[Leica] One light - a dedo (OT?)

[Malcolm McCullough <MM4@mm-croy.mottmac.com>]

John Brownlow wrote:

> actually I think it is easier to light with one well placed light plus a
> reflector than three or four or five or more.
>
> more light = more spill
>
> spill = confusion

... and if that one light is a dedo you've got it made. Dedos are a 
refinement of the standard fresnel spot that is the mainstay of movie 
lighting and they are highly controllable. Light exactly where you want it. 
I believe that they are being used more and more by still snappers in the 
studio and on location. Worth considering if you can get away with 
continuous light. The small ones can be run off a 12 or 24 V battery belt. I 
have used one handheld at parties etc. in preference to flash. You can see 
the effects of bouncing off any surface - floor, walls, your gold lame 
frock, green skirt (halloween party special effect uplight), jaunty panama 
hat ("Just stand there please Hannibal"), whatever. Bouncing a spot gives 
you more control over the degree of directionality of your soft light (ie 
how big the spot is on the reflecting surface) than there is with an open 
face light.

If you have an assistant to hold the light, all the more possibilities 
especially for direct light from the backside of the subject (ie filmstars 
and producers). BTW the possibilities of using clothes (whether yours or 
someone else's) as a reflector seem to be largely untapped.

Who was that guy with the flash helmet? No, seriously. Stop sniggering. 
There was this guy who had flashheads fastened to a crash helmet. Have you 
seen those bizarre mini-umberella rigs that sit over your shoulder?

I don't know if Dedo Weigert, inventor of dedos, uses a Leica, but I 
wouldn't be surprised if he does. A while ago there was a thread on the 
cinematography list about what still cameras were favoured by movie camera 
ops / DPs and Leica Ms came high on the list along with N*k*ns.

I think backwards flash is quite common. I quickly got used to being aware 
of any potential temporary blindness / sunburn victims behind me before 
firing off the good old Metz 60 CT2 straight back.

There's an old 30 second guide to one-light lighting that goes something 
like this:
Light full in the subject's face: The News.
Light behind the subject, at an angle: Last Exit to Brooklyn
Light over the subjects head, eyes in shadow: Godfather
Light in front of subject, very low: Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
Light to left of camera, high, 45 degrees to subject: everything else.


Bring back flashpowder and magnesium ribbon (still used by cavers, I think).

Must say that, for stills, I only use extra light (flash or continuous) in 
unusual situations.

Regards,
Malcolm