Favorite Window Light

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Page created  January 28, 2013
Sitting date:  October 20, 2012

   

Okay -- the light by the big comfy chair was changing too quickly, and the light on the back stairs was just a tad too dim.  That's what happens during the cooler months in the Pacific Northwest.  So, I decide that it's time to use the strobes -- that light is bright & consistent.

But on the way, I noticed some strong light there on the floor, right in front of the backdrop I had already set up (see it there on the left side of the image?).  I ask Trishii to lie down in that patch of sunlight.  She was perfect:  her skin was so smooth, her figure was so tight -- it was just perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little stool and a wide angle lens gives you a larger perspective on the entire setting.  But somehow, I just don't like this as much as the closer in pictures.  There is just not that much added by including all of Trishii's figure, and from this angle, there was just a bit too much glare coming off the floor, making the image too contrasty.

It's important that you look at the important variations.  If you don't try, you might miss out.  It helps if you are okay with failing every once in a while -- remember, your failures are more educational than your successes.

 

 

Here's an item from the "20-20 hindsight" file.  Trishii isn't exactly sweating during this setting; she's relaxed & comfortable.  But the light was just perfect.  You see that shadow under her ribs?  Her breathing was relaxed but very visible -- it was fascinating to me, how that shadow grew & receded as she breathed.  I was mesmerized.

I realized later that both my cameras were capable of recording moving pictures.  I should have filmed her breathing.  That was regrettable.  I hope that next time, when conditions are this perfect, that I remember to figure out how to make videos.

A lesser regret:  I should have asked Trishii to roll over onto her stomach. 

 

 

Trisshi is still on the floor in the same spot, but see how different that rib shadow is?  That's why I wanted to film her breathing.

In any case, this was just a quick interlude, taking advantage of some light I stumbled upon.  I could have (and perhaps should have) done more, but I was anxious to get Trishii under the strobes.

As it turns out, we return to my favorite window light.  I'll include these later window light images below:

 


 

When I convert the living room to a studio setting, I close the roman blind covering my favorite window.  When Trishii & I finished making some studio images (shown on the next page), I opened the blind, and there was the rare & lovely window light that happens sometimes during the colder months.  If all those elements come together (model, camera, light), I feel compelled to make some exposures.

I must like this image -- I made a couple different "artistic" variations.  I think my favorite is the brush effect, set to simulate a very large brush. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See how quickly the light is changing?  This image, above, was made just seconds after the previous one.  Note that the sunlight on the sheer pleats was sharp one moment and considerably softened in the next.  As you view the rest of the images on this page, you'll see that the sunlight is shifting back & forth between harsh & soft. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

I do like working with this window light during the cool months.  I like the diagonals.  I like the short & wide proportions.  I like the off-center compositions.  I like the wall shadows.  I'm just going to love this window for a long time, I think.

Studio Lighting

 

(Remember -- feedback is always appreciated) 

All images (c) 2013 Looknsee Photography

Trishii, First Visit Out Takes

Roughly 90 more images from this sitting are available in the Out Takes Galleries, which are available to those who have made a donation to the upkeep of this web site.  See this FAQ question for more details.