to just cup my hand over the end of the flash-
light, allowing the small amount of light that
escapes to enable me to aim the flashlight where I
want to start. It is important to have a plan in
mind before you turn on the light. Know where
you are going to start and end, and which areas
you want to illuminate more and less. For the
cowboy hat in Figure 9-12, I knew I needed to
get light on the front of the hat to get the detail,
and I also knew that I wanted some light in the
background to show a little of the colors of the
blanket. I started with the flashlight on the back-
ground, then came to the front and painted in
the details on the hat.Playing with the light
It is essential, in order to take a good photo, to
keep the light moving. If you keep the light
aimed at a single spot, then you will end up with
an area that is overexposed, or a hot spot, in your
image. When you keep the light moving, the
light will look softer and more appealing. This
gives the image a more painted feeling.
One of the more difficult steps in this process is
turning the light on and off, especially when
working in the dark. If the light is aimed directly
at the subject, then once the light comes on,
you have to start moving it immediately. The
low-tech method that I have used successfully is
ABOUT THIS PHOTO Using a small flashlight, I painted in the details of the Nikon D3 camera, making sure I let the light play over the front of
the lens as well. Taken at 31 seconds, f/22, and ISO 200.
9-11