Working with Bob - First Light

Portraits of Men

Starting over - First Light

This is Bob, he has one light on him, it's coming from a Smith Victor Flood light with a diffusion screen. It's placed on the right hand side about five feet from the subject.

These shots were done on the digital camera, which was right beside the 8x10. It's easier to show the lighting with the digital than it is with film, although I shot both.

This is classic Rembrandt lighting. I've looked at a fair amount of Rembrandt paintings and found that he didn't actually use this lighting all that often, but everyone calls it that. The key is creating the triangle of light on the shadow side of the face.

If Bob turned his head slightly to the light (which is hard to do if you're Bob), you would call this "Broad Lighting" because it lights the broad part of the face, or the side of the face turned towards the camera.

I took the readings off the Grey Card and shot with the 8x10 at F16 and one second.

Rob Skeoch
www.thepicturedesk.ca