Underneath It All

Sweet Emotions in the Studio

I’m switching gears a bit this week. I’ll do that occasionally. I wouldn’t want you to get bored, or complacent.

Complacency is the worst.

Ok then. I may have mentioned this before, but portraiture has become a passion of mine. Today I’m doing a show-and-tell piece about portraits from a few weeks ago.

But before I get there, allow me to state that, in these weekly letters, I continue to remind myself of things that are precious in life. What you’ll see next is the result of people who contributed to each other. “Small” contributions like this can be easy to overlook, so let’s not do that. For this shoot each person seemed to be mostly concerned with meeting the other person’s objectives, ahead of their own. It’s really wonderful to be surrounded by people like that. Brock Covington, the subject, is a lovely person. And Stacia assisted us, which was both generous and a big contribution.

I love me a good and joyous win-win-win.

So anyway, last month I provided lights and cameras, while Brock provided clothes and a faux fur.

My objective was to make specific, pre-imagined shots for a secret project I’m creating. Brock’s goal was to get engaging, sexy shots of himself.

Image One

This first one is destined for my project, and is very close to my pre-imagining.

For a project

If you have reactions and you’re willing to share them, please post in the comments below. I would be honored and others will likely enjoy the commentary, so don’t miss a chance to contribute in your own way.

Switching gears, I offer a warning: The next paragraph is a technical explanation of what I did. You have full permission, plus my blessings, if you skip it because you don’t care.

But if you’re curious, I used a “back light” on each side and a fill card to bounce a bit of light back to his face, to keep it from being 100% black. The strobes are positioned at roughly 45 degree angles from behind him, which is why the temples are hot while eyes are only lightly illuminated. Having a light on each side also explains why the fringe of his fist is illuminated all the way around. The lights are not identically spaced, however. The strobe to his left (photographer’s right) is slightly forward compared to the opposite strobe, which allows the two hemispheres of the face to seem equivalently illuminated, until you look at the nose and shoulder. It’s almost, but not quite, perfectly symmetrical. Whether you like it that way or not, that’s what I did.¹

BTW, for any photographers who would like to try this sort of thing, you don’t need an expensive studio. You can do this in your garage (ask me how I know).

Image Two

OK, here is another one of “my” shots:

Hands down

This is lit quite a bit differently, with a single, very soft light source. Window light.

Again, your comments would be greatly appreciated.

I didn’t make this for a specific project, it’s just something I wanted to create once we got going. That happens too in a portrait shoot, if everybody is willing.

Image Three

Next is one of “Brock’s” shots:

Stripes and solids

This was made with similar lighting to the first image. But while the dramatic lighting is almost identical, there is a much different feel overall, due to the pose and the expression. Funny how that works.

More technical: For those who are learning lighting, the first and third images were made with “hard light”. I used smaller strobe modifiers (softboxes) and pulled them back away from my subject, which creates the strong contrast. Bare bulb is another option, but in this case it was too much. Either way, “hard light” leads to blown-out whites and blacker blacks, with limited tonal transition between the two. They’re unlike the very soft light of the second shot, where the tonal shifts are much more gradual and subtler. If no window light had been available for the second shot I could have used my Very Large 5-foot softbox and put it and proximally-closer to Brock. It could have created a similar effect, but I liked the window light best.

Image Four

We made a lot of images that morning but I’m only presenting four of them today, and this is the fourth. This is also one of “Brock’s” shots, from a set with the faux fur that I’d mentioned earlier.

Classical faux fur

For those who study such things, this is a classic lighting style. Something you might find in a traditional, formal portrait, it’s known as “Rembrandt Lighting.” I don’t use it often, but I thought it would work here.

Again, if you have opinions that are either flattering or soul-crushing, either way, bring ‘em. Seriously, they are all welcome. Would I lie to you?!? Well, possibly, but this happens to be an earnest request :-)

Other Notes

1. I love color, but I also love black and white images, especially for dramatic portraiture.

2. In all four images the hands are a big deal.  Lighting yes, the expressions, absolutely.  But also the hands. Think about how the mood is altered from one image to the next, based on the hands.

3. If you are anywhere near me, or want to fly me out to you… I’m not sure I was clear about this before, but I love making portraits. You’d be a great subject, I’m sure of it. Go to my website, get my contact information, and give me a buzz.

Thanks, and see you next week.

Oh, and please continue to Be Generous, with yourself and others! Above all else. Put it on your calendar if that helps (Austin Kleon can assist). It’s a wonderful thing.

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Is there something here you like or dislike? Questions? Have anything else to say? Let us all know by clicking on the Comments button below, and express yourself. Don’t be shy, now.

If you like this post you’re bound to like the next one as well. I’m sending them weekly. Quit any time, or better yet, stay and read on!

Know anybody who should hear about all this? Be a friend and let them know!

Or, are you interested in seeing more work? My website welcomes you. We may even want to work together. I promise a joyous and productive experience if we do. www.dobkinphoto.com

1. I considered including a behind-the-scenes image with dimensions rather than this explanation. But people don’t always realize that you need to be willing to tweak every lighting setup, even if you have a go-to style. So you could start out copying someone’s approach, or replicating what you did last week, but that’s often not sufficient. Your subjects are different shapes, wear different things, etc. and it’s important to always be sure you are getting the feeling that you want from an image. Start with what you think. Then shoot, check and tweak, shoot, check and tweak, until you have the effects you desire.

This has been a public service announcement.