though the light quality itself is dependent on how the light arrived there. Ba-
sically, in open shade, you can have some directional light as it filters through
tree limbs, overhangs, buildings, etc. Ideally, when working in open shade, you
could fill in some of the flatness by bouncing light off a reflector, like the Cal-
ifornia Sunbounce, or from a portable studio flash with an attached beauty dish
modifier onto your subject.
Shooting in open shade also necessitates making some adjustments to your
white balance. Because the light in open shade areas tends to be cool (e.g.,it
has a high Kelvin temperature), your subject may appear with a cyan or blue-One of my favorite places to photo-
graph models is the Atlanta mansion
of “Weezie” from the television show
The Jeffersons.While the actress her-
self, Isabella Sanford, is no longer
with us, her son allows me to do
photography at this location. The
first floor has white carpet, white
drapes and a white piano next to
large, clear windows, creating a
great atmosphere for ambient light
photography during daylight hours.
Here, I’ve captured Kati as she rests
comfortably at the end of the piano.
The piano itself acts as a soft white
reflector. (CAMERA:Canon EOS 5D fit-
ted with a Canon 85mm f/1.2L USM
lens. SETTINGS:85mm effective focal
length,^1 / 320 second shutter speed,
f/1.2, white balance at 5400K, ISO
100)