Lighting Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios: Strategies for Digital Photographers

(C. Jardin) #1
Theimagewasfinishedwithaclassicfilm-edgeborderinPhotoshop,com-
pleting the vintage look.
Practical Example: Gobos to Control Lens Flare.Thefirstimage(5-11)
was shot outdoors using flash for fill light but without a gobo to control lens
flare. Notice the loss of sharpness and the over all hazy look of the shot. The
secondimage(5-12)wasshotwiththesameexposureandfill-inflash.Infact,
there are only two differences between this and the previous shot. First, I had
the model turn slightly so I would have her against a dark background. Sec-
ond, I added a lens shade, essentially a gobo, to keep the sunlight from hit-
ting the lens. These two quick steps eliminated the haze and resulted in a
much better image.

Scrims.


Scrimsaretranslucentdevicesusedtodiffuselight.Asthelightpassesthrough
the scrim, its rays are scattered (see page 32), making it softer and producing
less contrast on the subject. Basically, a scrim works the same way the diffuser
in a softbox works (see page 79), but it can be used with any light source.

LIGHT MODIFIERS 75

24x32-inch softboxat elevation of 3 feet
camera on tripod

7-inch parabolic 7-inch parabolic

black posterboard
as gobo

black posterboard
as gobo

5-10(facingpage).Gobos helped con-
trol the effect created by the accent
lights behind the model. A “hand
printed” edge created in Photoshop
added a final touch to the vintage look.


5-11, 5-12.Adjusting the model’s position and adding a lens shade resulted in a much better image.

Free download pdf