Page 36 - Lighting the Un-lightable 2015

Windows are almost always a problem. Given that
light reflects at the compliment of the angle with
which it strikes an object, sometimes moving a few
inches to the right or left of where I am standing
can turn a window into a mirror. I have had that
happen many times. I wanted to make sure that it
didn't this time.

Solving complex lighting problems, like this one,
always requires thinking outside the box. Often, the
final solution is counterintuitive. To get to the point
where I can come to a conclusion, I first collect all
the data available to m: time, location, and all the
other information critical to understanding the
light in the room. I did just that here.

I knew that the mirror over the fireplace was
going to push a lot of light against the windows
at an angle that would have caused a significant
reflection.

I knew that putting the strobe in the room
would have had the same effect. In fact, the
dark wood of the walls and the wood of the fur-
niture could all becomes reflective surfaces.
I knew that Hurrell usually worked in rooms
that didn't have windows so his methodology
wouldn't work without modification in this situ-
ation.
So, I knew at least one of the strobes, the one
I would use to push the blacks up closer to the
whites would have to be placed outside the room.
Initially, I tried pointing this strobe so that the soft-
box faced the window. I tried tilting the head down
so that the softbox essentially was aimed towards

Light reflects at the compliment of the angle

with which it strikes an object.

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