Just horsing around in the studio one day, shooting portraits for fun. No client. No deadline. No schedule. I default to my favorite lighting. It's one, big soft light in a Balcar 60 inch Zebra umbrella with a diffusion panel over the front face of the umbrella to smooth out and soften that silver/white alternating pattern. I used it with a tungsten light (am I crazy or are other people also in love with the way continuous light softens skin and what not....?) The background is a natty old grey dyed muslin, twenty feet behind Rene that's being lit with a small, unfocused fresnel fixture. Three "must have" items for photographic happiness: any camera. any nice, large light source. a beautiful woman.
The lighting is so simple. Someone asked me if I would do a workshop but I'm not sure what we'd talk about after the fifteen minutes it would take to set up the lights and meter them. I guess we could spend the rest of the day having lunch and cocktails. The plumbing part of photography is pretty straightforward. Thank goodness. That gives us time to work on the hard stuff. Like finding the right subjects. Posing and expression. Film development or file massage. Printing. Whatever. You know, the stuff you really can't teach....
Just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying your blog. The last several posts in particular have been terrific. It is too easy to get caught up in all the hardware of photography. Who doesn't want a new camera, a new lens, etc.? But most (?) of us got into photography because of our interest in capturing a moment, communicating what that moment meant to us. To get back to talking about the light, the pose, seeing versus looking--regular doses of this kind of talk are just what the doctor ordered.
ReplyDeleteThanks and please keep it coming.
JH
How about a workshop on how to do a workshop?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day it's always about the subject and the light. We're just there to make sure both are captured. Great emphasis of the truth of photography Kirk (as always). I learn more here on your blog than anyplace else I go on "the net". Thank you again Kirk.
ReplyDeleteAroundOmaha, That is such a nice thing to say. Thank you very much. Makes me happy to sit down and write.
ReplyDeleteDave, We could go thru that pretty quick too. The important thing is the quality of the coffee and the donuts!
I follow a few blogs but only really read yours and DIYphotography, because you are an awesome writer and you don't over complicate a simple thing to make yourself look like a god. I appreciate the art of the other photographers writing blogs but they are just looking for followers, i'm not sure if they are out to really teach us anything, unless we pay them.
ReplyDelete