Pascal Baetens. Nude Photography. The Art and The Craft. 2007

lighting 69

Stained glass
this picture was taken in the late afternoon,
when just a small area of the room was lit by the
sun through a stained-glass window, leaving the
rest in deep shadow. this effect can be easily
achieved wherever light falls directly through
colored glass or any other transparent material.

Bounced light and movement

this image makes use of the bright midday sun,

which is bouncing off the tiled path outside and

creating a shadow of the model on the plastic

strips hanging in the doorway.

Reflected light

the light falling through the old blown glass

of my studio windows comes from beneath the

model’s face. this is only possible because she

is lying down. i could have had the light coming

from her left or right, or from above, each of

which would have created a different effect.

Patches of light

For each of these images i asked my model to find a small area

of light falling into the room and to imagine why she was looking for

the sunlight: comfort, warmth, or memories? As ever, i tried to

ensure that the light, composition, and pose were all in harmony

with the atmosphere i wanted for the image.