Photography 1: P & P, Proj 3: Experimenting with Light

Project 3: Experimenting with light.

Using the same subject throughout and keeping the framing similar, a standard head and shoulders portrait, I took a series of photographs under different lighting conditions.

Initially I looked at other photographer's portrait work under differing lighting conditions.  These are shown below:

Amazon 2; Photographer: Per-Anders Pettersson; Gemma Arterton Visiting The Amazon

Sunrise through the aeroplane window illuminates the subject.  Window light fills the other side of the subject's face.

Amazon 5; Photographer: Per-Anders Pettersson; Rubber Farmer In The Amazon

Dark foliage absorbs much of the light.  The main lighting is from overhead, putting the face of the subject in shadow.  This is made worse by the cap worn by the subject.

Amazon 7; Photographer: Per-Anders Pettersson; Plantation Workers In The Amazon.

The darkness of the hut frames the subjects.  The only light falling on the two subjects is from outside.

Portrait 1; Photographer: Unknown German Photographer; Source: Die Zeit Newspaper

This portrait has attractive, even and natural looking lighting.  Possibly a reflector has been used to the right to illuminate the subject's hair.

Nat Geo 3: Photographer: Erika Larsen; Source: National Geographic Magazine

This portrait has good, even lighting due to the light reflected from the surrounding snow.

Nat Geo 4: Photographer: Erika Larsen; Source: National Geographic Magazine

Again this portrait has good even lighting due to the reflected light from the surrounding snow.  The colours appear vivid against the plain background.

8056; Nikon D300; F11; 1/60s

The lighting used for this photograph was an on-camera flash with a gold reflector below the subject's face to light the shadows.

8057; Nikon D300; F11; 1/60s

The lighting used for this photograph was an on-camera flash with a diffuser, (Gary Fong Light Sphere) without the lid on.  This has resulted in heavy shadows under the eyelids and chin of the subject.

8059; Nikon D300; F5.3; 1/60s

The lighting used for this photograph was an on-camera flash with a diffuser, (Gary Fong Light Sphere) with the lid on.  This has resulted in a better distribution of light but with some shadows under the eyelids and chin of the subject.  The result is a more attractive portrait.

8060; Nikon D300; F8; 1/40s

The lighting used for this photograph was an on-camera flash with a diffuser, (Gary Fong Light Sphere) with the lid on.  In addition a gold reflector was placed below the subject's face.  This has resulted in a much better distribution of light and the avoidance of shadows under the eyelids and chin of the subject.  The result is a much more attractive portrait.

8065; Nikon D300; F8; 1/40s

This photograph was taken using sunlight filtered by a window blind.  A gold reflector was placed below the subject's face.  This combination of lighting has produced a very attractive portrait.

8071; Nikon D300; F11; 1/400s

This photograph was taken outside in bright sunshine.  A gold reflector was placed below the subject's face to reduce the shadows under the chin.  This form of lighting has produced bright, saturated colours but is harsh and not particularly flattering to the female face.

8075; Nikon D300; F11; 1/200s

This photograph was taken outside in bright sunshine but with the sun shining at an oblique angle.  A gold reflector was placed below the subject's face to reduce the shadows under the chin.  This form of lighting has produced a more interesting portrait than the previous photograph.  The lighting is still harsh and not particularly flattering to the female face.

What have I learned from this exercise?

In order to produce an attractive portrait of a female subject, the best form of lighting to use is diffused sunlight as in image 8065.  This could be produced in the studio using a softbox or similar.  Using a gold reflector beneath the subject's face provides a warm light to illuminate the shadows.