Page 14 - Lighting the Unlightable Volume 1 #1

SometimeS, the right place iS the wrong place.

Sounds strange, I know, but think about it. You ask the model where
she might want to work next, or, you walk by a window, and suddenly,
you find yourself standing in front of a location that overwhelms you
with its complexity. But there you are, and, for whatever reason, mov-
ing to another location isn’t an option.
So, when Nikki said she wanted to work on the settee on the landing,
below half a wall of leaded-glass windows through which the late af-
ternoon light was streaming down, I knew she was right. It was a great
location. Her skin tones, the dress she was wearing, the fabric of the
settee, all made it incredible. But, the landing was small. There were
stairs on both sides, and the grand staircase down was right in front
of the settee. Precious little room, even before all the problems with
the light.

As I looked back at her, trying to figure out what I was going to say, I
had to admit to myself that she was right. It would be a perfect place

to work. The combination of her skin tones, the detail in her dress, the
way her dress framed her body, the brocade of the fabric on the set-
tee, even the white of the walls behind her, that was all perfect.

I could even see her sitting there, despite the fact that we were stand-
ing on first floor, at the foot of the grand staircase.

But the logical, technical, side of me was screaming not to do it, not to
even try it. “I mean,” I could hear the inner dialogue unravel, “are you
really that crazy???? C’mon now, look at the light coming through the

windows over the settee. It couldn’t be worse. You’re talking about a
difference of far more than four F-stops. You know what that means.
And besides, you know that there is virtually no room to set up the

lights. Even then, how are you going to balance out a difference of
more than four f-stops?” 1

Except, this was the first time I had worked with Nikki, and it was fun.
There was a kind of chemistry - we were comfortable working together
- and I didn’t want to discourage her.

“OK,” I said to Nikki, “let’s do it.”

“WHAT?” I heard my technical side say, “NO WAY! How are you going to
pull this one off?”

“I’ll figure it out,” I said, just loud enough for me to hear. I needed the
reassurance. I knew what I was up against, and I knew the chances of
1 See page 134 for an explanation of this reference.

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