Re: [Leica] Portrait lighting

[Carl Socolow <csocolow@microserve.net>]

Roy Zartarian wrote:
> 
> LUGs,

SNIP
> 
> As for lighting, I'm undecided: bringing in a small Speedo
> brownline pack and 2 heads with umbrellas or shooting a single Metz
> shoemount into an umbrella.  The latter is consistent with my general
> Keep It Short & Simple philosophy, but the former may give better
> results as far as filling in shadows etc.
> 
> Comments? Thoughts? Suggestions?
> 
> Roy

Roy,

Last week I had to do 43 headshots of Fulbright recipients who are
faculty members in the state's university system. My client requested
that I keep it simple and not do the four-light portrait set-up that I
had used for board photos a month earlier. My solution: One light with
large umbrella almost on-axis with the lens and just above it a little
to the one side and a piece of foamcore for fill; Seamless background
paper also. And you know what, I really liked the quality and shaping of
the light. Had a shadow on the fill side that didn't go too deep. And I
could put it on the side of the face towards the camera since everybody
wants to look thinner and younger. I ran a quick Polaroid with the
Hasselblad and then shot everything 35mm. Set-up quickly, moved people
through without much delay and I don't feel like I totally copped out.
My one regret is that these people, the Fulbright recipients, were some
of the most interesting people I've met in awhile and I would have liked
to talk to them longer and learn who they are to aid in my depiction of
them.

Carl S.

Sometimes the wrong thing is exactly the thing you should do.