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.
