Zeke Kamm - Strobist Photo Trade Secrets, Volume 2: Portrait Lighting Techniques (One-Off)

Vol. 2: Portrait Lighting Techniques

Zeke Kamm

STROBIST PHOTO TRADE SECRETS
VOL. 2: PORTRAIT LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

Published by Peachpit Press. For information on Peachpit Press books, contact:

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Peachpit Press is a division of Pearson Education
Text and illustrations copyright 2011 Trade
Secret Cards, LLC; all photographs separately copyrighted by their photographers.

EDITOR: Zeke Kamm
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Lisa Brazieal
PROJECT EDITOR: Rebecca Freed
COVER AND INTERIOR DESIGN: Mimi Heft
COVER PHOTO: Zeke Kamm
AUTHOR PHOTO: Deena Kamm
COMPOSITOR: Zeke Kamm
PROOFREADER: Rachel Fudge

NOTICE OF RIGHTS

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact .

NOTICE OF LIABILITY

The information in this book is distributed on an As Is basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the authors nor Peachpit Press shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

TRADEMARKS

Throughout this book trademarked names are used. Rather than put a trademark symbol in every occurrence of a trademarked name, we state we are using the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Strobist is a trademark of David Hobby. Used with permission.

ISBN 13: 978-0-321-75288-8
ISBN 10: 0-321-75288-0

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed and bound in the United States

May your love of photography and light bring you closer to the things you love.

Photo of author and son taken by wife

PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE STORYTELLERS.

Some photographers are great storytellers, some...not so much. But love it or lump it, every time we trigger the shutter we tell a story. Controlling the light in our images can help us tell the story bettermuch better. We can use light to tell the viewer what to look at or what to ignore. We can use light to make the image seem funny, scary, mysterious, sexy, or exciting. The same image lit three ways could tell three completely different stories. If you arent thinking about light when you shoot, youre letting someone else decide, at least in part, what your story is about. Personally, I like to be the one who decides what my story is about.

Still, lighting is a tool, a means to an end, not the end in itself. Practice, learn, experiment, but never let your lighting skills, or lack thereof, get in the way of a good idea or the story you want to tell. Never pass on a photo because the light isnt right. Dont become obsessed with lightor rather, become obsessed: Drink up every drop of light-learning you can. Then relax and let the obsession settle into your gut, your lungs, your spine so it becomes part of how you communicate as a photographer.

If you are scared of lighting your photos, dont be. Do you get the shivers when you decide what part of your photo to set the focus on? How about when to take the shot? Or what angle to shoot it from? No. You dont let someone else decide those things. So why let someone else decide how your image is lit? With just a little extra knowledge and a bit of practice you can control the light in your images as easily as you control the focus. Of course, there is one catch. You cant just read this book. You have to get out there and do it! Go. Take me with you if you like, but get out there and shoot!

Zeke Kamm

Editor, NicePhotoMag.com

2011 TradeSecretCards.com
Photo Jesse Rosten JesseRosten.com

SHOOTING IN A small cove, Jesse Rosten dunked his subjects into the icy-cold waters of Californias Sacramento River with nothing to defend himself but two lights, a smoke machine, and a great idea. By setting the mood with the smokebacklit by a small flash and keeping what was revealed of the environment to a minimumthanks to the overhead strobe and tight framingJesse is able to transport the viewer back in time and across the sea.

2011 TradeSecretCards.com
Photo Alexey Fursov flickr.com/alexey05

GOOD COMPOSITION draws the viewers eyes from the edge of the image to the point where you want them to look. Little draws a viewers eyes more than strong, contrasting lines all pointing to the same spot. To achieve this, Alexey Fursov found the perfect angle to shoot from, then backlit the tunnel to accentuate the shadows between the logs. He hand-held a second small flash aimed into a bounce umbrella to bring up the foreground focal point with a soft light that wouldnt wash out the edges of the frame.

2011 TradeSecretCards.com
Photo Steven Hatch flickr.com/photos/shatch

INSPIRED BY THE classic film A Christmas Story, Steven Hatch dragged his kids out to a nicely frozen pole at a local park and set up two flashes, each with a shoot-through umbrella. After directing the talent into the positions and expressions he was after, Steven fired away with the models tongue a safe distance from the pole. Steven took a second shot with the boys tongue pressed against a plastic bowl and combined the two shots into the breathtaking image you see here.