Lesson 4 Simulated Sunlight

David Cuerdon Digital Artist Beauty Retoucher

https://members.kelbyone.com/author/davidcuerdon/

Click on Image to go to B&H Page

Fresnel Flood
Fresnel Spot
Profoto Bare Clear Bulb White Walls
Profoto Bare Clear Bulb Black Curtains
Profoto Bare Clear Bulb Stove Pipe
Profoto Magnum Reflector Flood
Profoto Magnum Reflector Spot
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood # 40 Grid
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood # 30 Grid
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood # 20 Grid
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood # 10 Grid
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood # 10 & 20 Grid
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood Snoot
Profoto Grid Reflector Flood Snoot & #10 Grid
Canon Speedlite 20mm Zoom
Canon Speedlite 200mm Zoom

Lesson 3 Jailhouse Photographs

Images from City of Shadows: Sydney Police Photographs 1912-1948 appear on the French Website http://www.laboiteverte.fr/portraits-de-criminels-australiens-dans-les-annees-1920/ and inspired this week demo.

Here is a link to City of Shadows on Amazon

Here is a Vimeo of City of Shadows

NSW Police Forensic Archieve

Lesson 2 Light Painting

Flashlight Painting

Flashlight Painting

Flashlight Painting

Multiple Flash

Multiple Flash

Multiple Flash

A history of light painting can be seen here:

http://lightpaintingphotography.com/light-painting-history/

NY Times Lens article about Harold Ross' work:

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/05/with-light-sculpting-a-photograph/?_r=1

This is a link to Harold Ross' blog.  He talks about light painting and his techniques:

http://haroldrossfineart.wordpress.com

Much of this work is done with the light source pointed at the camera and recording the light source as it travels.  I want to concentrate on another aspect of light painting and that is lighting a subject with the use of a continuous light source such as a flashlight or even a cell phone.   Along with this idea of light painting is the idea of using multiple pops of a flash that is moved to different positions throughout the exposure.  Since digital photograph has made it easy to combine images with the use of layers, it is now practical to make a series of captures with the flash in different positions and combine them in layers.  The easiest way is to use the captures in Lightroom, selecting the images you want to use in Library Grid Mode, right click and choose Edit In…  Open as layers in Photoshop.  In Photoshop select all the layers and change the blending mode to Lighten.  Now all the light from all the layers will be revealed in the image.  Next you can turn each layer on and off using the eyeball indicator next to each layer.   You can control each of the layers  separately with the use of  masking and any of the adjustment tools.

To make an image using a continuous light you will need to keep the camera on a tripod and the shutter open.  This discussion is for the Canon 5DMIII.  Set the exposure for a length of time that will allow you to paint the light on the subject and the background (30 seconds is the maximum time allowable).  The room has to be dark enough that it doesn't pick up any stray light during the long exposure. The f stop and ISO are determined by trial and error. With practice a rhythm will develop and improve your painting skills.You can also use the Bulb setting but the shutter has to remain depressed during the entire exposure.  You can use the Canon Remote Switch RS-80N3 to release the shutter and keep it open by exposing the red dot on the release handle.  Slide the mechanism off of the red dot to close the shutter.

To make an image using a multiple flash image you are going to actually make multiple captures with each exposure having the flash in a new position.  With the camera on a tripod and the flash in one hand you setup the remote exposure as outlined below.  A special cable is needed which is outlined below. 

Remote Camera Setup

We learned how to remotely trigger the 5D MIII by using a special cable called the Canon N3 to mini phone by connecting the N3 side to the Canon's remote control terminal and the mini side to the Pocket Wizard Plus II's camera port. This also works with the PocketWizard Plus III and MultiMax.  By setting another Pocket Wizard Plus II to the same channel as the one attached to the camera, the camera shutter can be released by the remote Pocket Wizard Plus II when you press the test button remotely.   We need a third Pocket Wizard Plus II to be attached to a Canon 600EX-RT (this Canon flash with a pc connection) using a pc to mini cable. The pc end is inserted into the flash's pc terminal and the mini end is plugged into the 3rd Pocket Wizard Plus II's flash terminal.  An alternate way to hook the speedlite and PocketWizard is to use the Wein HSH Hot Shoe to Household Adapter and a household to mini cable. 

The 3rd Wizard has to be set on a channel that is one number higher than the other two Wizards. The 600EX-RT can be set on Manual or on External Manual Metering by using the custom function 5 option 3 as described below.  Now we have the 600EX-RT and 3rd Pocket Wizard Plus II in one hand and the remote camera firing Pocket Wizard Plus II in the other. As we point the flash where we intend the light to land, we push the test button on the 1st Wizard and it trips the shutter and then automatically uses the pocket wizard mounded in the camera's hot shoe to sync with the flash and 3^rd PocketWizard that is set on the next higher numbered channel. The subject needs to remain perfectly still and then as many captures from as many positions can be captured.

To use the flash on Manual External Metering you will need to read the page from the manual which is at the bottom of this blog. There is a external reflected light sensor on the front of the 600EX-RT that will read the light where the flash is pointed.  

How to use the PocketWizard Plus III for light painting

How to set the 600EX-RT to work with light painting

Lesson 1 The White Background

Photographer's Mentioned:
Richard Avedon
David Bailey
Platon
Albert Watson
Martin Schoeller

Weekly Assignments

Create a blog on bogger using your google account and use the simple Theme.

Send the url for your blog to ccs@sva.edu by next Monday.

Post a photograph that you would like to emulate the lighting.

Make a sketch how you think the photographer achieved the light.

You can make the sketch hand draw or use this template:

http://www.diyphotography.net/lighting-diagrams

Here's an App that Han Park found for the iPad

Here are Jungmin Kim's  great lighting diagrams:

Syllubus

Solving the Mysteries of Light

Tuesdays 3pm-5:50pm
Location: MFA Photo Studio

Instructor: Chris Callis

ccs@nyc.rr.com

718-938-9871 Cell

Class Description:

This class is an advanced lighting class and a student should have knowledge of basic lighting techniques and equipment. The goal of this class is for each student to develop their own unique lighting style. This will be achieved through discussions of photographs that students will post on their blog with his or her best evaluation of how that lighting was achieved. Every week there will be a lighting demonstration.

Assignments:

Each week every student will post a photograph that they wish to emulate the lighting of, along with a sketch showing the student’s best assessment of to how the lighting was achieved. Through class discussion, a new sketch of the lighting will be developed. An individual assignment will
be given to the students based on the photograph they brought to class along with the revised lighting sketch that evolved during class. The assignment will be due the next week. A blog will be kept showing the development of each student’s lighting throughout the semester and it will include the photographs that were posted, sketches of the lighting plots, revised sketches from class discussions, and the photographic results of each individual assignment. The blog organization will comprise a portion of the student’s grade.

Grading:

All assignments (a total of 13 emulations) have to be numbered and  must be completed by the end of the semester.

Grading will be based on achievement.