provides a well-rounded and professional appearance, enhancing the overall quality of the image.

Each technique serves a different purpose and can be chosen based on the desired mood and effect in the photograph.

Rembrandt Lighting, Butterfly Lighting, and Chiarascuro

Rembrandt lighting, butterfly lighting, and chiaroscuro lighting are all different lighting techniques that can dramatically change the mood and appearance of a photograph, so understanding them can help create the desired effect in my portraits.

Rembrandt Lighting

This technique is characterized by the triangle of light that appears on the cheek opposite the light source. It involves placing the light source at a 45-degree angle to the subject and slightly above eye level. This creates a dramatic effect with both highlights and shadows, giving depth to the face.

Butterfly Lighting

Also known as “Paramount lighting,” this technique creates a butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose. It involves positioning the light source directly in front of and above the subject’s face. This lighting is often used in beauty photography as it highlights the cheekbones and creates a soft, flattering look.

Chiarascuro

This is a broader artistic technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and three-dimensionality. In photography, it can involve dramatic lighting that emphasizes shadows and highlights, often used to evoke a particular mood or atmosphere.

Photography Lighting Equipment for Beginners (Extra Info)

The world of studio lighting can be an exciting aspect of photography for some people, while others are intimidated by what seems to be a never-ending stream of equipment and technical information. The Information that I have researched here will help me decide on what Studio Lighting and equipment will be best for my Photography.

Keep in mind, that the items that I have researched are all geared towards portrait photographs.

Flash Units and Diffusers

A DSLR has a component on top, called a hot shoe, where you can attach a flash that is purchased separately from your camera. While most DSLRs have an on camera flash that can work well in some situations, it is always great to have a separate flash.

Photography Lighting Equipment for Beginners

With a separate flash, I don’t just have the luxury of a more powerful flash with a better quality of light, I also have the option of attaching diffusers to my flash, and even using my flash off-camera. 

Now, if I purchase a flash or the school already has one, it will most likely come with a small, white, plastic diffuser to attach to the top of the flash. This can work very well to diffuse the light, minimizing shadows and red-eye. I also have the ability to turn the flash so that it isn’t pointing straight at the subject, and bounce the light off a ceiling or nearby wall to make the light even more diffused.

Photo Lighting Equipment

A great option is the Light sphere Dome, by Gary Fong. The Light sphere Dome is lightweight, and it has never fallen off of a flash as some diffusers have a tendency to do and it fits both my Nikon and Canon flashes.  It a great, multi-purpose diffuser. 

Reflectors

A Reflector provides natural light and they come in various shapes, sizes, and colours, but the silver, circular reflector seems to be the most popular.

How to Choose Studio Lighting

I can use stands to hold my reflector, or, if I have another person on-hand, I can have them assist me in holding and positioning the reflector. It will increase the light on the subject by reflecting the available light. They also work extremely well to fill in the light behind the subject, or, if I am shooting outside and my subjects back is lit, positioning the reflector to face directly will bring out more detail on their face, without creating harsh, unnatural lighting.

Off Camera Lighting

Now, if I am feeling comfortable enough to experiment with off-camera lighting, I can either use separate lights, or I can trigger a flash off camera.

Photography Lighting Kits for Beginners

If I am using a flash, I will most likely need to invest in triggers.  Some DSLRs can trigger a flash off-camera through an infrared sensor that is built-in to the camera, but triggers are a bit more reliable.

Basically, there are two components involved with triggers, a transmitter that attaches to the camera, and a transceiver that is attached to the flash. The transmitter communicates with the receiver, allowing you to place the flash off camera on a light stand, and use various umbrellas and soft boxes to diffuse the light.

Cactus Triggers are widely popular, and more affordable than a lot of the other triggers on the market.

Once I have decided how I want my trigger to flash, I should look deeper at various umbrellas and soft boxes. Umbrellas tend to create a more direct pool of light, while soft boxes will create a more even light source.

Basic Photo Lightning Kit

I will need a stand that will hold my flash, and my diffuser. I can scout for a kit that comes with a light stand, a mount for my flash and umbrella, as well as basic reflector umbrellas or just use the schools.

In short, if I am using a flash off-camera, here is what I will need:

• Trigger – a transmitter and a transceiver.
• Light Stand
• Mount – to attach to light stand and hold the flash/umbrella/softbox
• Umbrella – or your choice of diffuser

Triggering the flash off-camera is a lightweight, portable method of achieving studio-like lighting. If I am shooting in my house or the studio at school, I may have to look at larger flashes such as Alien Bees. Alien Bees also makes a portable power pack, so if I decide to take my lights outdoors for a shoot, I can with no issues.

My Rembrandt Lighting, Butterfly Lighting, and Chiarascuro Examples

This is one of my Rembrandt Lighting photographs that I tried experimenting with.

This is one of my Butterfly Lighting photographs that I tried experimenting with.

Both of these Images use the same equipment and settings, I struggled to get a clear dark Butterfly shadow under the nose but it has been successfully produced. At least that’s what I can see.

This is one of my Chiarascuro photographs that I tried experimenting with.

Inspirations: Portraiture

Some photographers we were given to look at for Inspiration with our Photographs are Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, John Rankin, Nadav Kandar, Richard Avedon, Yousef Karsh, David Bailey, Mario Testino, Steve McCurry, Jill Greenberg, Nick Knight, Tim Walker, Corrine Day, Jane Bown, Rineke Djikstra and Thomas Ruff.

Annie Leibovitz

Irving Penn

John Rankin

Nadav Kandar

Richard Avedon

Yousef Karsh

David Bailey

Mario Testino

Steve McCurry

Jill Greenberg

Nick Knight

Tim Walker

Corrine Day

Jane Bown

Rineke Djikstra

Thomas Ruff

Creative Responses

Gel Lighting

We Experimented with a lighting technique called Gel lighting. Gel lighting in photography refers to the use of coloured gels placed over light sources to create specific colour effects in images. These gels are typically made from thin sheets of coloured plastic or acrylic and can be attached to lights to modify their colour temperature or add creative hues to a scene. Knowing this, it has helped me produce the following photographs.

The reason that we Photographers use gels are for various purposes, including:

1. Colour Correction: To adjust the colour temperature of the light to match the ambient light or to create a specific mood.

2. Creative Effects: To add colour to shadows or highlights, enhancing the overall aesthetic of the photo.

3. Separation and Depth: To add colour behind subjects, helping them stand out from the background and creating depth in the composition.

Best Gel Photographs

Edited Gel Photographs

Even though I clearly stated that the Photographs from above are my “Best Gel Photographs”, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am not going to edit them. So I boosted the Vibrancy to 100 and kept the Saturation to 0, which made the Red mixed Orange stand out a lot more.

I wanted my 2 models to have their own individual colours associated with them. Like with my previous model Eddie, I associated Red and Blue with him, and for my Upcoming model Vincent I associated Orange and Purple. I used the same Gel Plastic colours and the same Vibrancy but I also changed the Hue in the Photograph to produce the following.

Photo Montages

Juxtaposition

For the purposes of a ‘juxtaposition in photography’ definition, we can say that juxtaposition photography involves combining two or more elements in the same picture, highlighting the interesting contrast between them, to create an eye-catching and thought-provoking image.

Or to be specific, juxtaposition is when you put two opposite things together, and the contrast of those two things becomes interesting.

For example:

• Fat person next to skinny person
• Tall person next to short person
• Dark colors next to light colors
• Circles next to rectangles
• Old people next to young people

Generally with ‘juxtaposition’ — you are making a statement through the contrast of elements you put in the frame.

My Experimentation

Double Exposure

A double exposure is created by exposing a single frame to two different images. Traditionally, you’d achieve this effect with film cameras, but this technique is now accessible to digital photographers through in-camera settings or via post-processing software like Photoshop.

Double exposure photography allows you to juxtapose contrasting scenes, textures, or subjects, resulting in images that can spark curiosity, ignite the imagination or tell a poignant message.

My Experimentation

Moodboard

What is studio lighting?

Studio lighting in photography happens when a photographer uses an artificial light source to either add to the light that’s already there, or to completely light their photograph. Setups can range from using a single flash that you mount onto your camera, to multiple off-camera lights.

Why do we use studio lighting?

Shooting with the appropriate LED studio lights allows you to capture images and colours the way they look in real life, removing the need to process photos after the shoot. Most LED lights are adjustable and can be dimmed or brightened depending on what you need. Studio lights are essential tools for photographers to illuminate their images and videos. Lighting is a very important tool when it comes to controlling the image and using studio lights in an effective way is an art in itself.

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

One point lighting would involve just one light and this would be illustrated as the key light.

Two point lighting is when the light sources point directly towards each other and the subject is placed between the two.

Three point lighting is a traditional method for illuminating a subject in a scene with light sources from three distinct positions. The three types of lights are key light, fill light, and backlight.

Key Light

What it provides: Usually the key light is the main source of light and it is placed at an angle to the subject to create texture, depth, and contrast. It highlights the form and dimension of on-screen subjects and allow cinematographers to control the atmosphere of a scene.

Positioning: The key light is normally placed at a 45 degree angle to the person, it has to be only slightly above eye level and to one side.

Effect: Using a soft key light creates more diffused shadows, conveying a gentle, flattering, and natural feel. On the other hand, a hard key light generates sharp, well-defined shadows, which can be used to create a more dramatic or stylized portrait.

Fill Light

What it provides: The purpose of a fill light is to illuminate the parts of the subject that the main light cannot reach.

Positioning: If your main light source is behind your subject, then place the fill light in front of your subject. If your main light source is to the side of your subject, then place your fill light to the side of your subject also.

Effect: Balancing the overall illumination of a scene, especially in areas with shadows or low light contrast. Its main function is to soften shadows and lessen the hardness of the key light. This results in a more appealing and balanced visual.

Back Light

What it provides: Backlight is light that hits an actor or subject from behind, typically higher than the subject it is exposing. Backlighting an object or actor from the background creates more depth and shape to a subject.

Positioning: Place the camera in the direction of the subject and position your subject in a way so that the backlight is directly behind the subject.

Effect: This will help create a light spill effect, where the light seems to spill from behind the outline of your subject.

Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt lighting is characterized by an illuminated triangle (also called “Rembrandt patch”) under the eye of the subject on the less illuminated side of the face. It is named for the Dutch painter Rembrandt, who occasionally used this type of lighting.

This is a photo that I took of Alef, before and after editing, using the Rembrandt lighting. I asked him to sit facing directly towards the camera and I just positioned the light to be diagonal from him but still facing his side. I used the spot healing brush tool to smoothen his face a bit and I increased the vibrancy and the contrast and I decreased the brightness and saturation.

Butterfly Lighting

Butterfly lighting is a portrait lighting pattern where the key light is placed above and directly centred with a subject’s face. This creates a shadow under the nose that resembles a butterfly. It’s also known as ‘Paramount lighting,’ named for classic Hollywood glamour photography. Butterfly lighting is a popular setup because it has the effect of slimming the face due to shadows that are created on both sides of the face. This provides a flattering look that emphasizes a subject’s facial features, highlighting the eyebrows, cheekbones, and nose in a photogenic way.

Butterfly lighting often conveys a sense of classic beauty and timeless elegance. The soft, even illumination can evoke feelings of warmth and serenity in viewers.

In this photo I used butterfly lighting to make the shadow under his nose. I positioned him facing towards the camera with a light right above him. I cropped the image so that it is a square and i smoothed out his skin , increased brightness and contrast and the saturation and vibrancy.

Chiaroscuro Lighting

In photography, chiaroscuro lighting refers to the intentional employment of highlights and shadows to draw attention to the shape of the subject.

To achieve this type of lighting, establish a single, powerful light source first in order to create a chiaroscuro impression. This might be daylight coming in via a window, or it could be a studio light. To get the ideal shadow effects, position the light at an angle relative to your subject. chiaroscuro lighting is employed to heighten tension and create terrifying visuals.

This is a photo that I took of Chanell with chiaroscuro lighting. I positioned the light to be on one side of her facing her so that there is only light on one side of her face. I cropped the image so that she is centred and I turned down the brightness and the vibrancy. I increased the contrast, gamma correction and the saturation. This gave the image a more intense look.

Contact Sheet

Final Images

What is butterfly lighting?

Butterfly lighting is a form of studio lighting that is usually used within portraiture photography, as the name suggests the lighting used forms a butterfly shape under the nose of the subject of the image. This is because the light comes from above the camera and you face creates the shadow.

Why should you use it?

Butterfly lighting should be used in photography as it gives an appearance of the subject having a narrow face, on top of this, the camera is centred on the face and they are engaging with the camera, this is beneficial as it creates a different atmosphere than other images than usual, it not only is a great method for making the subject stand out but it also does so in a unique unusual way to what is normal making you images stand out from the rest.

Who created it?

Butterfly lighting was not created by one specific individual but rather developed over time in Hollywood back in the 1930’s, it was mainly used on a person called Marlene Dietrich who was a Hollywood star around that time.

How to create a butterfly lighting setup –

Lighting: Butterfly lighting requires a key light that can be a flash unit or continuous. If continuous, it can be artificial or natural. In other words, you can use strobes, speed lights, LEDs or even the sun.

A butterfly lighting effect refers to the setup and not to the quality of light – it can be soft or hard light depending on the effect you want.

What is Chiaroscuro Lighting?

Chiaroscuro Lighting is an Italian lighting technique that stands for Light Dark, it is a high contrast lighting technique that that uses a low key lighting set up, it uses a single light source to create a dark background with lit subjects.

Why should you use it?

Chiaroscuro Lighting should be used as it provides an abstract contrast that helps to draw attention to the subject and to create a dark shadowy background, doing this can add a more unique look to the images that you take to boost the atmosphere and can help to create an almost three dimensional look to the image.

Who created it?

Chiaroscuro lighting was developed by Leonardo Davinci, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Rembrandt and was developed by multiple people, it was mainly created in the Renaissance era and is still used today in low key photography.

How to create a Chiaroscuro Lighting set up –

Chiaroscuro in photography: Chiaroscuro using one key light and a variation using a reflector that reflects light from the key light back onto the sitter.

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

Environmental portraiture is about representing someone’s life or livelihood through the background of a portrait image or the subjects usual environment.

Examples of Environmental Work

In this photo the photographer uses natural lighting from above the subject as this photo was taken outdoors where its implied he spends a lot of his time as he is shirtless outside on the grass in between two tractors. This environment implies the subject works a job within agriculture or a farmers trade. the photo has been taken from a lower angle to accentuate the giant size of the tractors, as well as the frame cutting off half of each of the tractors to keep the subject as the main focus. We can infer the photo is un-posed as the subjects gaze looking away and he is not engaged with the camera.

August Sander

Born in 1876, Sander developed his interest in photography around 1898 when he began working in photographic firms and by 1904 he had opened his own photographic firm in Austria. He then moved to Cologne in 1909 and began to photograph the urban workers and farmers. After WW2 Sander set out to recapture the faces and document life after around 40,000 negative images were destroyed during the war so he started his project “Faces of The 20th century” also known as “Man of The 20th Century” in 1929. Sander created a catalogue with over 600 photos of the people he captured in his project. Many years later his work is still influencing photographers around the world.

In this environmental portrait you can tell a lot about the person such as the fashion of the decade, as well as this, we can guess he worked in construction as he looks to be carrying bricks. This tells us about the history of the time too as we know there was an increase in labour and construction after the destruction of the war left a lot of the cities needing to be rebuilt and repaired. The lighting is pretty dark as we can see the background is black giving the impression this was taken at night or possibly inside a construction site, such as an unfinished house. It looks like there’s lighting coming from behind the camera or the flash could be on. There isn’t much of setting due to this but because of the bricks we can interpret a lot like I’ve previously mentioned. The framing is cropped around the subject and is a three-quarter-length shot with a head on angle. The subject has a deadpanned expression and is looking at the cameras.

What Is Typology?

Typology is the study of types such as classification and categorization.

My Plan for Photoshoots

• I will first go around the school and take photos of staff and students I can find.
• I will then go to town after school and take as many photos as I can of retail workers in local shops, in the market and possibly shoppers.
• I will also take photos of my friends at school or out.

My Photos

Compare and Contrast

I believe both photos are similar as they are both taken in the subjects workplace. The lighting in both images is quite bright with Sanders looking like it was taken in the daytime possibly even outside however mine was taken under artificial lighting indoors. A difference between the works is the direction of light in Sanders is coming from the right side of the image however the light in my photo is coming from above the subject directly down. Another difference between mine and Sanders work is how they’re framed. Sander has taken his image framed as a full body image with the subject slightly to the right where as I have framed my work with a three quarter length. Sanders image looks to be posed with the subjects arm resting and the subject facing the camera with a black face gaze similarly to mine as he is posing with his arms also by having his hands in his pockets as well as his gaze is smiling and facing the camera. Each image is also taken horizontally.

Mood board

What is environmental portraiture

An environmental portrait is an image take of one or more person / people in there natural environment doing things like there job, a hobby or there lifestyle. It is represented through the background of the image or items shown in the image that have something to do with their lifestyle.

Example environmental portrait with evaluation

Lighting –

– Lighting used is artificial

– Shining from above him

– Possibly studio lights used

Environment –

– At a reception desk

– Most likely his job

– African American Ethnicity

– Taken in Brazil

– Male

– Most likely in his 60’s

Framing –

– Half-body angle used

– Dead pan

Approach –

– Neutral pose

Gaze –

– Eye contact

– Engagement with camera

Camera settings –

– Wide lens

– Mid-range F-stop

– No Tripod

– Medium shutter speed

– Medium shutter speed

Image info –

In this photo we can see the gold picture frame placed above the subject in the image, we can tell that he is in a place with money, this was most likely done by the photographer to fully capture this mans life style and give us incite into his place of work. This photo was taken in Brazil but there was no date for when it was taken, we can interpret that he works in a reception because of the two phones on his desk and the clean desk which is what you would expect at a front entrance for a more appealing look. I believe the idea behind this image was to capture an everyday person doing there job to capture there mood and lifestyle. With the visual elements of this photograph we can see that colour has been used with the gold frame for insight into the mans life, texture is also represented in this image along with Form (3D) with the curtain behind them.

August Sander

His life – August Sander (17 November 1876 – 20 April 1964), was a German portrait photographer, he wasn’t born into a family of photographer but found it through working in a local mine which was his full time job. His images consisted of a variety of different ages, religions, ethnicities and genders helping to shape environmental portraiture for years to come. He created some notable pieces of work such as, ‘The Farmer’, ‘The Skilled Tradesman’, ‘The Woman’, ‘Classes and Professions’, ‘The Artists’, ‘The City’ and ‘The Last People’.

His technique –

August Sander liked to use Shallow depth of field. generally full body shots to create an idea of model’s job and to include more of background in shot. As we can see in the images below he liked to take pictures of his subjects in a natural position representing there job and/or lifestyle.

——

“I never made a person look bad.” – August Sander

——

Examples of his work –

Who is in the photo?

– August Sander – Master Mason – 1926

how are they posed?

– neutral pose and facial expression

how are they framed?

– Full length body

– Deadpan angle

what is their gaze?

– Eye contact > engagement with the camera

Colour

– Black and white

Who is in the photo?

– August Sander – Handlanger (Bricklayer) – 1928

how are they posed?

– formal (posed) with relaxed facial expression

how are they framed?

– Full body

– Deadpan angle

what is their gaze?

– Eye contact > engagement with the camera

Colour

– Black and white

What is typology?

———–

Typology is a a term that we use in photography that, in simple terms, is the study of types. It can be used to see and represent similarities and differences in images.

——-

Here are some examples –

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Analysis of Arnold Newman Photography

His life – Arnold Newman (3 March 1918 – 6 June 2006), was an American portrait photographer, in his early life he studied art in school, however, later in life he opened a business and stared a freelance photography business, most likely getting his creativity from art in school. He created some notable pieces of work such as, ‘Pablo Picasso, Spanish Painter and Sculptor’, ‘Max Ernst, German Painter and Sculptor’, ‘Marc Chagall, Russian/French Painter’, ‘Isamu Noguchi, Japanese American Artist and Landscape Architect’, ‘Man Ray, American Surrealist Painter’ and ‘Josef Albers, German-American Painter’.

His technique –

Arnold Newman liked to use a variety of different lighting such as natural light, as well as studio lighting setups generally half body shots to have more focus on the background of the image. He also liked to take pictures of the subjects of the image in there natural environment to capture their lifestyle.

——————–

“The photographer must be a part of the picture.” – Arnold Newman

—————-=

Examples of his work –

Who is in the photo?

– Pablo Picasso, Spanish Painter and Sculptor, 1954

how are they posed?

– Formal pose and facial expression

how are they framed?

– Half body

– Deadpan angle

what is their gaze?

– Eye contact > engagement with the camera

Colour

– Black and white

Who is in the photo?

– Isamu Noguchi, Japanese American Artist and Landscape Architect, 1947

how are they posed?

– formal (posed) with relaxed facial expression

how are they framed?

– half body

– Canted angle

what is their gaze?

– Eye contact > engagement with the camera

Colour

– Black and white

Photoshoot plan

I plan to take photos inside and outside of school and take inspiration from August Sander in doing so. I plan to use props in all of my images to give a greater insight into the persons lifestyle or profession.

Photo Shoots

Contact sheet –

Selection process –

as you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out the bad ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good. I will now edit these images that I selected and present them bellow along with the raw images.

Editing

As you can see above I have used cropping to make the image a little smaller, I have done this so the subject is just a little bit closer to the camera in the image to make it more obvious that she is the main subject of the image.

As you can see above I have used two masks to sperate the subject from the background of the image, the reason I did this is because I wanted to have a slight but visible discrepancy between the two to make it even more obvious what the subject of the image is.

Adding to this I decided to keep this image in colour as to me it looked better but I did change one of my edited images to black and white.

Final images And evaluation

Who –

– The person in the image is Beth – 2024

Lighting –

– Taken indoors

– Artificial light used which is shining down from above

Environment –

– The location is her house in jersey channel islands

– They live a middle class life style

– Female, from Jersey and family history of Jersey, 17 years old

– Books used as props to represent her hobby

Framing –

– Full body

– Canted angle

Approach –

– Neutral pose and facial expression

Gaze –

– Eye contact and engagement with camera

Technical –

– ISO 200, 27mm , f / 4.0, 1/13 sec SS and no tripod used

B&W or colour –

– Colour

Who –

– The person in the image is Beth – 2024

Lighting –

– Taken indoors

– Artificial light used which is shining down from above

Environment –

– The location is her house in jersey channel islands

– They live a middle class life style

– Female, from Jersey and family history of Jersey, 17 years old

– Books and saxophone used as props to represent her hobby

Framing –

– Full body

– Deadpan angle

Approach –

– Neutral pose and facial expression

Gaze –

– Eye contact and engagement with camera

Technical –

– ISO 200, 30mm , f / 4.5, 1/13 sec SS and no tripod used

B&W or colour –

– B&W

Who –

– The person in the image is Beth – 2024

Lighting –

– Taken indoors

– Artificial light used which is shining down from above

Environment –

– The location is her house in jersey channel islands

– They live a middle class life style

– Female, from Jersey and family history of Jersey, 17 years old

– Books and saxophone used as props to represent her hobby

Framing –

– Full body

– Deadpan angle

Approach –

– Neutral pose and facial expression

Gaze –

– Eye contact and engagement with camera

Technical –

– ISO 200, 30mm , f / 4.5, 1/13 sec SS and no tripod used

B&W or colour –

– Colour

Who –

– The person in the image is Beth – 2024

Lighting –

– Taken indoors

– Artificial light used which is shining down from above

Environment –

– The location is her house in jersey channel islands

– They live a middle class life style

– Female, from Jersey and family history of Jersey, 17 years old

– Books used as props to represent her hobby

Framing –

– Full body

– Deadpan angle

Approach –

– Neutral pose and facial expression

Gaze –

– Eye contact and engagement with camera

Technical –

– ISO 200, 32mm , f / 4.5, 1/13 sec SS and no tripod used

B&W or colour –

– Colour

Who –

– The person in the image is Mr Cole – 2024

Lighting –

– Taken indoors

– Artificial light used which is shining down from above

Environment –

– The location is Hautlieu school in jersey channel islands

– Male, Work as a teacher in Hautlieu school, not sure how old

– Camera used as prop in the image to represent his profession

Framing –

– Half body

– Deadpan angle

Approach –

– Formal pose and facial expression

Gaze –

– Eye contact and engagement with camera

Technical –

– ISO 400, 55mm , f / 5.6, 1/40 sec SS and no tripod used

B&W or colour –

– Colour

Who –

– The person in the image is Mr Cole – 2024

Lighting –

– Taken indoors

– Artificial light used which is shining down from above

Environment –

– The location is Hautlieu school in jersey channel islands

– Male, Work as a teacher in Hautlieu school, not sure how old

– Camera used as prop in the image to represent his profession

Framing –

– Half body

– Deadpan angle

Approach –

– Formal pose and facial expression

Gaze –

– Eye contact and engagement with camera

Technical –

– ISO 400, 55mm , f / 5.6, 1/40 sec SS and no tripod used

B&W or colour –

– Colour

Overall evaluation –

In these images I planned for it to be simple while using props such as the saxophone and the camera used in the different photos taken. With these images I took inspiration from August Sander taking ideas such as the props and the simplicity of the images, he also frequently used black and white in his image so I decided to do the same with one of mine to get a greater idea of what my images could look like. I will now represent these 6 images in art steps as a typology.

Typology representation –

Formal elements of photography

Final images

Final images represented in art steps

Overall explanation –

From the images I have taken so far I have been learning how to use a camera and the more technical aspects along with this, above I have represented as images and in a virtual gallery, I have purposefully chosen pictures that represent use of texture and many other formal elements of photography. These images are the best I have taken so far in which put together represent all formal elements being Focus, Line, Light, Repetition, Shape, Space, Texture and Value. These images were all thought of and created through planning and artist references along with some of my own creative ideas. I decided to represent these images in a virtual gallery because I wanted to get more of an idea of the quality of my images in a more professional environment, I also did this because I wanted to represent my images in a more unique way that was is usual to give a more abstract view on my work, doing this also can give more insight to someone viewing my images as they are seeing them in a location where they would usually see other images taken by photographer. In conclusion this intro into photography has helped me greatly to for one understanding my way around a camera but also in to interpreting photos and giving me the ability to see past just an image and view peoples work as art which can be appreciated more, on top of this, the skills I have learned and will learn in the feature of this will help me in the feature past school.

Mood Board

Studio Lighting

Here are three examples of lighting in more detail

Top Lighting, Bottom Lighting, Side Lighting, Front Lighting, Back Lighting

Top lighting is when the source of light is above the object being shot.

Bottom lighting is when it is below the object being pointed up.

Side lighting is when it is to either side of the object lighting up one side of the face.

Front lighting is when the light is at the front being pointed straight at 90 degrees.

Back lighting is when the source of light is behind the object you are shooting shining through the face.

1. Key Light

• What it provides: The Key Light is the main source of illumination in the scene. It’s typically the strongest light and is placed at an angle to the subject to create depth, texture, and contrast. It defines the overall look and mood of the scene.
• Positioning: The Key Light is often placed at about a 45-degree angle to the subject, slightly above eye level, and to one side (either left or right).
• Effect: The Key Light creates shadows and highlights on the subject, shaping their features and adding drama or contrast. The direction and intensity of the Key Light largely control the mood of the shot (e.g., soft lighting for a gentle mood, hard lighting for a more dramatic or intense look).

2. Fill Light

• What it provides: The Fill Light is used to soften the shadows created by the Key Light. It doesn’t create its own shadows but fills in the areas of the subject that would otherwise be dark or underexposed.
• Positioning: The Fill Light is usually placed opposite to the Key Light, often at a lower intensity. It may also be positioned close to the camera to light the subject from a more neutral angle, reducing harsh shadows while maintaining some contrast.
• Effect: The Fill Light ensures that the subject’s features are visible in the shadow areas, preventing the shot from looking too contrast-heavy or having overly dark regions. The amount of Fill Light can be adjusted to achieve the desired balance of shadow and detail.

3. Back Light

• What it provides: The Back Light is placed behind the subject, often at a high angle, to illuminate the subject from the rear. It’s used to separate the subject from the background and add a sense of depth and dimension to the scene.
• Positioning: The Back Light is usually placed opposite the camera, behind the subject, and sometimes slightly elevated, depending on the effect desired. It can also be called a Rim Light if it’s used to highlight the edges of the subject, or a Hair Light if it’s specifically used to light the hair.
• Effect: The Back Light creates a rim or halo around the subject, which can help define the subject’s silhouette and give the subject more visual separation from the background. It adds contrast and depth, preventing the subject from looking flat. In portraiture, it can also create a nice glow around the subject’s hair or shoulders.

Rembrandt Lighting

What it is:
Rembrandt Lighting is a classic lighting setup that creates a distinctive triangle of light on the subject’s cheek, often on the shadowed side of the face. It is named after the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn, who famously used this lighting technique in his portrait paintings to create a dramatic yet natural look.

Butterfly Lighting

What it is:
Butterfly Lighting is named for the butterfly-shaped shadow that is cast under the subject’s nose when the light is positioned directly above the subject’s face. It’s a glamorous and high-fashion lighting style that was popularized by Hollywood portrait photographers in the 1930s.

Chiaroscuro

What it is:
Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that means “light-dark” and refers to the technique of using strong contrasts between light and dark to create a dramatic, three-dimensional effect. This technique has its roots in painting, especially in the works of artists like Caravaggio, who mastered the use of light and shadow to create a sense of depth and volume in his subjects.

Fill Lighting

Fill lighting is a key lighting technique used to soften and balance the shadows created by the key light in a lighting setup. While the key light is the primary source of illumination, creating contrast and defining the subject’s form, fill light serves to reduce the intensity of those shadows without eliminating them entirely. This allows for a more natural, balanced look in the image or scene, ensuring that important details in shadowed areas are visible without compromising the dramatic effect created by the key light.

Purpose of Fill Lighting:

• Softens Shadows: The primary purpose of fill light is to soften or “fill in” the dark areas (shadows) created by the key light, reducing contrast in a way that maintains a more even exposure across the subject.
• Balance Exposure: Fill light helps ensure that no areas of the subject are too underexposed (i.e., too dark), which can be especially important for preserving detail in portraits and ensuring the subject’s features are clearly visible.
• Control Mood and Contrast: By adjusting the strength of the fill light, you can control the overall contrast in the image. A stronger fill light will result in a flatter image with fewer shadows, while a weaker fill will maintain more dramatic shadow areas.
• Preserve Depth and Dimension: While fill light softens shadows, it doesn’t remove them entirely, allowing for some sense of depth and three-dimensionality in the shot.

Artist Reference 1

Rankin

John Rankin Waddell (Rankin) is a British photographer and director who has photographed, amongst other subjects, Björk, Kate Moss, Madonna, David Bowie and Queen Elizabeth II. 

The London Evening Standard described Rankin’s fashion and portrait photography style as “high-gloss, highly sexed and hyper-perfect”. He has directed music videos, documentaries, a feature film, short films and commercials. He is renowned for revolutionising visual culture.

Rankin charges around £500 per shoot. He lets customers pose in front of the lens, solo or with a friend and takes there photos. After the shoot they will receive a digital version of their final portrait and an A4 authenticated print.

This is one of his photos which I really love. He has put the photo in black and white which I think is really effective as it helps emphasise and highlight all the different tones whilst keeping it simple. The lighting in this photo is well thought about her whole face is lit up and you can clearly see she is happy. However, the sides of her face are a bit darker which could mean he is using front lighting where the light is pointed straight at her face. I also really like how her hands are placed the one close to the camera adds a 3D perspective and looks really cool.

As you can see I drew lines on the image and realised that Rankin also uses the rule of thirds in this image as her face sits on the line.

Photoshoot

Rembrandt Lighting

This lighting is created when the light is shining at a 45 degree angle across the models face. The lighting creates a triangle just below the eye as you can see I have highlighted this triangle.

Butterfly Lighting

with this lighting the shadow is formed under the nose. It is achieved by shining the light directly down on the models face from above.

Chiaroscuro

This lighting is half light half dark. it can be achieved by shining the light at a 90 degree angle to the face so half his face is lit up and the other half is getting no light.

Fill lighting

Fill lighting is a key lighting technique used to soften and balance the shadows created by the key light. This allows for a more natural, balanced look in the image

Environmental portraits are portraits that usually feature the person in their “natural environment” for example it could be in their bedroom or their work place. These portraits are a good way to convey a message and get people interested in the story behind the person.

Lighting: Front facing natural soft light. I think this the lighting is coming from behind the photographer and I think the light is coming from a window so that its natural light, however I do think the window may be slightly to the left of the photographer based on the shadows of the image.

Environment: In a diner / restaurant the social class is probably working class. An American women in her place of work.

Framing: Three quarter length body shot, with the arms slightly crossed in front of her. The angle is straight on and deadpan. The dark colour of her hair helps frame her face from the colour and pattern of the wallpaper.

Approach: A formal (posed) image a neutral pose and slightly smiling but other than the slight smile its a neutral expression.

Gaze: The women in the image is making eye contact with the camera / viewer of the image., this shows that she is engaged.

Camera Settings ( predicted )

• Focal length – I think the focal length is 50mm and its a standard lens
• Depth of field – I think this image has a large depth of field as everything in the image is in focus probably, f/5.6-f/8
• ISO – it is an indoor image and everything is crisp so I think that the ISO is low

August Sander

August Sander was a German portrait and documentation photographer. Much of Sanders photography includes nature, architecture, and street photography, however he is most known for his portraits. Sander first learnt about photography whilst working in  Herdorf iron-ore mine while he was assisting a photographer who was also working in the mine at the time.

Sander published his first book in 1929 and it was called Face Of Our Time which includes 60 portraits from his collection called people of the 20th century. In this series of images he aimed to show society  during the Weimar Republic, and the series is divided up into 7 sections called: The Farmer, The skilled tradesman, Women, Classes and Professions, The Artists, The City, and the last people.

Twenty years after his unfortunate passing August Sanders work and entered into the International Photography Hall Of Fame and Museum in 1984.

Images by August Sanders

Sanders Analysis

August Sanders takes his images using an old-fashioned large-format camera, glass negatives and long exposure times. The genre of this image is portraiture.

The mise-en-scene presents the portrait photo of three men in a field / walking path, they are looking straight in to the camera and they don’t look like they’re dressed for the environment they’re in. The tone of this image is quite dark, for example if you look at the colour of they’re suits are sort of blending into colour/ tone of the background, it may even be a little bit underexposed. The use of light in this image is very soft natural lighting as they’re outside, it looks as if its not even that sunny of a day outside and a bit cloudy. The focus distance is short as it is a close up photo and the depth of field is short as only the people are in focus in the image and the background is blurred. The photographer has used leading lines which would be the light colours of the sky and path to draw your eyes across the image.

I believe the ISO is 600 as most things are in focus however there is a bit of grain. I believe that the shutter speed is 1000 as everything is clear.

As August Sander states: “I hate nothing more than sugary photographs with tricks, poses and effects. So allow me to be honest and tell the truth about our age and its people” and I think this really comes across in his images as they are “plain” image of just people posed, however I think he has really managed to capture a story and cause intrigue in his images. As when I look at Sanders portraits I can’t help but wonder about the person in the images life, what the job is ?, how are they feeling in that moment? I think to be able to convey this from such simple images is just incredible and is an enormous amount of talent and skill.

Typologies

Images by Bernd and Hilla Becher

Bernd and Hilla Becher started photographing together in 1959. Most of their work included architecture and had extensive images on water towers, blast furnaces, coal mine tipples, industrial facades and many other industrial architecture pieces.

Typologies are a body of photographs ( more than one or two ) that share a high level of consistency, so they are often placed next to each other to create a series of similar looking images. And grouping them together based on similar characteristics, often showing repetition and patterns. Typologies can be used to explore how small variations within a group can create meaning or convey information about the subject.

photoshoot plan

For my photoshoot I thought that I would use some of my family members and partners. My first idea was to go to my dads karate club that we runs and take some photos of him with his GI and doing some poses such as punches. Then I thought I would take some photos of my friends that would relate to Sian Davey although her images are of her family i thought some of the images relating to her older daughter Martha and her life would be cool to take.

photoshoot 1

edited images

To edit these images in light room classic, I first used the remove toll as there were some scuffs on the floor that I wanted to get rid of. Then for this image specifically I used the

B&W selenium tone for the monochrome, to get the base colour then changed the individual items, for example I increased the contrast by 15%.

For this image I used the B&W sepia to get the old image sort of look. Personally, I really like the warmer tone of this image as I think it really compliment the tones of the wood and the scenery of the dojo. As well as the colour of the black belt against the white GI is good contrast a long with the dark colour of the hair against the light colour of the wall.

The reason I have put my images into these tones is to try and relate it to August Sanders as all of Sanders images were monochrome of slightly warmer monochrome such as this image above.

Overall, I’m really happy with the way that my first photoshoot has turned out as the images are really plain and simple however they are moody and dramatic.

Siân Davey

images by Sian Davey

Sian Davey is a British photographer, much of her work focusses on family and friends and is informed by her background in psychology. Davey was a psychotherapist for 15 years before starting photography in 2014

In 2015 Davey created a series of images titled Looking For Alice which is a series of portrait images focussed around her younger daughter Alice who was born with down syndrome, which was published by Trolley Books in 2015. This series led on to the particular image I like which are about her teenager daughter’s (Martha) life. Two of the images in her series about Martha’s teenage life were selected for the 2016 Taylor Wessing photographic Portrait Prize Exhibition.

Davey held a solo exhibition for her series of images called Together in the National Portrait Gallery London. This was a series of images based on her family and her family life in 2017.

I really like the series documenting Martha’s life as it reminds me of a similar photographer which I like called Elaine Constantine who also document teenage life.

Davey Analysis

This is image is taken using a digital camera and the genre of this photography is portraiture.

The mise-en-scene presents the portrait photo of a group of teens sat on a bench in the park. The tone of this image is quite bright, as they are outside of what looks like a bright day with fairly clear skies. The use of light in this image is very soft natural lighting as they’re outside, it looks as if it is a a little bit cloudy, however you can see where there could be gaps in the clouds with the soft warm light coming through. The focus distance is short as it is a close up photo and the depth of field is short as only the people are in focus in the image and the background is slightly blurred. The photographer has used leading lines which would be the dark coloured clothes of the teens against the bright background.

I believe the ISO is 100 as everything is in focus and not grainy. I believe that the shutter speed is 1000 as everything is clear.

photoshoot 2

edited images

This image from the photoshoot is one of my particular favourites as I think it relates the most to Sian Davey’s images of Martha, this is an image I took on my digital camera of my friends on the beach after we had gone for a swim. This image looks a bit blurry due to the motion blur of the people moving around so in my editing I tried to make the image as clear as possible.

This is a screen shot of the editing that I have done on Lightroom classic to the above image

Virtual Gallery

The way I have laid out the images in the gallery I have done for specific reasons. with my images I took for Sian Davey, two of the images have a blue colour so I have put them opposite each other whilst having the two darker images in the middle.

The way I have laid out the images of my dad I decided to have the images with the 3 different tones of black and white together and I thought although they aren’t the same tone they complimented each other well. So I thought that the other image should be able to have it’s own wall.

Environmental portraits are portraits taken in the subjects usual environment, they highlight and bring attention to there life and everything going on around them, environmental portraits are a genre of photography.

The goal of these photos is to capture somebody’s everyday life, what they like to do and there personality traits (you could control there facial expression to show this)

Evaluating the key features of this photo

The photo has artificial lighting coming from above.

The photos environment is a reception desk at a rich place of work, we can tell its a wealthy place of work because the frame of the painting.

The framing is a half body angle and taken dead pan.

The approach taken was to have the guy pull a neutral face giving him a nonchalant serious feel.

The gaze of the photo is the guy making direct eye contact with camera, engagement with the photo.

The camera settings are wide lens with mid-range f stop and a low ISO.

Alfred Krupp

Alfred Krupp is a revolutionary inventor, worth roughly a billion dollars in the 1960s, Arnold Newman (a Jewish photographer) is a well known environmental portrait photographer, the photo Arnold took of the inventor Alfred was used to preserve his legacy and became a iconic piece of work.

This portrait was taken on July 6 1963, using a wide angle lens, the lighting is weird and eerie with a green tinge that makes the subject appear to be a evil/not nice person.

When Newman and Krupp first spoke, Krupp was racist to Newman after finding out he was a Jew and wouldn’t let him create the photo, Newman ended up eventually convincing Krupp to let him take it by having him look at his portfolio, after how poorly Krupp treated Newman, Newman used the photo to make Krupp look as evil as possible.

This is a environmental photo I took of two pupils working in the studio, shooting a cover for there poster.