I promised a “how to” on my last post so here you go.

I believe that it is important to have intention before you go out and shoot.  I often go as far as to break out the sketch book and sketch out my ideas before going on assignment.  I use the resulting sketches to open up the creative process let my brain puke all of my good and sometimes not so good ideas out on to the page.  This way I have something tangible to refer back to when I’m on location.

That said, the “actor shot” I referred to in my last post was not one that I took to the sketch books.  I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like from the second I agreed to the assignment.  I wanted the shot to look like it was shot in the scorching desert environment, sun in the frame, minimal earth and shot from below to give the subject the larger than life feel.  Very intentional.  Here’s how I did it.

This was an “actor shot,” and it needed to look like it was shot on the set of a movie, with real cinematic lighting.    Short of a Hollywood budget and seven trucks full of all the gear a guy could dream about, I’ll show you how to create cinematic lighting using only one artificial light.

The sun is a powerful player in this shot so let’s start there.  Place (your primary light source) the sun behind the subject and use its super atomic powers to create a rim light effect.  Expose for the rim highlight to be almost white.  This will create your ambient exposure.  You want this rim light to be almost blown out for this technique and that’s why we’re using the sun to do it, the sun is your most powerful light source.  When you have the sun as a light source go with it, fighting it will only cause headaches.

Cinematic lighting map

The sun behind your subject will leave your subject mostly backlit and in a silhouette.  Next, use an artificial light source (I like my new Elinchrom Ranger with a bare head) directly opposite the sun.  Balance this light to 1/3 of a stop just under the ambient exposure.  This will result in  bringing your subject just up out of the silhouette while leaving a shadow stripe right down the middle of his/her body.

The shadow stripe will look really weird but it means your just one step away from the goods.  The last step is to use the sun as your third light source as well as your primary.  Huh?  Now take a large reflector (I use a 8′x8′ ScrimJim) and bounce the sun into the subject to erase the shadow stripe and fill under Conan’s arm pits, eye sockets and buck teeth.  I knew from the start that when I put the image into the computer that I would color balance it to an amber tint so I used the gold reflector cloth.  Remember I wanted the whole thing to look hot, 110 degrees…..gold.

Remember to bracket your ambient exposure to play with the mood of the shot.

I hope you have fun with this one.

Photo Editor and Art Director types often call Tomas Zuccareno Photography because they know that I’m resourceful and can get the job done on remote locations.  Part of that resourcefulness is the ability to shoot a portrait, anywhere.  I love natural light portraits but sometimes I just want to use some strobes to give my work a modern punch.

Sidelight Portrait

Here’s my two cents on how to use artificial light on remote locations.  

First let’s start with the equipment.  You’ll need at least two or preferably three portable light sources.  Any brand name or power output will work but keep in mind that less power generally means less creative potential.  Also, keep in mind that some brands are just more reliable with better quality light than others.  I own two very portable systems: A Canon system that consists of three 580ex flashes and Profoto system that consists of two 600R packs, two heads and one Canon 580ex.  I also carry a set of Pocket Wizards to trigger the Profoto units.  The Pocket Wizards allow my to move all over without the hinderance of wires. Get into what you can afford and go with it.  If you spend your whole life dreaming about having the money to buy the best you won’t be shooting, and you need to go shoot.

Second, let’s talk about the technique.  I’m going to talk you through very basics of a “hard sidelight” technique that will wow them every time….if done right.  A good dose of sidelight will help give your subject depth and separate him/her/it from the background.  This technique is especially helpful when you want to shoot with a deep depth of field and your subject might otherwise blend in to your backdrop.  In this example, I have chosen to balance the ambient light with the strobes (more or less), also try dialing back you ambient light to get a moody effect.

Place a strobe head or flash on each side of your subject.  Be sure to place your light sources far enough away from your subject so that they won’t flare into your frame.  Place your lights just behind the plane created by your subject shoulders so that 85% of the light is lighting the back of your subject.  This allows the light to wrap around your subject and creates great depth.  I like the sidelights to be hot so that they almost blow out the rim of the subject, this will create drastic shadows on the front of the subject.  Next, place your third strobe head or flash just off camera.  This light will act as a fill light to deal with the shadows your sidelights will create.  Always place your fill off camera (not centered over the lens) as this will make it look a little more natural.  Don’t use the fill to clean up all of the shadows just use it to open them up a little.  Some shadow on the front of the subject will help to create that depth.

It’s really that easy. Try experimenting with the ambient exposure.  Try changing the balance between the sidelights from side to side. Try it with only one sidelight.  Your potential is limitless, now go shoot!