My Photos - Hairstyles (Lighting III)

Hair #1

• 52 seconds
• AP 2.8

Test Strip

• 45, 47, 49 seconds
• AP 2.8

This is my angle shot. The light was coming from behind the subject so the light highlights her hair in the back. And because the light was behind, there are slight shadows created on her face. With the sunlight, the texture of the hair stands out more and you can see individual strands and waves. Though I think I could have added a little more time but I was afraid her face would get too dark.

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Hair #2

• 2 seconds
• AP 5.6

Test Strip

• 1, 2, 3, 4 seconds
• AP 5.6

This is my print with two subjects. I wanted to show the contrasting straight and curly hair. So I chose two people with similar hair color, but completely different types of hair.

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Hair #3

• 2 seconds
• AP 5.6

Test Strip

• 3 seconds
• AP 5.6

This photo is slightly unfocus in the center of her hair which is annoying because it takes away from the effect of it being the main subject of the photo. It was a slightly overcast day and I was in a shadowed area so you can not see much of the available light. But the light does do enough to differenciate between the tree in the background and her hair and also show the detail of her curly hair.

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Contact Sheets

• 10 seconds
• AP 5.6

• 43 seconds
• AP 2.8

Image Bank - Hairstyles (Lighting III)

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by Clayton Bozard

Clayton is from Orangeburg, South Carolina and this is where he found his passion for photography. His photographic career began as a hobby but over time he honed his skills and has become a professional with his skills in using lighting and surroundings to create his photographs. He focuses on capturing “true emotion, personality, and intensity” in each of his subjects.

I like the usage of the sun as a backlight. And the backlight on the hair helps bring out the detail and texture of the hair, to the point where you can see individual strands. There’s not really a specific “hairstyle” being advertised here, but the since her hair is in her face, it automatically draws the audience’s focus to her hair. So the hair is definitely the main focus of this photo.






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By Mark Lobo

Mark Lobo is currently working on a project called ‘BNE’. It is a series inspired by the people of Brisbane. It started out as capturing the people from suburbs in Brisbane to tell their stories. But as it carried out, Mark realized that all the subjects knew the previous subjects in one way or another so he decided to let his subjects select the people for his next shoot, inspired by the idea of “six degrees of separation.” Mark believes in the phrase “a picture tells a thousand words” and makes it his challenge for his work to tell the stories of people’s lives in his photos.

This was taken as part of a photo shoot for a hairstylist. The lighting here gives the appearence of pale and washed out and this helps to compliment the hairstyle because it shows the texture of the hair (the unruly teased waves and the contrasting pin straight bangs). Also, with the color compostistion being pale and beige, the photo blends together and flows with the exception of the long, dark eyelashes.






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By Albert Watson

Albert Watson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is blind in one eye but he has overcome the odds with creativity and hard work. He has work published in magazines such as Vogue, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone. He also works with some of the leading brand names such as Revlon, Levi’s, and Chanel. He not only works in fashion photography, but he also writes about photography.

I love the colors in this, especially the colors in the hair. Its blue and green and with the contrasting red background, the hairstyle really stands out as original and creative and the actual photo reflects that.

Darkroom Diary - October 14, 2009

The darkroom was super chill this time. Only a few glitches. For example, the first day in the darkroom, my times were all 10 seconds. I did my contact sheet and first print at 10 seconds. Then the next day, I redid my first print, and suddenly 10 seconds was way too much time. So I had to find all new times, which turned out to be about 2 or 3 seconds. This set me back a little. I think the reason for this was the developer was changed, and I just didn't get the memo.
But then the next day, I had to re-shoot and then my times were completely different, about 50 seconds, which was very irritating.

This time I was going to focus on not rushing through my prints just to get them done, but actually take me time to make sure it is done right and fix any small errors. And I think I did try harder to make sure that I was taking my time on them.

Theory Notes: Flashes and Light Meters

Flashes

A flash produces an instantaneous flash of artificial light typically around 1/1000 to 1/2000 of a second. They are mostly used to help illuminate scenes that do not have enough available light to expose the photograph. Flashes are used for other reasons such as capturing quickly moving objects or creating a different temperature light.

With the combination of a flash and fast shutter speed, these water droplets of running water look frozen.

Light Meters

A light meter is used to determine the proper exposure for a photograph. It allows the photographer to determine which shutter speed and aperture to set their camera to in a certain light situation and with a certain film speed.

First, set the light meter to the correct film speed you are using. You place the light meter a a point where the light is brightest on the subject. The light meter will tell you what the aperture and shutter speed you should use for a more accurate exposure of the film.

For a more detailed demonstration on how to use a light meter, watch this video.

My Photos - Fashion (Lighting II)

Clothing




Clothing #1

• 27 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

test strip

• 25, 3o seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2
  

I used a natural light source for this photo. The cardigan is the main subject of this, and i attempted to achieve that by having her look down at it slightly.

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Clothing #2

• 35 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

test strip

• 36, 38, 40
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

I wanted to subject the jeans and wanted to think of a pose that would compliment them and make them stand out. However, it just turned out as an awkward pose, though i still really like it. I did two final prints of this, one was lighter and the other was darker. I chose the lighter one because, even though the darker one had stronger blacks, the lighter was just easier on the eyes.

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Clothing #3

• 32 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2
  

test strip

• 28, 30, 32, 34 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter:2

The actual final print of this was too light and slighly grey, but i guess it scanned into the computer well. There was not a direct light source coming from one direction because it was kind of an overcast day, so the minimal sunlight was spread evenly across the sky.

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Shoes




Shoes #1

• 28 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

I wish I hadnt gone so dark on this one even though I needed to, to get the black to be black. The composistion is pretty basic too but I think it does the job to make the shoes the subject and I guess advertise the shoes.

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Shoes #2

• 24 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

test strip

• 24 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

This is my favorite one because of the composistion. Shoes was the hardest section for me because they all looked the same, so this was just different from the rest, so I liked it. But I do think it is a little too dark. I was trying to get blacker blacks and whiter whites but it just ended up being too dark by her legs and on her feet. And I think there is too much depth of field by her hand, which was kind of an accident.

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Shoes #3

• 32 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

This area where I took the photo was a little darker then the other places because I didn't have as much sun light, so 25 seconds (which was my default time) was too light. I opened the aperture on my camera and then when developing it, I still had to add more time.

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Accessories





Accessories #1

• 22 seconds
• AP 5.6

test strip

• 25 seconds
• AP 5.6
  

This is a nice simple compostion showing her necklace. However, I think it is still too gray. Unfortunately I didnt use a filter for this one, which I probably should have. This was taken on a slightly overcast day so I did not have much available light. I turned the subject so that the sun that was actually out would be on the necklace/chest area.

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Accessories #2

• 26 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

test strip

• 25 seconds
• AP 4
• Filter: 2

I had originally intended this to be a photo for shoes but after I printed it, I thought that the accessories on her hand stood out more. This was an easy print to do because her shoes, shirt, and nails are black against the lighter grass and that enabled me to tell if i had enough black and white contrast.

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Accessories #3

• 27 seconds
• Ap 4
• Filter: 2
  
  

test strip

• 24, 26, 28 seconds
• AP 5.6
  
  
  

So I did a test strip for this one without the aperature and filter. But then I decided that it would need a filter and i would have to open my aperture. And it then after I had established the correct filter, etc., I used these settings on the rest of my prints because it looked better and all of my photographs were taken at the same time and location.

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Contact Sheet

• 25 seconds
• AP 5.6

Image Bank - Fashion (Lighting II)

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by Albert Watson

Albert Watson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is blind in one eye but he has overcome the odds with creativity and hard work. He has work published in magazines such as Vogue, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone. He also works with some of the leading brand names such as Revlon, Levi’s, and Chanel. He not only works in fashion photography, but he also writes about photography.

I really like this photo because it is different from others advertising accessories. Instead of wearing the necklace, she is holding it in a seductive manner I guess. Her hair color, her ivory skin and the green necklace with the brown background all compliment eachother and give this photo an earthy feel, even though it is advertising a probably very expensive necklace. So I like the contrasting ideas.





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by Donald McPherson

Donald McPherson is a very high profile fashion photographer. He started his career as an assistant with several other photographers and has transformed his career to become one of the most renowned fashion photographers in Europe. He has worked published in The Russian Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bizaar, and other leading fashion magazines. He has also worked with celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Keira Knightly, and Gwen Stefani.

I chose this photo because I love the lights in the background. The whole scene sets an atmosphere for the photograph and it compliments the dress. The lighting in this would be very important because, the scene helps advertise and represent the dress.





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by Richard Warren

Richard Warren was born in Houston, texas and later he moved to the pacific northwest. He is now based in Manhattan’s Fashion District. Warren was 26 when he made his first break in Milan, he had a 40 page Couture editorial in Itailian Bazaar photographing Valentino and other top name couture designers.

I chose this because i think her stance is a quirky way to model the shoes and make them look good. The stance gives the appearence of marching and this emphasizes the shoes, without drawing too much attention away from the whole outfit.





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by James Hickey

James Hickey is based in Los Angeles. He specializes in advertising, beauty and glamour photography. His styles include vivid color and lots of beauty.

I really like the dress in this photo and so I chose this photo because of how well the dress was photographed for it to really catch someone's eye. The pale blue lighting is really pretty and with the flowing of the dress, this photo has a fairy-like quality.

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by James Nader

James Nader is based in the UK and has worked all around the world, New York, London, Paris, Milan and many in between. He has been working on honing and developing his own unique editing style and has so far been very successful because he stands out among others with his creativeness. He works with many art directors and editors.

I really like this photo because of the oddity of the pose. It really stands out to me. I also like the single spotlight on her which creates great shadows and gives a nice personality to the photo. The shadows don’t take away from the detail of the bag, either, which is the main accessory being advertised.






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by David Leslie Anthony

David Leslie Anthony began his fashion photography career in Los Angeles, Ca in 1990. He started off self-taught. But in later years after working in LA and Canada for a while, he moved to Europe to further his photographic education and career, mainly focusing on fashion. He has been very successful and getting his name around. He is now settled in Chicago (after Paris and Madrid) while primarily working in New York, Paris, London, Toronto, Miami, and Los Angeles.

I really love this photo. The clouds and the blue sky behind her are beautiful. The light from the sky almost makes her look washed out but I think it is effective in this way. The light also makes the dress look lovely, especially where she is holding it up and the light comes through.







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by Adam Rowell

Adam Rowell is based in San Diego, California and dedicates himself to fashion, advertising, and art portrait photography. Adam’s photography production studio in San Diego specializes in fashion, beauty, and glamour photography and has many ad agency and fashion designer clients.

I chose this photo because I really like the back lighting. It sets a clear contrast between the subject and the background, and with the backlight, her hair is lit up just right, effectively adding definition and texture. The accessories are not over done and I think the lighting really compliments the necklace because it appears dark against her skin and really stands out.

Darkroom Diary - October 2, 2009

This time in the darkroom went extremely fast and smooth. I developed my film and completed 8 prints in one class (plus a couple hours in the openlab). I was kind of at a slight disadvantage because I missed two classes so I had to rush and do most of it in one day. This is really unlike me because usually I am a pretty slow worker and like to take my time to get it just right (or close to it...) so I could have used a couple extra days to do it. Oh well.

From the last project, this project, and the one due next, I can see that we will be expected to work much faster, instead of like last year, taking 3 weeks to do just 3 or 4 prints. I like this better, and take it as a "challenge" or whatever, because it will force me to be more efficient and not waste as much time.

Theory Notes: Lighting (II)

Low and Sun Light

Some low light situations would include concerts, the night sky, sunsets, or anywhere/anytime when there is not enought light. Since there is not a great enough light source, you need to increase your camera's sensitivity to light. To do this you would increase the ISO. Then, you also would need to let more light in so you would make your Shutter speed slower so more light is let in. Also, to let more light in you open your aperature.



The only light source here is the light from the sparkler. With a slow shutter speed, the image is blurred and you can see the sparkler's light trail.

To learn more about shooting in low light click here.