The following is a direct copy and has been Pasted in for future reference from the People & Place coursework PDF Doc. (pasted in Maroon)
6 photographs
Try and use the same person as a model for this exercise. Take between four and six standard head and shoulders portraits that are very different in lighting effect. It is not necessary to use professional photographic lighting, although of course if you have access to this, by all means use it (but if you do, use it for one or two of the images only).
Find locations in which the light varies and is suitable for taking a portrait photograph. With tight framing the distraction of the setting is eliminated so that the shape and planes of the face will clearly show differences in shadows, highlights and the general quality and direction of light.
Consider the time of day and weather when you use natural lighting, reflected light from white walls and artificial photographic surfaces, and diffusion, in which the light is filtered and spread through another material (which could be a blind, tracing paper, even the leaves of a tree). Think also of adding light into an existing set-up, such as by using a photographic reflector.
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Equipment
Camera – Nikon D4
Lenses – 24/70 – f2.8 / 85 – f1.4 (prime) / 200 – f2.0 (prime)
Ancillary Equipment – Monopod
Method & Approach
Please see pictures and captions below.
Note – all pictures have been compressed hence there might be a quality reduction when enlarging.
Picture 1 – Portrait (Back Garden)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/80th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Daylight (5000°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 50mm
Comments – I took this picture of my wife (in our back garden) whilst taking advantage of the sunlight just before setting (the golden hour). I deliberately chose a narrow depth of field for this shot as it increases the emphasises of her eyes, it also adds a hint of softness to the picture due to the front perimeter of the hat being less hard. It has also blurred and softened the background to a less obtrusive pattern of almost no concern surrounding the subject.
Picture 2 – Portrait (inside house, lounge)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/250th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 400
White Balance Setting Flash (5500°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 70mm
Comments – For this portrait I originally took a low key picture without the softboxes with just her eyes and part of her face lit up, but whilst everything was setup I decided to try the same shot with two softboxes. One positioned below me looking full on and the other positioned at approximately 120 degrees around to the left of the subject but reduced to a third of the power level. I really like this effect, its not low key but the mood and moment captured is a soft and dreamy look without any fuss surrounding the subject, just a hint of her dress and shoulder at the bottom right.
Picture 3 – Portrait (Whit background)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/250th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 100
White Balance Setting Custom (5150°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 55mm
Comments – I took this portrait in mind to present a complete contrast to the picture shown above. The picture was taken with my wife standing in front of a white backdrop using two mains powered studio lights to the rear of me each at 45 degrees (left and right) and an angled softbox positioned below pointing up towards the subject. It’s a very fresh looking image with a little less emphasis on what is normally referred to as ‘high key’ as I wanted to include more skin tone and colour to her complexion rather than almost blowing her colour right out.
Picture 4 – Portrait (Wrexham)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera handheld)
Speed 1/80th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 160
White Balance Setting Daylight (5500°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 70mm
Comments – A captured moment, my wife looking towards an amusing scene of two children playing on a hillside. To separate my wife from the background I deliberately chose to use a narrow depth of field for this shot.
Picture 5 – Portrait (Inside our Motorhome)
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (camera supported on a monopod)
Speed 1/8th sec
Aperture f2.8
ISO 2200
White Balance Setting Custom (3350°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 70mm
Comments – This picture was taken inside our motorhome, I wanted to capture my wife with a stance of difference from that of my normal portrait shot. I directed her to look down at her phone as if laughing at a text with her head against the wardrobe door. The camera was set to high ISO in order to capture a picture in low light without a flash, my reason for not using the flash was to match and blend the colour from the background of the wooden doors with her skin tones without any hotspots on her face or neckline, I also used a gold reflector to reflect light back on to her face.
With this exercise I initially chose not to include this picture as it’s noisier than what I normally accept and it was also taken on a very low speed with a hint of shake but the mood and the moment are two characteristics that I really like, hence my decision to include it. This picture was my setup shot and upon trying to recapture it with the camera setup the result just wasn’t as good … oh well, this one is down to experience.
What have I learnt from this exercise
I have learnt from this exercise to apply and give as much direction to the subject as possible to match the thoughts currently happening in my head and in short spaces of time these thoughts can progressively change and alter an original idea whilst shooting. This can be tricky and sometimes the ideas you are trying to put across don’t work as well as you had hoped for but with perseverance, patients and an understanding approach the pictures do start to come.
Thoughts and Reflection
Looking for the perfect location is difficult and as I mentioned in the last exercise many are seasonable. so picking the right time of year is paramount if you want bloom or best character (snow, mist etc) and visiting these locations needs to be planned appropriately. Some of these places may only warrant a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt others may need waterproof clothing and relevant footwear. This thought process also applies to equipment needed and equipment protection from the elements.
Summary
I have enjoyed this exercise and having to write out my thoughts and what I have learnt from the experience is a self recognition in achievement. This type of photography is not about landscapes or stills but more of directing a person dynamically to best suit a necessary mood, location and light condition … to mention just a few.
stingray493 