Assignment #4:
I was surprised about how much I liked the studio lighting unit. It was so much fun to capture my friend's expressions and it was VERY VERY difficult to choose just one for my project. I started with doing my project in-class, but I really wanted to put my friends in front of the camera. The lighting was simple, with the 1:2 ratio rule, one big light (like the soft box light or the light with the umbrella) and a smaller, closer, fill light. I chose black and white for all my photos. I chose black and white because it is simple and displays expression 100x better than colour. I tried a few photos in colour, but none of the had nearly the emotional impact than black and white.Since I love photography that displays expression, I decided to follow the style of Richard Avedon. I sat my model down, set the lighting, positioned the camera, and stepped away from the camera, keeping my finger on the shutter button. Then I would talk to them. Ask them question, tell them stories, making them laugh, smile, and just act natural. I also took some of my other friends along to stand behind the camera and talk to the model, making my job a lot easier.
I love this photo because of it's simplicity. No crazy light reflections, no terrible shadows, just pure personality. The aperture of this photo was 5.6, and the shutter speed was 1/80. I positioned the soft box light slightly behind the camera on the left. The other light was a florescent fill light off to the right, and pretty close to my subject. The light shadows in the wrinkles between her eyes and on her laugh lines contrast the bright, almost overexposed nature of the rest of her face. Though I have so many pictures of my friends laughing, smiling, and even being serious (yes, it's possible), I decided that this one shows personality, rather than emotion. That's what makes if different.
I love this photo because of the joy it shows. The cut off look of the subject makes it look that the subject is so happy and comfortable that she is moving around and laughing like crazy. The aperture of this photo was 5.6 and the shutter speed was 1/125. I positioned one light with the umbrella on it on the right of the camera, and a florescent fill light closer to the subject on the left. She has such a big smile on her face, and her body language indicated comfortability, which is exactly what I wanted to capture. This picture speaks happiness, simplicity, and a light feeling of personality. Just the unique composition makes me love this photo so much.
I love this photo because of personality it shows. Thought it is not a smiling, happy picture, her eyes tell a story. The aperture of this photo is 5.6 and the shutter speed 1/200. I positioned one light with the umbrella on the left of the camera to create a nice glow on her face, and a sharper, less diffused light on the right to fill in the shadows. Her insightful eyes suggest that she is a good listener (which she is), and that she cares deeply about those she loves. I think this is when I was talking to her about a deeper topic, and she would listen, and smile, and nod, and just be a wonderful friend. Just looking at this photo for a while gives the viewer a deeper insight into her personality, and I like how simply this photo gives it off. Just the mesmerizing factor of this photo makes me love it so much.
