Holiday Card Tips

Before I got behind the camera and started taking pictures, I really didn't think about the importance of light much.  Unless you are a physicist I imagine the average person doesn't think about light either.  Just a couple classes in the studio and that all changed...

This week our professor stated, "photography is manipulation".  That is a pretty strong statement, but  when you stop and think about it, no one wants to hire a photographer who doesn't know how to manipulate light.  Apart from the obvious shot that is too dark or too light and blown out there is a whole world of light out there.  As a photographer it is important not only to capture or create the light you are looking for, but also use the most flattering light for the subject.  Basically a photographer needs to present a client the best image of themselves.

The average person probably doesn't care about the angles, intensity, color, or duration of light but I imagine they do want to look good in their pictures.  I think it is probably pretty rare for a person to say, "I would really like my face to look wider in this shot.  Lets do that."  I wanted to post a small technique/trick that is useful in almost any situation.  Applying this technique can make a face appear wider or skinnier in photographs.

In the studio we photographed Kimme, a model from a local agency.  She was chosen because she had a very symmetric face and would be a good example of the lighting techniques.  Here is a photograph of her straight on.  Typically photographing someone with their shoulders square to the camera is not their most flattering angle.  I think my professor's words were, "this makes people look more like linebackers."  This shoulders-square shot is here to give you a reference only.

 






































For the next two lighting setups, the model is sitting in the same location relevant to the lights.  She is sitting on a stool and there are two lights equidistant from her location.   One light is located on the camera's 45 degree left and the other light is on the camera's 45 degree right.  The key light, or more intense light, is on her left.  The fill light is on her right.

 

For the first shot, the broad side shot, Kimme is facing away from the key light 45 degrees.  When she faces away from the stronger light, more of her face is illuminated.  This is called broad side lighting.  Although we can see she is a petite girl, having the larger part of her face illuminated creates the illusion that she is actually wider in the face then she actually is.  This is demonstrated in the photo below:

By turning to face the light at a 45 degree angle, Kimme is illuminating the smaller part of her face.  This is called short side lighting.  Short side lighting creates the illusion of having a more narrow face.

So the next time you take a picture, are you going to stop the photographer and say, "Wait...I need to turn towards the key (primary/most intense) light at a 45 degree angle so you see the smaller part of my face" ...probably not.  But unless you want it to look like your face is wider...this will help you choose a photo for the holiday card with the most flattering lighting setup.

Here's helping you capture your best self...