Exterior Lighting "Twilight and Bigsun:The Psychological Space- from Bill Henson to Peter Hugo"

Yesterday, I had an exterior workshop,  where we worked with lighting outside in small groups. Our location for this workshop was the park behind the uni, and for this task, I was able to gain more practice with the Hassalblad camera. Not only did I gain more experience with using that camera bit also with using lighting outside, where we had to use a pocket wizard. Even though the weather was dull, and overcast, I  saw this opportunity as gaining knowledge of different techniques and how I could develop and experiment with this type of equipment later in projects.

 

Equipment needed for the workshop 

H1D Camera with Leaf Shutter

Non- Tethered Shooting Image Bank

Broncolour Mobil Kit

Lighting Stand and Sandbag

Light Shaper (Small Soft box/Reflector/Honeycomb)

Fire Wire (800-400/400-400)

Skeonic Light meter

Grey Card

Tripod

Quick Release Head

Ext.Sync Lead/Pocket Wizard/Radio Slave

Image Bank Battery

 

Looked at examples of Exterior Lighting:

Finley McKay

 

In this example, you can notice that there is light  in front of the model, causing a shadow of the body from behind. There is  a light source behind the model illuminating the audience to the right forefront of the photograph. There is also a spotlight above causing harsh definition around the body.

 

 

 

 

Charles Fréger

 

Charles Fréger is a French photographer born in 1975.  He tirelessly continues his “Portraits Photographiques et Uniformes” project, including a catalogue of pictures of  legionnaires, water polo players, English school girls, Finnish synchronized ice skaters, ex-communist scouts from Budapest, majorettes, Japanese sumo wrestlers, beauty contestants in Singapore, young Vietnamese Buddhists, Roman Corazzieri, Vatican Swiss guards, Spanish penitents, Northern Irish Orange men, and Pekinese opera singers. His portraits, although poetic, are far from psychological.

 

 

 

 

This photograph is taken in natural sunlight. There is two light sources used in this frame; behind and in front. a soft box is used in front to soften the facial features and texture of the clothing. There is also a hard light source from behind, making the light source equal to the ambient source.

 

 

Gregory Crewdson

 

Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer who is best known for elaborately staged scenes of American homes and neighbourhoods. Gregory Crewdson's photographs usually take place in small town America, but are dramatic and cinematic. They feature often disturbing, surreal events. The photographs are shot using a large crew, and are elaborately staged and lit.

 

 

 

In this photo, there is a continuous light source. There is a battery operated lighting in the passenger side of the car illuminating the model. There is a top lighting source on the top of the vehicle and on the model. There is also a mix of interior and exterior light sources such as the car headlights and the lights from the homes almost bordering on the world of film.

 

 

Our task

 

So with all of our equipment out we had to take a series of images taken on 1/250th of a second, 1/500th of a second and 1/800th of a second at an ISO 100. We also had to take a reading on the ambient light setting on the light meter (sunshine icon) and then the lighting bolt icon which had a reading a stop brighter than the available light.

 

 

Here are some of the images that were taken …..

 

 

Set Build Workshop

Recently the group and I, had a workshop with Martin, who has worked for 30 years building sets. He helped us learn the knowledge and guidance for set building and also helped my group move forward with our concept, giving us alternative suggestions for our woodland set.
Below are notes that our team member Christie wrote down

 

: Make a budget list and make lots of lists that need to be done : Flats are 2x1 (£1 per metre): Canvases can be brought from Russell and Chapel (London) and Pinewood Studios: Use acrylic paint putting primer on first . Emulsion paint should be painted on 3 times. Seal the roller in a black bag keeps it fresh.

 

 

notes on what us the group have to do next:
: Measure Studio 3 creating a basic scale and floor plan: To experiment with how to create daylight and night-time effects in the studio: Experiment with the fog machine; use a fan to lighten the density of it: Establish shots of the frame (low/high angle) what lens we would use: Model making- figure in ratio to the set. : Perhaps instead of making 15 trees perhaps make a few and use a mirror to create the effect of there being more than there is? :Perhaps use a trace screen? : Build a platform for the conifer trees?

 

 

: Making a studio plan can be produced in three different ways but they had to be drawn to a scale of  1cm:10cm ratio. : Different ways of doing a floor plan:

 

PHOTOSHOP CLASS

To support the recent round of workshops with the H1D, I attended the scheduled  Photoshop workshop, were I learnt and spent time going through the specific tools. The session covered  Adjustment Layers, Masks, Paths and ran for a couples of hours.

 

I was glad I attended the session, as although I have used a lot of Photoshop in sixth form, I only used the adjustment tool and sometimes the selection tool, but because the tutors don’t want us to start manipulating and moving pixels they wish for us not to use the adjustment tool, so it was worth attending the class, to learn how to use other tools.

 

A book we was suggested to read was `Photoshop CS4 for DUMMIES`.

 

I think this book was worth renting out as it contains the latest tips and techniques.  There's a reason why Photoshop is the industry standard for image-editing software. But it's also that big, Photoshop has so many facets and features that a handy one-stop guide is exactly what I need. In the book there is the "Putting It Together" exercises that give me hands-on experience - in rich, full colour! I also can learn the parts - the desktop, menus, panels, and key tools, and how to use Adobe Bridge Make your selection - and learn about each of the selection tools plus the powerful Pen tool and Paths panel Brush up - on the Brush and Pencil tools and how to create vector shapes, create and edit type, and put type on a path Restore and retouch - correct and enhance colour, improve contrast, and use the Clone Stamp and Healing tools to fix flaws and damage Print it . I can learn how to get the right resolution, image mode, and file format, and prepare your work for printing Open the book and find, and how to crop images and increase their canvas size Tips for creating gradients and patterns. The book also contains advice on resizing images and how to composite images with layers and blending modes, Filter techniques on how to correct or alter images and how the Vanishing Point feature makes editing easier Steps for making adjustments with levels and curves How to create contact sheets.

 

Film Noir workshop

Today's task was all about RAW processing and building a small set. This was asked, as we as a group could see how we could turn lighting into the style of film noir (black) and manipulate the colour. 

This is the equipment list for us to be able to build our small set

1)Power screw driver

2)Screws

3)Gloves

4)Sand bags/Weights

5)Spirit level

6)'A' Frames

7)ARRI K1

8)Kable matt

9)Orange extension lead

 

The point of this exercise was to create a psychological portrait with shadow

 

To gain inspiration, we looked at movie examples before constructing our set build.

 

After the workshop I went researching and found a book titled `film noir`. I thought it might be interesting to read, and find out more information on the different types of  lighting in the film.

Workshop shooting!

 

 

 

 

 

Set build practice 24th february

 

On the 24th February we had our first induction of set build. My group and I had to attend this workshop as this was what we have to create on the day of our fashion set build production. The skills learnt from this day, will stay with me forever, as I felt the workshop helped me to acknowledge and understand how to put two boards together ( drill + screws) 

 

Result from the first image:  two boards put together which made a wall. Once created we were told we were wither allowed to paint or wallpaper the canvas, which was useful to know. We can also decorate it with wallpaper or paint.

 

 

To get the wall standing, we could either use ready built stands, which all we had to do was drill the attachment to the board. I felt this part useful as I now know, if the all board are  taken,  then I have a clear understanding of how to make one! -

 

 

This can take up to two hours as we have to consider risks and health and safety! Using equipment such as; hammers, drills, and SAW was considered and explained to be very dangerous. 

however, it may look simple but it was a long thinking process, as we all had to look at how the leg stands stayed up? as well as the wall, which came to using either sand bags or weights. 

Photogram workshop

Photogram workshop

 

Last Tuesday, we had a photogram workshop in the colour darkroom.  The workshop was interesting , and was new experience and fun. This explains what a photogram is? Wikipedia : "A photogram is a photographic image made without a camera by placing objects directly onto the surface of a light-sensitive material such as photographic paper and then exposing it to light. The usual result is a negative shadow image that shows variations in tone that depends upon the transparency of the objects used. Areas of the paper that have received no light appear white; those exposed through transparent or semi-transparent objects appear grey."Everyone brought different material or textured items to the workshop, but Collin mentioned the more textured or patterned based the item was the better the final photogram. Playing with colours and various densities was fun and experimental.

 

 

Friday 24th February 2012 HD1 workshop with JS and SP

Equipment that we used for this workshop :

 

Hasselblad H1D Body and lens

Imagebank x1

Link Cable x1

Firewire (FW) 400 Lead

Handgrip (usually supplied with HD1 body)

Quicl Release Plate

Block (Wooden)

Tripod bush

Light meter

Grey card

 

 

Set Up……

Turn Mac on

Set up Folder Hierarchy (Must be on desktop)

Attach Firewire cable from Mac to Imagebank

Attach Link cable form Imagebank to Sensor Socket on Camera

Route cable over tripod

Turn on camera

Launch 'Phocus' (Always at the END, this is the last step ALWAYS)- Navigate to destination folder

If you have a red light on the imagebank this indicates a problem, seek help. ALWAYS use a low voltage flash system such as Broncolor or Metz

The Hassleblad HD1 set up (note 'User' button set to focus lens via a custom setting). I found the autofucus  cumbersome with the shallow depth of field we were using.

 

 

Front of the system (flash sync on the LH side, conventional viewfinder set up, battery in the handgrip on the RH side, display panel on the RH side using a menu system and contol wheels to navigate the menus, with duel purpose command buttons)

 

Menu screen showing destination folders on the RH side

 

 

The 'Fast JPEG file option selected here (rather than the RAW)

Pop up screen displaying thumbnail

 

 

notes from workshop....

 

 

 

 

Workshop: Metz/MF - Specificity of Interior Lighting

At the begging of this workshop we discussed about shutter types that are placed with the Hassel blade camera. The DSLR camera has Focal Plane shutters and film cameras –Leaf shutters. In the presentation shown, some photographer’s were introduced: Adam Amengual, Philip Dicorsia, Kate Peters, Kiran Master and ect…We analyzed and leant some info about their work, especially how they all use fill in flash. 

Working in groups we were given a task:

 

·      Make set of portraits in a interior space,

    Combining available-light with the Metz flash. (Fill-in technique)

 

·      With Manual settings; Crete images with different ratios: -2 and -3 stops. (Combine with ambient light)

 

·      Bounced and diffused technique should be used (Spun and Neutral Density gel)

 

·      Two frames on Auto settings

 

Jonathan demonstrated these shots, and my group and I had  3-4hrs to complete our task. Once completed we then returned to the studio with contact sheets. And analysed each groups piece of work. I found this helpful, as we were given feedback on how we could improve for further knowledge.

 

Received knowledge:

·      Shutter speed dictates background light (ambient)

·      The power of flash dictates subject brightness

·      The aperture effects everything: overall brightness of the image

·      Move the subject away from the background

·      Taking readings with flash meter from subject – always flash mode shutter speed should be set on 1/500

Ratio types:

1:1=0 F-Stop

2:1=1 F-Stop

3:1=1.5 F-Stop

4:1=2 F-Stop