Focus On Lighting Photos Focus on the Fundamentals.pdf

Same principle: We can
control the size of the
light in many ways
This photo of a little girl is also a
one-flash setup. In this case, the
photographer used an off-camera
flash. The flash was set off by a
wireless flash trigger. The photographer
made his own softbox using
cardboard box with tracing paper
taped over an 8-by-10-inch square
hole cut in a cardboard box. A
second hole was cut into the back
side, just big enough to put the
flash in. To make the catchlights
in the eyes look like they came
from a four-pane window, he put
two strips of black tape across the
tracing paper in a cross pattern.
In this case, a white foam board
reflector was positioned at camera
left to bounce a bit of light back
into the shadows. The decision of
when to add fill is an individual
one—there is no one right answer.
So look at your camera’s image
display and make decisions as you
shoot. No reflector was used as a
hair light because the light-colored
hat retained enough detail. The
softbox was about a foot away
from the subject.
Haven’t got a softbox and
don’t feel like making one? We
can get the same effect using
actual window light. The only
problem with a real window is
that we don’t have immediate
control over the light coming in.
Unclouded sun makes a hard
light, whereas both clouded sun
and open sky make soft lights.
The best time for the light may be
the worst time for our schedule of
other things we have to do.
There’s More Than <strong>On</strong>e Way to Get Things Done
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