10.05.2012

TAOP

PART FOUR. Light.

Project: Photographic Lighting.

Exercise: The lighting angle.

Equipment: Olympus E3 with a Metz 58 AF-1 linked off camera by radio.  Light diffused through an Interfit 5 in 1 diffuser/reflector.

I lit the subject as instructed allowing the TTL metering to look after the exposures.  

All the shots had a pleasing soft edge to them unlike some experimental shots I took without diffusing the light.

Front. Scary Tiger.  The low angle of the light has illuminated the features from below giving the classic horror film look.

Right and Left.  Both of these lacked lighting balance.  The lit side was fine but the unlit side lacked both detail and warmth.  A bit of fill in reflected light would have improved this.

Rear.  Not quite a silhouette but close.  With some front lighting this could have been turned into a pleasing shot.  As it stands it has little to recommend it.

High front.  Best so far.  Pleasing overall lighting with some modeling  of the features, especially the lower part of the face.  The shadows under Tiger give it substance.  Without using additional lighting this is about as good as I could do.

High rear.  This lighting picked out the edged of Tiger and back lit his fur nicely.  The sort of lighting used to back light hair and light clothing.  With added lighting would look great.  

High Left and Right.  Both pleasing pictures.  The raised height of the light source has improved the modeling of Tiger and given him some shape. 

 Top Back.  A version of the High Rear shot that illuminates more of Tiger’s front but to no great improvement.  I would rather add front lighting to the High Rear shot than to this one.

 Top  Centre.  This lighting gave effective but harsh modeling.  The shadows under the head were over dark and contrasty.  Soft top lighting can help to highlight hair but here the lighting is too harsh.

 Top Front.  This, for me, is the best of the bunch.  Good 3D modeling and a feeling of body.  The shadows are not over harsh and the shadows both under Tiger’s head and under is body give him solidity.