the ones you allow light to fall on. It’s up to you to determine what areas
those should be. Conversely, if you have a subject in a white dress against a
white background, the areas that attract the eye will be the ones you prevent
lightfromhitting.Therearelightingdecisionsyoucanmakeintermsofcolor
composition, too—like adding a warm gel to your main light, a colored gel
on the background, or maybe choosing a gold reflector instead of a silver
one. Even changing the white-balance setting on your camera can change
how the camera “sees” the scene and how its composition is interpreted by
viewers. (More on this in chapter 2.)
Use a Tripod.
As a final note, I suggest that you make it a practice to use a tripod. A tripod
does more than simply hold the camera steady. It allows you to set the hori-
zon line level and to avoid having to reset it each time you shoot. It also lets
you evaluate the composition more carefully as you are setting up the shot.
This leaves you free to really focus on the model’s expression when shoot-
ing—a critical element in creating top-quality images.
Additionally, using a tripod eliminates some of the fatigue that can be
caused by having to hold the camera all day—especially since many of the
28 LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR PHOTOGRAPHING MODEL PORTFOLIOS
1-8(left).The model stands out from
the dark blue background because she
is lighter and warmer in tone and color.
1-9(right).The model’s shape, in dark
jeans, is sharply defined against the
white background.