Book Size: Brochure 8.5x11
Finding the Light
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by Meg Fish
Indtroduction _____________
This is a quick educational magazine designed to help you see soft beautiful natural light. Many would say that having the perfect light makes the perfect photograph... I would also add that you must know how to use that light in order for it to create magic. My sweet daughter is a lovely model, but not a perfect one! So please forgive her casual posing as it is enough for this short tutorial. I wanted to show a lot of skin to help you see how light works on the body. I hope you learn something and enjoy a peek into my little home...
This book is created by Meg Sandu in 2013 with copyright to Meg Fish Photography This book may not be copied, printed or used other than educational purposes including selling in any way. all photos and text copyright Meg Fish. For more information please visit the website at www.megfish.com
The set-up
is fairly simple. This is my daughter’s room on the second floor of our home. The walls are painted a warm beige and the trim is cream. I say this because it is important to notice what objects in your photograph are actually pure white. In this photograph, none. So when you are adjusting for exposure remember not to overexpose and lose those beautiful midtones. The light is coming directly into the room through two large windows but I have the blinds down.They are actually pointing up to direct the light to the ceiling. That is how I am getting a ‘softbox’ looking light in the room. Light is bouncing off the ceiling evenly into the room.This is the most flattering light for portraits. If you do not have blinds, you can also purchase a diffusion panel (mine is a reflector kit that includes one). I just pop it in the window for small sessions. If you need full window coverage you’ll have to purchase the actual panel and tape it over the window or use it with a stand next to the window. I am showing this pull-back so you can see the set-up before I go through the detailed shots. Also please note that the windows are low to the ground. I use my hand to see how the light changes when I go below the window line. Usually the light gets much more flat and that is why I use a chair to prop up my model. In this case the light is pretty dynamic in most of the scene but it is always good to check.
Learning to See _____________
Beautiful light is just that. Beautiful. It makes your subject glow in its loveliness. I love this detail shot of my old chair because it shows a few qualities of light that are important. The first is where your highlights and shadows are. Here there is a very soft transition between dark and light tones with very soft shadoes. This is a matter of preference, but I prefer softer rather than harder shadows. The other thing to notice is the highlights aren’t so bright that they loose all color. There are a few spots of white in this photo but the rest is a beautiful scale of midtones. This shot is tact sharp, that means at least one part of this photograph is in perfect focus. When you have great light, you can also get great focus.This side light (window to the right) helps the camera to capture focus while softly making the shadows and lights distinquishable without harshness. Camera’s love a little help... I want to mention that all these photographs were shot around ƒ 2.0 and about 1/125th
Light Ratios
Obviously this is a boring item to talk about as you can see from my daughter’s pose and expression. But it is also the difference between flat and dynamic light.This is the key to taking your photographs to the professional level. Yes, this is what I went to school for! I won’t get into the numbers because that is not my specialty even though I use them almost daily. I do it by sight. It is simple. There is one part light on the left side of her face and three times that much light on the right. This is what creates a shadow. Flat lighting is when the light is even from all angles and there are no ‘rounding’ of the tones because it is the same tone on the whole face. Flat lighting is not bad, but it must be used purposefully and not by accident. Simply put, her right side is brighter than her left. This is the light to look for in every situation... even when it is overcast or you are under a tree in the shade.There is always a direction of light. You need to find out where it is coming from and pose your subject accordingly. Sometimes it is very subtle and other times you will have to find softer light when the shdow is too dark. A dark shadow means there is a lot of contrast in your frame. I prefer low contrast scenes... In all things there is a balance to look for as well as your personal style.
Backlighting Basics
Backlighting is beautiful and creates a very soft skintone with light wrapped around the edges. The problems to avoid are light getting into the lens (too much light) and losing your sharpness or ability to focus. Here the blinds are down and pointed upward. However in this photograph it looks like the windows are open because it is so bright. If the blinds had been open I would have gotten too much light directly in my lens causing flare and loss of focus. Make sure you always have a lens hood to prevent too much light. UV filters on the lens are great too. I am not shooting wide open (ƒ1.4) here, I am still about ƒ2+. At wide open you will also get too much light. The next thing you want to do is expose for the skin, not the whole frame. If you exposed for the
whole frame it would tell you it’s too bright. But you know that in order to get detail in the skin that is essentially in shadow, you need to expose a bit more. Since we are in the world of digital, play around a bit and take a few exposures to see what happens with the light. If you can’t get tact sharpness you have a light leak somewhere. Try a different angle or moving your hand over the lens to block some of the light. It takes practice and if you can learn to see what the light is doing in your camera lens you will get better at it. I don’t shoot this style all the time, but it is a beautiful addition to a gallery or a soft portrait. It also hides imperfections well and is great for maternity portraiture. All this will be true when the exposure is correct! Practice makes perfect.
Flat and Dynamic Light
This is by far the best change you can make in your portraiture when just beginning. The image on the left is flat lighting,.The window light is directly in front of her (and also bouncing off the ceiling). It’s not a poor photograph, it just lacks the depth of the one on the right. On this page the lighting is from the side and creates beautiful rich tones in the skin. I want nothing more than to visually help you to see the difference so that you can begin to see light’s graces in a whole new way. Both exposures are the same.
I have been photographing professionally for 5+ years. I love simple moments and capturing beautiful details of whatever comes my way. I am thrilled my journey has come this far and look forward to what is to come. My history in photography goes back to my roots and was love at first sight. I have since always had a camera. My husband and daughter have taught me more about life than I ever knew, and I am better for it. Ella’s giggles make my stomach fill with butterflies and my heart triple in size… We just had our son in March of this year and while taking time from work I find myself in many new projects. I am a perfectionist and sometimes find it hard to keep a balance in this fragile life. Especially now with two babes at home. It is a complete joy to be a mother and I am trying to cherish every detail before the time slips away… For more on my books visit my website at www.megfish.com. artist photograph by Christy Schuler at www.christyschuler.com
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” - Roald Dahl
MEG FISH ~est 2008~
www.megfish.com