It’s a good day when I figure something new out. When I grow in some tiny incremental way toward being a better, greater photographer. Today I figured out a new way to use my large softbox. It’s not a huge leap forward by any means, but it’s a way to get the type of mysterious, moody light I like out of a large modifier. It’s not a great picture, but it’s a picture of small improvement. And that’s always welcome.
Perry Headshot * Copyright all Rights Reserved Tim Lewis Photography 2015
One thing I’ve been wanting to add to my arsenal is the idea of making people look more “Luminous”. Shoot and edit them so that they almost seem to glow from within with light and energy. Really it just comes down to how you’re processing the image (in this case I pushed the blue channel a lot for detail in the face) and paying very close attention to the density of the shadow areas. You should always have a “core” of shadow somewhere in the image, to define shape and avoid the appearance of flat light…. but if that core falls off into black too quickly it can look odd. Controlling light during the shoot with reflectors and directional lighting is key, and then curves adjustments in post to ease the transitions gets you the rest of the way there.
