Page 41 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 3 #1

FALCON 41

Lighting Innana would have made things would work by the door in the far back corner of
worse as well. It might have made the door the ballroom and found the difference between
and Innana properly exposed, but it was more blackest black and whitest white to be greater
likely that both would have been overexposed than four f-stops. So, how did I light the scene
as a result. Besides, the shadows would still to create the image in Figure 3 on page 37?
have been far too dark, perhaps even darker. I Let’s start with a list of equipment I used.
also had to pay attention to the sequins on the Aside from the fact that I was working on In-
mask. Each little disc was a potential mirror nana’s portfolio, my primary purpose was to
that could easily damage the overall effect. I evaluate the new Profoto D1 kit I had just re-
didn’t want to lose the drama of the mask—it ceived. Therefore, I had the following:
was critical to the overall artistic and emotion- • Two Profoto 500 watts per second
al impact of the image. “moon lights”
• Two umbrellas that came with the kit

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM • Two light stands
Solving any complex lighting problem begins • One Canon 580 EXII Flash
with the realization that the camera is not the I also knew the following:
human brain. It doesn’t interpolate, adjust, 1. The angle of the door would likely
adapt, or interpret. It sees what it sees. Howev- make the door reflect a lot of light back
er, the most successful images are those that are at the camera. So, even though my eye didn’t
“true” to the way the human eye would perceive perceive the angle of the door to be a problem,
a scene or an object. To do this successfully, we it would be an issue for the camera. I needed to
have to adjust our way of seeing the world to the position my lighting equipment so that the light
way in which the camera functions. did not reflect back at the camera in such a way
As we have learned, the farther apart the that it created a “hot spot.”
“blackest black” (the darkest section of the 2. The mask would be a problem, as
scene) and the “whitest white” (the brightest the sequins were essentially little mir-
area of a scene) are from one another, the more rors. And still, I wanted to capture as much of
difficult it will be for the camera to see the world its color and detail as was possible.
the way the human eye does. 3. Although we don’t realize it, human
Is there an easy way to tell how far apart black skin reflects light, and some skin types
and white are? Yes. Just meter on the lightest are more reflective than others. I knew
(white) and then on the darkest (black) area of Innana’s skin type to be highly reflective. This
the scene. If the blackest area is one f-stop un- would add to the problems I faced because I
derexposed, and the whitest area is under one would need less light on Innana than I would
f-stop overexposed, for example, then the range need on the space around her.
is correct since the difference between the two 4. The corner of the room behind In-
is about two f-stops. You wouldn’t want to leave nana was very dark. So, I would need to
the camera set this way since the image would “push” as much light there as possible in order
be over exposed overall, but it is an indication to make the difference between black and white
that the amount of light in the scene is within far less significant than it was.
the camera’s range. I went through this me- 5. I didn’t want to lose the warm tones
tering process when Innana and I decided we of the wood. But I also didn’t want the wood

nyghtvision magazine volume 3, number 1, WINTER 2013