My success with light starts with one simple yet powerful premise: Create the highlights and control the shadows. This one-sentence guide can carry you forward into beautiful imagery, whether you’re working with flash or available light. If you learn to see photographically and understand this principle of highlights and shadows, you’re on the path to creating stunning images.
In many cases, such as when shooting outdoors with the sun as the main light source, the highlights are already created. It’s possible that the shadows are already in place, too, just where you’d like them to be. Voilà! This photographic opportunity is already lit—it just needs to be shot.
IMAGE 3-1. The sun provided the highlight and only illumination in this photograph. The flags acted as diffusers, keeping the direct sunlight from hitting the lens, yet allowing light to filter through the thin material. The shadows were created by shooting into the sun, so the man’s back added contrast. This image was created at a run/walk for the Remember the Brave Foundation.
IMAGE 3-2. The sun, shining directly onto the construction site, created the highlight in this midday portrait. The underside of the steel framework received no light. Because it remained in shadow, your eyes are drawn toward the welder.
If you’re doing an outdoor session at noon using the sun as your highlight provider, however, you’ll probably find that the shadows are harsh from the direct overhead light. In this case, you’ll soften the harsh shadows by adding fill from a reflector or flash. In both cases, the approach is the same: you’ve worked with the sun’s highlights and controlled the shadows.
Flash photography involves more work, because we use the flash both to provide the highlights and to control the shadows. This means we have to choose the size of the light source(s) as well as the distance from the subject—things that were already in place with our outdoor sunlit examples (images 3-1 through 3-3). Images 3-4 through 3-7 show how these relationships are often enhanced through the addition of flash.
IMAGE 3-3. Here, early morning sun came from behind and slightly to the side of the golf-course mowers. Fresh grass clippings were silhouetted against the shadow side of the machines, adding depth, texture, and more interest to the shot. The shadows cast onto the fairway also added a nice detail.
Throughout this book we’re learning about the world of light—but the antecedent to light, the shadow that exists without it, is equally important. In fact, it’s not the light that produces texture but the combination of light and shadow.
Shadows reveal a lot about the light source. They tell, first, about the hardness or softness of the light. A soft shadow signifies a broad, diffuse light source. A hard, defined shadow suggests a smaller, more focused light source. Multiple shadows in the photograph indicate that more than one light source was used.
IMAGE 3-4. The runners were photographed on an indoor track at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. The photographer worked from a catwalk above, shooting straight down. Light from a large flash created the highlights and its extreme angle to the photographer created the strong shadow behind each runner. The solid color of the track provided added contrast. Photograph © Matthew Staver.
IMAGE 3-5. In the Field House at the Air Force Academy, the same high camera angle and same style of lighting produced this image. The shadows actually become the focal point of the photograph. Photograph © Matthew Staver.
IMAGE 3-6. Here, the photographer blended both sunlight and flash into the exposure. The sun created the highlights and the flash was used to control the shadows. For this family portrait at a wedding, photographer Steve Nowland filled in the shadowy overlook using a battery-powered flash fitted with a large softbox. We’ll see more from this photo shoot in chapter 6. Photograph © Steve Nowland.
IMAGE 3-7. Yup, that’s Dr. Spock of Star Trek fame. Leonard Nimoy isn’t wearing those big ears, but he’s sure got an unusual reflection going on with his glasses. It’s the catchlight from a ring flash. Notice the eerie, ghostlike shadow behind him, too. Both of these are characteristic of ring-flash photography. Photograph © Matthew Staver.
IMAGE 3-8. One flash was used to photograph these medicine balls in Dianne Bailey’s Conditioning Classroom. The light illuminated the workout equipment and the shadows below made an otherwise mundane scene pop with contrast and visual interest. One light created both the highlight and the cool shadows.
Shadows also reveal the position of the light in relation to the subject. When the sun is low to the horizon, both early in the morning and at the end of the day, the shadow cast is long, stretching across the ground. If you look at the same scene at midday, when the sun is directly overhead, you’d see a very short shadow cast by the subject. The same holds true for scenes lit by flash. A long shadow means the light source is low, close to the ground. A shorter shadow indicates the light source is higher above the subject. A soft shadow indicates a larger light source—maybe a big softbox or octabank. A hard shadow tells us that the light source was smaller—perhaps a bare speedlight.
IMAGE 3-9. One speedlight held to camera left boosted the room light for this image of the wedding rings and invitation. The scene needed soft, subtle light (as opposed to the bold lighting used in image 3-8 for the medicine balls in the gym). A long, heavy shadow cast by the rings would have detracted from the couple’s names and the overall feel of the image.
IMAGE 3-10. On assignment for People magazine back in the 1980s, I photographed James Brown in concert. This shot is a good illustration of highlight and shadow. A small strobe at far left, aimed at the back of Brown, spilled some light directly into the lens, causing flare. The same flash added rim lighting on the head, arm, and shoulders of the assistant who always escorted the performer off the stage. The light on Brown from the on-camera flash was equal in intensity to the light falling on the front row of the audience, creating even lighting. The strong backlighting eliminated any shadow from the on-camera flash but created a broad shadow in front of the singer. Two small hot lights are visible at the center of the background but weren’t strong enough to impact the photograph.
IMAGE 3-11 Although it is not lit by flash, this image is a good study of light sources. Window light is reflecting off of the table, giving it some shine. Overhead lighting reduced the effect of the strong backlight on the hand and paperwork, so it’s not a true silhouette. What else can you learn from the photograph? Remember that your ability to interpret what you see plays an important role in seeing photographically. For example, the glass coffee cup, starched cuff, pinstripe suit, and reflective table say “board meeting.” Based on experience, we don’t interpret this as a scene shot in a construction trailer, for example.
IMAGE 3-12. A ring flash produces smooth, even lighting. That was good for this photograph of Courtney because I wanted both of her eyes to show. placing a light to one side or the other would have resulted in shadow falling across some portion of her face, the mask, or her hands.
In addition to shooting your own images, a good way to learn lighting is by studying photographs made by others. Find a few images that strike your fancy based on the lighting in them. what draws your eye? Can you tell how the photograph was lit? what direction is the light coming from? what kind of lighting was used? Look at the shadows to help answer these questions.
Shadow holds equal prominence to light in our photography. They go hand in hand as we interpret the scene in front of us. In combination, they are key to adding the illusion of depth to our two-dimensional images.
We’ve learned how amazing our eyes and vision truly are. But looking at the eyes of others tells us a lot, too, doesn’t it? In day-to-day life, we understand a lot about a person’s personality and mood by looking at their eyes. In our study of flash photography, the eyes can also be very revealing.
Once the general lighting setup is figured out by evaluating the highlights and shadows, we can study the eyes to pinpoint the exact type of lighting device used. If you look carefully, you’ll see the light source is reflected in the subject’s eye. This bright highlight is called the catchlight. (Portrait photographers place this sparkle of light in their subject’s eyes to draw attention and interest to not only the eye but to the entire face.)
For the following image sequence (images 3-14 through 3-29; beginning on page 34), Courtney was photographed with a variety of light sources. The reflection in her eyes tells us the shape and size of the light, as well as the direction from which it came.
IMAGE 3-13. several lights were used to produce this action photograph of an editor playing a video game in his home. The main light was an alienBees ring flash. the other lighting included a speedlight behind and to one side and a photogenic monolight with a grid spot on the opposite side. the camera was set to rear-curtain sync. the low camera angle enhanced the height of the jump. photograph © Matthew staver.
IMAGE 3-14. main light: Canon 580EX II speedlite used on-camera. Notice that the catchlight is a very small dot in the center of her eye.
IMAGE 3-15. main light: Canon 580EX II speedlite held off camera to the left. Notice how the catchlight has shifted to the side. the light is harsh, with distinct shadows at the nose. the flash was only 2 feet from Courtney’s face—the furthest the cord would stretch from the camera.
IMAGE 3-16. Main light: Canon 580EX II speedlite on-camera with grid spot. the grid spot is part of the Ultimate Light Box system from Digital Harbor Designs. Note that the catchlight is identical to the first two images.
IMAGE 3-17. main light: Quantum QFlash lighting with standard reflector cone, 3 feet to camera right. the larger reflector produces softer lighting than we saw from the Canon speedlite. Again, notice the catchlight.
IMAGE 3-18. Main light: Quantum QFlash with bare tube placed just to camera right. the catchlight is still quite small but the light on her face is softer, with a lighter shadow under the nose. the light is actually beginning to wrap around her face.
IMAGE 3-19. Main light: 12-inch Quantum softbox. Now you begin to see a change in the catchlight; it has become a small square on the side of her pupil. the nose shadow is also markedly softer.
IMAGE 3-20. Main light: 20-inch Booth photo beauty dish. this catchlight is now round and the nose shadow is very light—almost nonexistent. the tonality across the face is smooth.
IMAGE 3-21. Main light: 20-inch Booth photo beauty dish with grid. the grid narrows the beam of light and sharpens it just a bit. Note that the nose shadow is slightly darker and there is more sharpness to the eyelashes.
IMAGE 3-22. Main light: Quantum trio in a Booth strip Light to camera right. this light creates a vertical rectangular catchlight. You won’t see many catchlights like this; these lights are normally used for side-lighting or background lighting, as opposed to lighting faces as a main source of light.
IMAGE 3-23. Main light: Quantum trio in a Booth strip Light to camera right. this one should be a cinch to figure out; it’s the same light turned to a horizontal position.
IMAGE 3-24. Main light: Quantum ring flash. this donut-shaped light creates a ring-shaped catchlight. since a ring flash is used on-camera (with the lens through the ring) for most photography, the catchlight will be in the center of the pupil.
IMAGE 3-25. Main light: Octabank. this large, eight-sided modifier is what I use for 80 percent of my portrait photography. It produces beautiful, soft light with a big, round catchlight.
IMAGE 3-26. Main light: 22-inch Dynalite beauty dish attached to a Dynalite flash head sH-2000, powered by the M1000x pack. the flash was almost directly over the camera and a bit to the left. the catchlight is more solid than the one produced by the Booth beauty dish, but the overall lighting effect is the same.
IMAGE 3-27. Main light: Umbrella. If you look closely, you can see the ribs that give the umbrella its shape. Umbrellas produce soft lighting similar to that from octabanks and softboxes but spill their light over a much larger area.
IMAGE 3-28. Main light: 12x16-inch softbox. this catchlight is larger than the one in image 3-18 (the Quantum 12-inch square box) because the box was placed much closer to the subject for this portrait.
IMAGE 3-29. Daylight coming through a door provided this catchlight. In the reflection, you can see the middle bar of the vertical security door.
IMAGE 3-30. This photograph was taken on an editorial assignment and shows the catchlight from a large bank of windows to the right side of the frame.
IMAGE 3-31. Here, a surgeon’s glasses show the bright lights in the operating theater bouncing back from the operating table.
Eyes are beautiful, but they can also be your nemesis as a flash photographer. What’s our reaction to a bright light? We squint. Flash photography takes this a step further; it’s so bright that we close our eyes completely when the flash fires. When the blink occurs too soon, we get eyes-closed portraits. Some people actually anticipate the flash firing, causing a high percentage of unusable images. Contact lens wearers also tend to blink more often than those who don’t wear them, since the eye blinks to lubricate itself. I refer to this condition, in all its forms, as “the blinkies.”
Fortunately, there are some non-prescription treatments for “the blinkies.” One approach is simply to shoot more; you may increase your percentage of eyes-wide-open images if your flash can keep up the rapid pace and your subject doesn’t freak out at the paparazzi-style shooting spree. Another strategy is to try to outfox your subject by anticipating their blinking reflex, pushing the shutter immediately after a blink.
IMAGE 3-32. This photograph was taken in 1973 at a large oil well fire near Casper, WY. The burning rig, flames, and cloud of black smoke are all reflected in the glasses of the fire fighter from the world-renowned Red Adair Company.
ASSIGNMENT 4: STUDY CATCHLIGHTSFind at least a dozen photographs of people—magazine ads, magazine covers, even portraits in your home—and determine by the catchlight what type of lighting was used to create them. Some may have more than one catchlight, often from a secondary light source used for fill.
I prefer to use a third method: choosing a brighter location for the photography. If the natural light levels are high enough, the subject’s eyes have less adjustment to make when the flash fires than when the shoot is taking place in a darker environment. The modeling lamps on studio flash units are perfect for this technique. (A bright modeling lamp also keeps the subject’s pupils smaller, helps the camera’s autofocus system function more reliably, and improves the photographer’s view through the viewfinder.)
IMAGE 3-33. This image of former First Lady Nancy Reagan and the Queen of England was taken for People magazine. I covered the entire west coast tour by the Queen and prince (a story in and of itself), but this particular image was shot on a red carpet runway in Hollywood as the two walked inside. hundreds of flashes were going off every few seconds, so it was hard for the two women to keep their eyes open. here, we see the Queen with her eyes closed, blinking. The magazine thought that was a good image and wrote the caption around her closed eyes.
IMAGE 3-34. the odds are completely against the photographer when shooting a group this large. Not only is there the issue of closed eyes, but there will inevitably be people looking down or away from the camera. A scan of this image at higher magnification does show several pairs of closed eyes—and a few wandering eyes.
To ensure success, I combine this with the second method. Shooting with my camera on a tripod, I look at the subject over the top of the camera, rather than through the viewfinder. My head is almost touching the top of the camera, so I’m still looking directly at them and they, in turn, are basically looking right into the lens. This method of shooting relaxes my subjects because they see my entire face. It sends a signal to their brain that I’m not going to fire the camera. In most cases, even with the hard-core “I always blink” subjects, my subjects are photographed with their eyes open.
Group portrait situations compound the issue; the more people in the shot, the higher the chance someone’s eye will be closed. But there is a saving grace here: in very large group portraits, because each individual is smaller in the frame, closed eyes don’t stand out as much as in a family portrait with only four or five people.
Another important topic is the angle of the light source. This is all-important in our highlight and shadow mix for sure, and it’s also important in relation to the background. How the flash hits and reflects back toward the camera must be considered. The important thing to remember is that when light strikes a surface, the angle of incidence (the angle at which it hits the surface) is equal to the angle of reflection (the angle at which it bounces off the surface). Understanding this will not only help you make better flash photographs, it will help you win more pool games, too. Like light hitting a surface, when a pool ball hits the rail from an angle, it bounces off the rail at the same angle.
This law is especially helpful to keep in mind when there are shiny elements in your scene. These could be your portrait subject’s eyeglasses, the reflective surface of an object in a product shot, or even the background. A shiny backdrop, such as wood paneling in a boardroom or a chrome wall in a modern architectural setting, tends to reflect light back toward the camera rather than absorb it. Adjusting the light that hits this surface will cause the reflection to change—or go away altogether. Shiny jewelry can also be problematic in flash photography. Using the rule above, however, we can determine the best position for the flash or change the angle of the jewelry in relation to it.
AN ADDITIONAL GROUP ISSUE
It’s nearly impossible to watch each and every person in a large group portrait, concentrate on the camera, focus, and time the shutter release. Ever had a group shot with someone looking down, or looking to one side or the other just as you took the shot? I sure have. Even after “educating” the group about the importance of looking at the camera, someone is bound to look away.
IMAGE 3-35. When light strikes a surface, the angle of incidence (A) equals the angle of reflection (B).
IMAGES 3-36 AND 3-37. These two photographs illustrate the angle of incidence and angle of reflection. The sled hockey banner wasn’t smooth and had crease marks on it. It was lit equally and evenly from both sides with flash units at 45 degree angles to it. The light bounced off of the reflective banner at a 45 degree angle opposite each light. The large trophy, with its curved surface, will reflect light back at every point on its surface. The only way to successfully light it without these reflections is to put it inside a white tent, surrounding it with even illumination.
