My Fascination with Light

I have always been fascinated by light, but that fascination has definitely intensified since I became a photographer.  Once it clicked in my head (no pun intended) that light was the most important piece in making a photograph, my mind started spinning with ways to use and manipulate light.  I’m the person who goes to see a movie, and notices every beam of light, the direction of light, the color of light, the source of light, what is absorbing it and reflecting it, plus a ton of other things!  I do the same thing when we’re watching TV or Netflix at home too.

In observing television and movies in that way, I consider myself a student of light, and consider my “education” ongoing. I'm going to walk you through a few of my favorite TV series, movies, and just recent things we've watched.

La La Land was a full experience of the senses for me from the loads of color to dance ensembles to musical numbers to exceptional use of lighting.

I was blessed to have learned the basics of off-camera lighting early on in my career, and I enjoy pushing myself and my boundaries when it comes to using flash.  A couple years ago I purchased my first MagMod kit, and I love incorporating those pieces into my work and creating cool, dramatic, colorful images that it would be difficult to create without them.

I wanted to walk you through a few screenshots to show you what inspires me and get a little peek into what is going through my head when I watch a film or television show.

The Handmaid's Tale is another great study in the use of light and lack thereof.  One of my favorite cinematic uses of light is like this where you can see clear beams of light coming through a window or slat.

The Greatest Showman was an absolute treat for me.  Aside from the music (which everyone is raving about for good reason), the use of spotlights, backlights, "circus" lights, and colored lights just floored me. 

Another shot from The Greatest Showman's opening scene that immediately drew me in with the sawdusty-filtered light and silhouettes.  I knew from this moment, that this film would be a feast for my eyes (and ears!).

One other recent favorite was Wonder Woman, which had a lot of dark scenes that took place at dusk or after dark.  It's in the absence of light that we can witness more creativity with light, and this film definitely showed that.

I think it's so interesting when moviemakers film scenes during the day, but make them look like night.  It makes sense though -- you have enough light to focus and be able to see your actors, but then you use a density filter or editing to darken everything without losing contrast or details.

My husband and I started watching Breaking Bad a few weeks ago too, and while much of this show is filmed in the harsh New Mexico sun, there are also times when the lighting and visuals are truly outstanding.  In particular, a couple of scenes involving Walter White and Gus Fring sitting across from each other and talking stand out to me, kind of like this photo.

One last one before I move on to my own work -- I enjoy Scandal (this one NOT with the hubs -- haha!), and especially their use of lighting both during the daytime office scenes and the darker might scenes.  I also pay particular attention to the scenes in the office where the camera is shooting through something like a glass.  If you haven't noticed it before, watch for it!

And now I'm going to show you some of my own work that shows the ways in which I use light and am learning to stretch my knowledge and talents. First up is probably my favorite image I created in all of 2017.  I wanted to really get to know my MagMod equipment and pinpoint light on an inanimate object or product (hence the beer), and I knew I also wanted to use my gelled lights in the background.  There was also a little help in there from some Atmosphere Aerosol too!  And so this image was born, and I absolutely LOVE it.

Abita Purple Haze gets the spotlight in this favorite image from 2017!

If I were to have not used a flash here, I would have had to bump up my ISO a LOT to be able to see everything, and I really didn't want to see all the stuff in the background, and I wanted it to be dark back there.  So by keeping my ISO low and aiming my lights at just this table, your eye is drawn to it and not everything else in the room.  Plus, as a photographer who gravitates to bold, true-to-life color, I like that flash can give me that deep color I want.

First dance photos are where my off-camera flash (gridded, cross-lighting) really shines.  Again, I don't want to light up the whole room, but I want the bride and groom to be lit well.  This gives me a clear line of sight from the flash to their faces, and again gives me the true color and skin tones on them that I strive for.  One other thing of note on this image - the hair light you see behind their heads was actually a continuous video light from the videographer.  So even with using flash, I can still make use of ambient light, especially uplighting or chandeliers. :)

Similar to the first dance photos, I love to cross-light or side-light the cake to really bring out the details and separate the cake from the background or the rest of the room.  This technique works great for cake toppers too that are often the same color as the rest of the decor.

This image was created with my off-brand continuous wand light (similar to the Ice Light).  It has a limited battery life, but is great for quick shots like this (in cold December!) when I am not able to get to my flash equipment or am limited on time.

Sunset photos are one of my favorite times to use my flash equipment.  It allows me to pull in the colors of the sky, but still be able to see my subjects.  And then with just a couple quick settings changes, you can also turn this into a glamourous silhouette.

Off-camera flash also allows you to do more "big sky" type photos because you can get further away from your clients, but your light will still reach them.  A few seconds in photoshop to remove the light and voila!

The creative possibilities are endless with the MagMod flash modifier system.  This setup took me about 30 seconds and I have this really great silhouette using one of the couple's wedding colors.

That about wraps it up!  I have some new lighting projects in the works for 2018, and am planning to continue to use my favorite techniques on my clients as well.  Stay tuned for those posts as the year goes on!

What projects are you planning for this year to stretch your photography skills?  
What lighting technique is most intriguing to you?

The above screenshots were used for commentary through the Fair Use Act.