Practice makes (picture) perfect
After nearly 4 months of traveling the country working on my Occupy Wallstreet project, “Portraits of the 99%” I have finally taken a bit of a break to recharge and get the body of work seen by the world. Upon doing some non-occupy wallstreet work, I’ve noticed something has happened: I’ve become REALLY good at making portraits.
Now, I’ve always considered myself a portrait photographer so of course I MUST be good at making portraits, right? Since working on the “Portraits of the 99%” series I’ve become much more observant of the nuances of the human condition within the confines of my frame. Gesture, facial expressions, body language. When I was on the road I had to work really fast because more often than not I was working on limited time and with people who were on the move so I became very sensitive to all of those things. Now that I’ve got the time to slow down and work with my subject things are much different. It’s hard for me to call my 4 month long and counting occupy project “practice” but I think photographers are always practicing while on the job or off. It’s really worth the effort and has made me much more aware of what I am photographing.
So go out and practice, it will improve your photography in every way imaginable.
My 12 favorite blogs for pictures, industry news and a good laugh
My google reader has blown up in the last year. I personally hate getting my inbox loaded up with emails from blogs and RSS feeds, so when I discovered that Google Reader lets you put everything in one place along with providing apps for your iGoogle, android phone and tablet, I was all over it. So today I want to share my Google Reader list with you guys, the blogs I read cover a broad range of things from industry news to awesome photographers to hearty laughs. I won’t be sharing my ENTIRE reader list of course, because not everyone wants to spend the entire morning reading blogs as I get 40-50 entries a day. So, without further ado;
Pictures
500 Photographers‘ Pieter Wisse digs through archives and various forms of media around the world and finds the most unique photographers that I have ever seen in one place. The collection is eclectic ranging from fine art to documentary to commercial photography and is worth a look for anyone looking for some inspiration. As of 1/17 the list is at 427.
Feature shoot showcases a small body of work from various user submitted photographers. They also have a great section called “Photo du jour” which features a single strong image from user submissions. Alison Zavos, who runs Feature Shoot also works in the photo industry as a photo editor, photographer and consultant.
Industry News
A Photo Editor is hands down the BEST industry blog I have ever read. Rob Haggart is a former director of photography and he shares his stories, opinions and advice for all to take in and absorb. He shares interviews, magazine spreads, real-world photo job estimates and quotes from industry leaders. You’d be doing yourself a disservice to not read and subscribe to his blog.
Stella Kramer is in the same boat as Rob Haggart, she’s a seasoned veteran of the photo industry and she offers her views and advice on a broad range of topics. A large portion of her blog is dedicated to the politics of the industry, especially in relation to historical context.
Strictly Business is the ASMP’s industry business blog and is run by several established professionals. Obviously the blog covers business related topics but believe me, it’s not some boring business 101 class, it’s some of the most useful blogging I’ve read because the professionals who write for it are working NOW, rolling with the punches and adapting to change.
Technical education
David Hobby runs Strobist and he’s all about using small lights to shoot big assignments. Mostly the blog features tutorials on how to shoot certain subjects with speedlights but there’s also great advice on how to tackle the organization of a shoot and how to use your software to the best of it’s ability.
Weather you’re on a budget or looking to to test out your crafting skills, DIY photography shows you how to build any light modifier or tool you can think of, on the cheap and with things you can find around your own home.
Humour
Photoshop Disasters features so many hilarious “How did they get away with that?” moments that most of your time spent on this blog will be spent boosting your own photoshop confidence.
We’ve all had difficult clients and Clients from Hell lets you vent about them and read about some of the most ridiculous requests, fits and naivety that you can’t even imagine unless you’ve been there.
Miscellaneous
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next promo look no further than No Plastic Sleeves. The feature some of the most original and creative promo pieces I have ever seen ranging from a simple series of post cards to box sets with branded disposable cameras in them.
Everyone loves gear so Nikon Rumors is my go to place for upcoming Nikon equipment. The author finds, through various tips and speculation, new Nikon Products and news and presents his findings. It’s really interesting to see how often speculation becomes truth. For those of you non-Nikon users there’s also a Canon Rumors.
This is another really important blog especially for those just getting into the industry. Photo Attorney has articles about copyright, contracts and laws and situations that we will all find ourselves involved with in some way or another.
Thanks for taking the time to check out these great sites. They have been a huge help to me and my own work in Photography. What are some of your favorite blogs?
Down on his luck
I’m taking a break from my Occupy wallstreet posts this week, there will be more of those images for sure because I’m going to LA tomorrow. I wanted to show some images I shot last week, more for myself than anything;
Nic is a 20 year old concept artist who lives in San Diego, CA.
His father, a digital consultant, was the primary bread-winner in the family. His mother worked as an administrator at a low income school. Last year, his father passed away and due to the loss of a larger income Nic was forced to drop out of school and move back in with his mother. There wasn’t enough money however, and their nice SoCal home was forclosed on. After a few months Nic’s mother got a job at a private school that came with a large paycheck and a nice pension. After some negotiation with the banks, they got the house back. The house was empty however, because they had sold off all of their furniture and electronics. The yard had grown weedy, their pool had been drained and their deck is all rotted out. Nic’s mother had a several hour commute each day so he was given the responsibility to take care of the property, quite the load for one young, 20 year old.
The tragedies and stress in his life has forced him to go to therapy but he seems to be managing. He hopes to go back to school in San Francisco because San Diego “Just doesn’t suit me,” he says.
I wish I had more time with Nic, the home he was caring for is beautiful on two acres complete with an orchard and a little creek. I’ve found that some of the best imagery comes from the hardest times, despite the discomfort that may come from holding a camera to your eye in the situation.
Portraits of the 99% Published in the SF Chronicle
After a few back and fourth phone calls and some meetings, on Saturday November 19th the SF Chronicle dedicated not one, but 2 whole pages to the “Portraits of the 99%” (even though they didn’t use that title) and a story about me and the project. The datebook is the Chronicle’s most popular section where it features gallery openings, movie reviews of course, the comics. The Chronicle has a circulation of 1/4 million and is distributed all over California. After it was published I received a slew of emails, phone calls and donations to the IndieGoGo fund. The feedback on this project has been so wonderful and now with the fund raiser in full swing I can do this project right. I’m going to San Diego on November 29th, LA in December and New York in January. I’ll be setting up meetings with various big name publications in New York and LA and I’m talking with galleries about doing a show.
I’m so thankful that this opportunity has come to me and that I’ve been able to do just the things I have done already. But now, I get to take it that next extra step. Thank you, everyone who has donated, everyone who has been spreading the word and everyone who reads this blog. These photos are about you guys, not me. Thank you.
The little portrait of me on the upper left corner of the 2nd page/image was shot by my friend Bonnie Rae Mills. My favorite part of the article was the mention of how cool I think Dinosaurs are and that I wanted to be Indiana Jones.
Occupy California: Portraits of the 99% (Santa Rosa)
Today I made my to the Occupy Wallstreet protests in Santa Rosa, CA. It was a HUGE event, well over 1000 people showed up for it. It was a little overwhelming to say the least. I shot as many people as I could before the march started. Tomorrow we make our way to San Jose…
Note: This project is beginning to span all of California and possibly all of the US so if you want help out in the form of a donation, you can do HERE. Thanks for the support!
Portraits of the 99% Project
Many of you I’m sure are aware of the Occupy Wall Street protests, whether your with them or against them makes no difference to me. I saw the protest as an opportunity to photograph a variety of passionate people from all walks of life so I recently set up a mini photo studio on the block near the OccupySF protests and took over 60 portraits of the individual protestors. Feeling very satisfied with the results of the shoot, I thought it was done right there.
In less than 24 hours after I posted the images they had 4,100 views. My servers crashed. The images started popping up in various places, facebook and social media, news sources and more. People contacted me and told me they were inspired. This project suddenly became much bigger. I have setup a fund to raise money to fly to various other cities around California and do the same thing there. The images will be donated to the Occupy Wallstreet effort, in an attempt to raise awareness of the individuals involved. The money donated will go towards getting flights, train tickets, hostels and fuel to make this project happen. Donors will receive limited edition prints, posters, cards, books and more.
http://www.indiegogo.com/Occupy-California
If you don’t want to contribute, that’s fine. But please, unless you are deadset against this movement, spread the word. Forward this to a friend. Post the link on Facebook. Go and “like” the indie-go-go page. This project means a lot to me, and I want to see it through.
Thank you for your time.
Photoshop & you – 2 weeks of free awesome
For those of you who live in San Francisco who haven’t yet been to Adobe‘s Photoshop & you event at 550 Sutter St: Shame on you. Even if you’re not big into photoshop, or still shoot film – you should go. The event takes place over the course of 2 weeks from July 23rd to August 6th. They offer classes, lectures, demonstrations and raffles – all for free. You can view the full calender of Events at their website.
I’m really busy over the next week because I’m working on 2 films that are being submitted to Sundance, but I was able to make it to some of the weekend events – WOW.
Scott Kelby, if you don’t know who he is, is an educator, photoshopper, founder of NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) and an excellent photographer as well. He also tours the world giving his famous “Light it, shoot it, retouch it” seminar which he normally charges hundreds of dollars for. At the Photoshop & you event, he gave it to a room full of people for free.
It was an amazing talk, he worked with 2 models and did exactly what the name of the seminar says: He lit it, shot it and retouched it, all live. What was different about this session was he was working with continuous lighting so he let the crowd photograph the models as well. Personally, this is not something I did because I like to create my own things rather than work on something that has been done for me but it was still a blast.
After each shoot he demonstrated some retouching techniques in both Photoshop and Lightroom, and in the end did an amazing composite with the above model by placing her into a grungy alley and making it seem like she was really there, all in a matter of minutes. It was very educational and entertaining, Scott is a great presenter and a pretty nice guy as well.
After his seminar he agreed to do an interview with The Candid Frame’s Ibarionex Perello, which should be coming out next month.
Like I said, even if you’re not a photoshop junkie you should go. Go check out the calender of events, there are some great things happening there until August 6th. There’s some great people there who are happy to meet other photographers or retouchers and the chance to see and experience all of this for free is a really great opportunity.
Print Give Away!
I’ve decided to have another print give away, I had one last February and it went over quite well – I gave away a signed and numbered 11×14 print of “Finding my way” to a lovely girl in Madrid. Well this year I’m upping the ante and giving away THREE prints, from my “Recreational Landscapes” series. The prints are 11.7×16.5 on Epson Premium archival Matte paper and they are signed and numbered. Each print is number 1 (That’s right, number ONE.) through 50.
How you enter to win is you simply tweet “I want to win the @robschultze Recreational Landscape print!” and you will be entered.
If you are on Facebook you can go ahead and “Like” my fan page and then share this story with your friends.
If for some reason you have neither facebook OR twitter you can simply mention this post in your blog and show a link in the comments.
Three winners will be chosen, each will win 1 print from the series, in the order that the winner was chosen.
The contest closes on June 30th and a winner will be announced July 1st. All entrants will be assigned a number and winners will be selected using http://www.random.org/ a true random number generator.
Good luck to everyone, I hope the turn out is as good as last years!
Recreational Landscapes 1
Recreational Landscapes 2
Recreational Landscapes 3
On fear
I’m a photographer who’s afraid of taking pictures. There, I said it.
I’m afraid of missing that moment. Of not being able to recreate that light, or that expression.
I’m afraid of failure. Of not being good enough.
But every day, I pick up that camera and shoot. You have to, fear is a part of being an artist, a photographer.
Practice makes perfect, and if you practice enough, maybe you won’t be afraid any more. Or maybe you’ll
simply get used to photographing while you’re afraid.
We’re all afraid of something, and pushing your limits is the only way to over come your fear.
Dealing with hard times
Anyone who has brought a camera in to a hospital knows how this feels. Guilt and shame, from taking photos of the sick or injured. But it’s something that has been done since the inception of photojournalism, and it has become integral in opening people’s eyes not only to the horrors of the world, but also the strength that people have. Recently my mother was diagnosed with Cancer, and shortly after flying home I found myself in a hospital, with a camera in my hand. And as difficult as it was to photograph my own mother who was going through the most difficult time of her life, a part of me knew that something amazing, beautiful and inspirational would come of the photographs. I was not disappointed.
And after taking these and not being able to look at them for almost 3 weeks, I realized what else photographing the sick does for people: It helps them deal with it – at least it did for me. I did something similar when my father’s mother died, and to this day people still tell me that the portraits of my father are some of the strongest in my portfolio.
She pulled through great, by the way. Was in the hospital on Dec. 23rd for surgery and was home on Dec 24th. She’s expected to make a full recovery and is a very strong woman.
Eclectic shopkeepers
These are a few shots from an ongoing editorial project I am working entitled “Eclectic shopkeeps.” They are a series of portraits of the owners of unusual stores from around San Francisco, and I’m looking to expand to other territories as well. Check em out and let me know what you think in the comments!
A tale from way back when…
It was 11am on a Wednesday and I approached a large office building on the 400 block of Sansome Street, surprisingly nervous. I didn’t think I would be nervous, seeing as I was simply meeting with someone to review my portfolio and not get a job. What made me nervous I think was the person’s title. Charli Ornett, the Creative director for Yoga Journal Magazine had told me a few days prior “We are very busy, but if you come by Wednesday at 11am we will see you for a few minutes.” Her tone was that of a very busy woman, who had no time for lowly students like myself. I checked in to the building’s security desk and they directed me to an elevator. Instead of floor buttons this elevator simply had company logos and brands, such as Flickr and other behemoths in the contemporary business world. This did not help. When the 8th floor came, I nervously walked into Suite 850 and was greeted by a rather cluttered waiting area filled with boxes overflowing with magazines. Standing in one corner was a UPS man, who was rather impatiently waiting with a dolly stacked with boxes. There was no receptionist. An older woman walked in and spoke with the UPS man and didn’t even look at me, she simply took him further into the office with his dolly. Another woman walked by, and I caught her attention. “Excuse me,” I said in my most confident tone which probably didn’t sound very confident at all. “I have an Appointment with Charli Ornett, my name is Rob Schultze?” She nodded and kept walking. A few minutes later an older woman with ling black hair and glasses walked in, the kind you would expect to see in a church wearing a Nun’s habit. “Hello Robert,” she said extending her hand quickly, which I promptly shook for fear of taking more of her time. “I’m Charli, you can come in now.” This was accompanied with a warm smile that made me feel much more comfortable. “I’ve asked our art director Ron Escobar to sit in with us, I hope that’s ok.” “Of course, that’s great.” I said, all feelings of comfort once again removed. We sat down in her office and I placed my humble little portfolio on her desk awaiting judgement. Ron entered her office and greeted me with a smile and a quick handshake and the two of them sat down and dove into my book. The first photo, a self portrait stopped them. They were silent. Their eyes traced over the image up and down, left and right. After nearly a minute of unbearable silence they turned the page, “Very good.” Charli said. The next pair of images were photos taken in a yoga studio with a fairly advanced yoga practitioner. I put these in my book specifically for them. Again with the silence. They turned the pages, saying nothing. I was terrified. The rest of my book consisted of portraits and editorial portraits. They spoke very little, until they came to the final image, an image of a girl standing in front of a string of christmas lights. “You’re images are too dark for print.” Charli said very matter-of-factly, and Ron nodded his head. “But they are so moody and full of visual identity, it’s very nice.” My heart rate slowed for the first time since I arrived. They then proceeded to go back through my book and point out what they liked and didn’t like. “I love your compositions, they are very clean.” Charli said. “The lighting is beautiful, but I want to see more detail in the faces, maybe a higher depth of field?” Ron said with a smile. “I want to see more images like this,” Charli said referring to an image of a man staring into the camera standing outside a window on a deck. “It’s very mysterious, and it’s begging for a story to be told.” When they turned back to my yoga images, they were both silent again. “I like this a lot,” Ron said. “The only thing I would do different is have her wearing a lighter shirt, and putting a bit of fill light on her face. It’s very moody, but almost too moody. It’s Yoga, not a Lars Von Trier film.” We all laughed. “It’s very nice to see a student who already has such a strong visual identity,” Charli said. “But if you want to work in magazines you have to start thinking about how your images will be used. Ninety percent of these images are too dark for print, so that’s something you need to work on and think about if you are serious.” With that, Charli and Ron seemed to have some sort of psychic connection that said “We’re done here,” and we all shook hands and I was shone the door. I walked out of their office feeling very accomplished and confident, them having confirmed things I have been working so hard on to achieve. Clean composition, beautiful lighting, a strong visual identity. They seemed very pleased with my work, but insisted that until I brighten up my images a bit that they would probably hire someone else. That being my first meeting with a creative director I felt I could live with that. Especially since now I get to do it every day until the day I die.
My general approach to yoga photography.
Photojournalism love
Those of you who know me know that I have a secret love-affair with Photojournalism. It isn’t something I would want to pursue as a career, but I certainly can appreciate and enjoy the process. I recently purchased a Sony NEX-3 (I know, I NEVER in my wildest dreams thought I would EVER buy a Sony) to have on hand as a point and shoot camera, take with me on trips etc. Man this thing is awesome.
I recently have felt that I have lost my connection to spontaneous photography, which is a big reason I got into the field in the first place. This camera being small, quiet and not too professional looking has opened a lot of doors and allowed me to do somethings I could never do while lugging around a bulky DSLR and a case of lenses. It still gives me all of the options that my DSLR does, but it’s in a smaller package. Plus it shoots HD video, so it’s perfect for what I’m doing.
So to celebrate my new ability to shoot much higher quality images on the go than the images taken with my camera phone for the Some-Photog-Tumblog I have started Back to the Streets, which has a lot more direction that my other tumblr. The Some-photog-tumblog is not going anywhere, I just feel like I don’t really have any real attachment to the images I take for it. The images there are usually humorous and lack much meaning. It’s more of a “fun-time-photo-blog” so to speak. Back to the streets is much more serious, and I feel way more connected to the images I shoot there.
Check it out!
“Still, life”
Shot with a 5D MKII in one morning. About the stillness of life.
Making pretty things beautiful
Our job as photographers is take our subject matter and make it as beautiful as possible. Of course it helps if your subjects are already inherently beautiful.
These are photos from my just-for-funsies shoot in Sonoma on Saturday.
Remember to always shoot for yourself. It keeps you happy, healthy and loving what you do.
Digital and Film
You know what the difference is between a professional career photographer and an enthusiastic hobbyist is? Patience. I learned how to shoot originally with film, and when photography was a multiple-cost process of buying film, shooting and then paying for development you made your shots count. I love digital. I love how it’s finally maturing and how it’s bringing out a lot of talent in a lot of people. But as far as shooting goes, I hate how fast it is. People will shoot hundreds of photos and then dig out “the one” from this pile of what’s otherwise junk. When I shot film, I made each shot count. When doing portraits I would talk to my subject, get to know them and photograph them as they got comfortable. When I did still life I would study what I was shooting carefully and study the light and make it perfect before I even took a single frame. Ask anyone who has shot with a 4×5 camera – when it costs you about $8.00 per picture you slow down and work meticulously to make the image the best it can possibly be before you take that picture.
An old 35mm photograph from my "youth"
My advice to you is to put that digital camera away for a day and shoot some film. Pick up a Holga. There’s something very organic about loading, winding, spooling, developing, washing and printing your film by hand. You will learn a lot from this process and it may make you enjoy your digital photography even more so.
Win this 11×14 print!
I’ve been going through my photo archives lately, for nostalgia’s sake, and I came across this classic gem of a photo that was sort of my trademark image back in my gallery days:
"Finding my way"
So I’m offering it up as a free print give-away. 11×14, signed by yours truly. You can be entered to win it simply by linking to this blog post in your blog, or re-tweeting my tweets about it on twitter. Be sure to email me (Robschultze@gmail.com) if you blog about it, otherwise I may not know you did so. The only rule is that you MUST tell your friends and link them here, so if you don’t have a blog post it on Facebook or something and send me a screen-cap. The winner will be announced on March 1st, 2010 and I imagine you would receive the print within a week or two. Good luck everyone!
Survival tips for new Digital Photography Pros – Part II
This article continues from “Survival tips for new digital photography pros – Part I” so if you haven’t read that yet go and check it out!
If you are an emerging digital photography pro the following tips and advice will help you to survive in the rapidly evolving world of digital media. Read on and take notes!
7. Think outside of the box
Since digital photography is so widely accessible people have been saying that “Anyone can be a photographer.” They say that anyone can take the amazing photo that you just took, and that they can do everything you can do. Here’s the thing: They can’t. You not only have the training to use your equipment and tools such as cameras and lighting, but you also have the mental ability to visualize a concept and execute an idea. You have to make yourself stand out more than ever right now, so show everyone that you’re not just another guy with a digital camera.
8. Video
Most DSLRs can shoot HD video now. Learn it and master it. It’s great when you can offer a client a video service as well as still images. The market seems to be shifting towards video, especially with tools like the RED camera available now.
9. Use social media
Twitter and Facebook are wonderful marketing tools. These days clients want to get to know you, because nobody wants to work with a jerk. Make yourself a professional twitter or facebook account, you typically want to keep your personal life seperate from your professional life. Not saying that you should only use these outlets to market your work – there’s a fine line, nobody likes spam. Give it all your personality, but keep it business.
10. Shoot for you
Come up with projects and portfolio work that interests you. If you shoot something you love, that love will come through in spades when people look at it. You will go crazy very quickly if you only shoot head-shots for months in a row when you really love shooting still life. Make some time, get some ideas, and mix things up.
11. Know when to walk away
If a client is way too difficult to work with or is taking advantage of you, or if you are offered a job that you know you would hate shooting or pays way below your established minimum, walk away. It can be tough at first, especially when you’re just getting started, but you have to learn when something is just not worth your time.
12. Take breaks
Photography can be amazingly stressful. Marketing yourself for 60 hours a week and shooting for 20 can drain your physical and creative juices very quickly, so take a break once in awhile. Set your camera bag down and pursue other interests. People know when they are working with a burnt-out creative type, and you need to keep your mind and eye sharp.
Photoshoot – My Father
I have a bit of a history with photojournalism and documentary photography. I enjoy telling people’s stories through photographs, but it’s more of a hobby and not really something I would consider doing as a full time job. It has been a benefit to my editorial and portrait photography, and I am quite happy with that, however.
I recently had to fly home because my Grandmother had died. It was sad, but it’s hard to feel too sad about someone who traveled the world and touched many people and overall lived a wonderful life. It was a cloudy day after the funeral, and my father was sitting in the front room (he calls it his “study”) looking at old photos. He is very interested in our family’s history, and has countless old photos and books and trinkets from when his great grandparents came from Germany to this country.
As he was paging through a photo-album and smiling my photojournalism instincts tingled. I knew that I had to photograph him NOW, as my father is usually rather stand-offish and awkward about being in photographs. He was in an unusual place, a place mixed with sadness and relief, memories and thoughts.
PhotoShoot: Mono
I got a chance to shoot one of my favorite bands of all time at the Great American Music Hall last week – The Japanese quartet Mono. They are on Temporary Residence records who were gracious enough to provide me with a photo pass.
Absolutely fantastic show. If you get the chance to see Mono, do it – you won’t regret it. They are veterans in the post-rock music scene, with 13 releases and a DVD under their belts. Bring ear-plugs, they are extremely loud.
Pressed for time
So this week, I’ve had 3 studio shoots, 1 event shoot, post-production on all 4 shoots, 2 articles to write, (one for Saddle Stitch, one for the ol’ blog) all while trying to have some semblance of a life.
Working for yourself, as most photographers do, can take up a lot more time than some people think. They imagine that you spend a few hours on a set with glamorous models during the day and spend the evening with cocktails, but they are leaving out the book keeping, post-processing and client contact that goes along with that morning shoot.
Many times I will work on a shoot or several for 7 days a week – no time off. I eat, sleep and breathe photography. And I love it.
If this is you, you're in the right field.
Sure, you have to make time for your friends or family or significant other. But there are times when you are on a roll, weather it’s your flow of steady work or a firestorm of creativity – those are the times when you have to – need to – work as a photographer. You will push out your best work, because you’re feelin’ it and it feels good.
Photography is all about love, you have to love it for when you have those busy weeks. And like most jobs, the more you love it the better you will be at it. If you love it enough, you may never have to work a day in your career.
An Introduction to lighting: Source sizes
Studio lighting or lighting you control can be a beast. Some of you may already know this visually, but are unaware of the technical way of things. So this will serve as a basic introduction to the qualities of light. Todays topic: Light Source sizes.
Small
A small light source, such as a single light bulb or a high lamp post will give you very harsh and contrasty shadows. This may sound familiar to some, and they may be thinking of the noon sun. The sun is billions of miles across, so how could it be a small source?? The answer is because it’s a million miles away. You can setup any light source at a great distance to give it a “Small” light source effect.
A photo lit with a single light bulb.
Notice the sharp shadow that her nose makes, and how the shadow is very distinct and has hard lines.
Medium
If you are using a single light bulb, you can simply move your light source closer to your model, effectively increasing it’s size and softening the shadows… but I wouldn’t recommend this. You would have to have a lightbulb only about two to three feet away from your model, and it might make them hot or uncomfortable. If you are using a clamp lamp, the kind you can purchase at a hardware store, you can simply put the reflector dish on it, which increases it’s size.
A photo lit with a medium size light source.
Notice that the shadows on her nose and arms get softer at the edges. It’s very important to not simply write off what I said about moving your light source. While moving your single bulb two feet from your model is inappropriate in this situation, the distance of your light source to your subject is *ALWAYS* the key, and should be first in your checklist when you are trouble shooting.
Large
A large light source will give you shadows that are very soft on all the edges, and barely noticeable all together. A large source can be a small light source that is very far away, or a strobe with a soft box attached or a clamp lamp reflecting light off of a large flat surface.
A photo lit with bounced light from a large flat surface.
If you are reflecting light, your light source will effectively take on the size of the surface you are reflecting it from, which will give you soft gorgeous light complete with soft shadows.
Painting
Something that’s a lot of fun to do is to “Paint” with a light source. Turn off your lights, set your camera to a long exposure (at least 10 seconds) and “Paint” your subject with a flashlight or other source.
A photo lit with a Cell Phone
Doing this will not only give you a cool looking photograph, but it actually gives you complete control over your light and shadows. While it is difficult to master, you can sculpt some very interesting light using this technique.
In closing
The important things to remember are this: A small or far away light source will give you sharp shadows and brilliant highlights. A large light source will give you soft, soft, soft everything. A medium size source is in between. Distance from your light source to your subject is always a solution. Keep your models happy.
