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Light for shape

The control that the studio allows means you can create very delicate effects with lighting, using subtle tonal variations to define depth. It is the complexity of shadow, particularly in the darker areas (known as shadow form) that gives modelling a real sense of depth and definition to shape. These shadows play a key role in providing the visual information that we perceive as three-dimensional form. Controlling the direction and strength of the lighting is an essential skill: the contrast is determined by the quality of light and the light-to-subject distance. Varying this will affect the level and intensity of highlights and shadows and allow you to control how you shape your subject’s face and figure. A commonly used technique for further control is to use a black board or panel of material to prevent any stray light falling against areas of your subject that you wish to remain in dense shadow.

DWIGHT

The aim of this portrait was to reveal the subject’s excellent physique as well as his fashionably angular shape and the structure of his face. To do this required creating a flattering light and tight control with the play of highlights and shadows. A single flash head with a white reflective brolly was used. The shaft of the brolly was pushed close to the flash tube; this controlled the size of the diameter of light being reflected against the interior of the brolly and helped heighten the lighting contrast.

Canon EOS-1DS, 28–70mm f/2.8 lens, 1/200 sec at f/5.6, ISO 100.