Jose and Lolis are expecting their first child any day. I asked if they had an ultrasound image and they did, so we used their iPad as a prop. ISO 200 1/15 sec @ f2.8 100 mm lens.
Recognizing where usable light exists in any scene is a necessary skill if you want to excel at photographing people.
Instead of dragging out a lot of lighting equipment, the more experienced photographers learn early on to assess where the ‘good usable light‘ is and try to work with it.
By goodusable light I mean light which you can use either to fill, highlight or accent your subject as opposed to the visible light which enables you to see or locate your lost contact lens.
The trouble is, that particular skill only comes after you begin playing with lighting your subjects using flash or strobes.
Behind-the-scenes of the picture above. I used a combination of available light and speedlites fitted with 1/4 CTO gels.The Octodome had 2 Canon 600-EX-RT Speedlites set to the same group, C, for more power and faster recycling. The 3rd one that was placed on the bed (fitted with Impact Strobos Globe Diffuser) was set to group B so it’s output could be controlled separately. Jose sat on the bucket while Lolis was on the edge of the bed on the left.
For this portrait in their bedroom, I used one silvered reflector clamped to a light stand on the left and I used my Octodome on the right with both Speedlites inside gelled with 1/4 CTO gel to balance the late evening sun’s temperature. The 3rd Speedlite is inside a global diffuser placed just behind Jose. ISO 200 1/125 sec @ f2.8 50mm lens.
Assessing the Scene
As Lolis changed, I took the opportunity to vary my lighting. I used my silvered reflector on the left and the Octodome placed above her for this picture. Notice the beautiful rim light coming in from the window on the right? That’s why I dropped my shutter speed. I took several pictures at this particular setting because I knew if I could hand hold this successfully, I would have a wonderful image. ISO 200 1/15 sec f2.8 50mm lens
Whenever I arrive at a location to shoot, I consider the following: backgrounds and light.
It’s a well known fact in photography that “whatever doesn’t add always distracts from your subject.”
If I can find a usable background or backdrop on location, it means one less thing to set up like a seamless or muslin and their accompanying stands.
Sometimes, there is just not enough time or space to be moving people and furniture around especially if there are multiple wardrobe changes.
A change in their outfits and the portrait has a different feel even though the lighting is still very similar. The silvered reflector on the left just outside of the frame provides surprising amount of light . I had 1 Speedlite inside the Impact Globos diffuser on the floor bounced into the silvered reflector. My Octodome is on the right just outside the frame in this shot. ISO 400 1/15sec @ f2.8 with a 50mm lens.
Good Usable Light
Light has 3 components that matter for photographers: color temperature, quantity and quality.
If I step into a room with a lot of daylight streaming in and it is directional, that can be good ‘quality light‘ especially if the walls are neutral in color.
On the other hand if there is a lot of tungsten or incandescent mixed in with florescent and daylight, I have to decide which of these light sources I want to dominate and then gel my Speedlites or strobes to match them if I need to.
Too little light to autofocus
Supplementing lighting–Low light levels mean autofocus is unreliable so I tend to bring in a small LED light to help me manually focus. That LED light is often low in intensity and doesn’t affect exposure. Working in the basement of Back to the Grind coffeehouse.As long as there is sufficient light for my camera’s auto focus to work, I am usually a happy camper.
Worse case scenario, I can always bring in a continuous light source like a battery-operated small LED light panel to help me manually focus.
So my decision on where to shoot once I arrive is to find the best of both these two criteria: a good uncluttered or complementary background and an area where there is available light I can use.
