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Typically,
the objective of the first sitting with a new-to-me model
is simply, "get acquainted". I never get
a full understanding of what a model looks like until I
photographer her myself, and no photograph made by someone
else will communicate to me what kind of chemistry the model &
I will have. So, for a first session, I like to do
some work with the strobes and, weather permitting, with
natural light. So, I pretty much want to visit the
big comfy chair often. I like the afternoon light
in this corner of the living room. |
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Usually when
I'm making photographs, there is just me & the model
around. It takes me a little while for me to transition
from one setup to the next, and that interval is a good
time for the model to take a break. Sage donned this
bright red robe while I got ready, and we decided to start
photographing her in it. |
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Compare this
image to the right with the previous images on this page.
Notice anything different? Look at the color balance.
This image's colors are generally warmer than the previous
images.
I still
consider myself new to digital photography & to color
photography. The difference is really very simple:
when we got started (on the "Getting
Started With Sage") page, I had properly set the
digital camera's color balance to "flash" light,
but I forgot to reset it to "natural" light when
we got started working with the window light.
I make
this mistake often. I've got to remember this.
The proper color balance setting makes an important difference.
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For some people,
a photograph starts with the subject matter or the concept
or the model or the furniture or the clothing or whatever.
For me, a photograph begins & ends with the light.
After all, "photograph" translates into "a
recording of light".
This is an
excellent example of why I like photographing models in
this particular corner of the living room (where the comfy
chair resides). Here is soft, semi-directional light,
with just enough shadow to provide depth. Great eye
contact, lovely figure, good contrasting colors all contribute
to the photograph, but it's really the light that makes
this picture.
Here are some
variations.
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Another fascinating
thing about working in this corner of the living room is
that a tiny change in the camera perspective creates a radical &
dramatic difference in the lighting. Here, I have
moved the camera maybe two feet to the right, and we have
much stronger shadows.
As a
B&W photographer of old, I have long been aware that
on cloudy days, the light can change radically from moment
to moment. As a color photographer newbie, however,
I am noticing that the color balance can change radically
from moment to moment. This image, on the left, has
a slightly cooler tint to my eye. For a future exercise,
I'm going to have to learn how to fine tune the color balance
via photo editing.
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This probably
is my favorite image of the set with Sage, simply because
it's a terrific marriage of Sage's fabulous figure with
some really nice light. This image on the left is
a cropping of a larger, horizontal picture, shown below.
I think the image below is preferred.
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I've always
known that my approach to photography has been cerebral
-- I think about images a lot, and I'm always looking for
variations. Hence, my interest in cropping and "artistic
effects". All these images came from the same
original. |
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