NEW - Ken Gilbert

TIPS FROM A PRO
BOY ‚ SLife
Transforming ordinary
moments into art
If your idea of a stroll is blissful
meandering, don’t take a walk with
photographer Jeffrey Lamont Brown (www.
jeffreybrown.com). Or so his father learned
while ambling through a fi eld with Brown
and the photographer’s son Sasha.
The sun was strong, and a gentle
wind blew across the Colorado plain.
Suddenly, the eldest Brown had a piece of
cardboard—a makeshift refl ector—thrust
into his hands as he was dragged into
position next to his son. The photographer
commanded, “Keep the light on Sasha!”
as he began fi ring off frames with his
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II and 24–70mm
f/2.8L Canon lens. Sasha remained lost in
his own world as the three of them moved
along as a unit. The result is this image of
a boy’s dreamy afternoon of discovery.
“My son is a huge fan of having his
picture made, but I'm very selective about
when I photograph him because when I’m
shooting I’m not ‘Daddy’ anymore,” the
San Diego-based photographer says. “I’m
not mentally present in his world—I’m a
producer/director at work.”
After a career as a photojournalist, the
active-lifestyle photographer has found
Text by Laurence Chen; photo by Jeffrey Lamont Brown
his news skills invaluable for producing
a commercial shoot. He has an eye for
authenticity and capturing a moment as
the action unfolds. “It’s like this super grabshot
thing, but it also requires vigilance and
commitment to anticipating it,” he says.
But getting the shot is only half
the picture. Brown isn’t satisfi ed with
straight captures—he likes the sense
of heightened reality that comes from a
subtle use of high dynamic range (HDR)
imaging. That’s where his postproduction
and RAW workfl ow in Adobe Camera Raw
and Photoshop come into play. His advice:
1
Control contrast and
shoot RAW. Brown’s technique
makes a powerful argument for
capturing images in RAW format. Though
that’s often seen as a way to compensate
for poor exposure, a great initial exposure
lets you create HDR images from a single
frame—crucial with a moving subject.
Expose to favor detail in the highlights,
and use refl ectors to fi ll the shadows in
important parts of the frame for a natural
look. Brown uses whatever he can fi nd to
kick light into the shadows of his shots,
typically building 4x8-foot refl ectors on
location using basic materials from a local
home improvement store. Practice with
boards or fabrics at different times of day
to gain experience. And working with an
assistant (even your dad) helps put the
light right where you want it.
2
Layer multiple RAW
conversions. Brown generally
begins by converting the RAW fi le
three times—for shadow and highlight
detail, and for midtones (such as a face).
He combines these three versions into a
single fi le of three layers, usually beginning
with the shadow layer on the bottom, the
highlights layer next, and the midtone
layer on top. But he’ll vary the sequence
depending on the content of the photo.
3 Plan your masks to
reveal detail. For instance,
when Brown wants more shadow
detail in one part of the photo, he creates
a layer mask on the top and “burns down”
through the layer with a brush or other tool
to reveal it, digging down into darks for
more luminosity. “Almost all the pictures
in my portfolio have half a dozen layers
in them. I’m no purist—I have no interest
in using what comes straight out of the
camera,” he says. “You have to bring a
point of view to your work, a perspective.
That’s what people hire you for.” p
42 WWW.POPPHOTO.COM POP PHOTO MAY 2009