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Shoot: Balding

Lesson 32 from: Photographing Challenging Features

Lindsay Adler

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Lesson Info

32. Shoot: Balding

Lesson Info

Shoot: Balding

So, let's take a look, how are you doing? I didn't get to chat with you. How are you doing? Alright, so what we're gonna do is take a couple pictures from different angles, change the light real quick and show a couple other solutions. Great. And I'm gonna turn it to six. Two, okay, raise it up for me please. Going up. Thank you. A little bit more, right there, good. And then can you bring it in super duper close? Good, and then in that way just a little bit. Good, good, good, and in even closer. Okay, great. So let me take a quick test. Excellent. Okay, let me go a little bit darker. Thank you. Alright, so in this example, okay, pretty neutral, everything there. Obviously, I don't want, can you do me a favor? Can you put your chin out and then down? Okay, sticks his chin out and down, not only does the light get darker but it draws more attention to the top of the head so keep it neutral. Same thing, keep your head nice and neutral for me. If I do a neutral shot but then I pop up ...

higher, more attention to the top of the head. And the next shot. More attention there. But, John can you do a flagging for me? Okay, so, let me take one shot without. It's got a little bit of too much light on the forehead, bring it real close to him. Real close, real close, a little bit lower. You can get real dramatic and kinda darken the top of the head like that or here's a rule. The closer that is to his head, the sharper the line, the further it is from his head or the closer to the light, the more smooth the transition. So you just figure out how much do you want to be in shadow and how subtle do you want that transition. So let's do one more, a little further away and a little a lower down. Right there. And now bring it a little closer to him. A little further down, right there. Wait, a little higher. So you can just see the changes it makes. Okay? Right? Or and then here's how it was with nothing. Right? Pretty dramatic difference. And if you notice, in this case the background goes dark because we are no longer allowing light to hit the background. So if that happened, that's fine, you can light the background if you want it to go back to the original tone. But right now, the background is being lit by a single image. So, let's talk about that next. So let's do the bad first. I'll have you hold that again but turn it as a hair light, like a room light. Alright, so one of the lighting setups that I like is something called three point lighting. There is one light in the front, one light on either side. One of the reasons I like three point lighting is because I can carve out the side of the body or the jawline. However, in this case, what it's going to do is it's going to put a bright highlight on the side of the head. So let's say we're problem solving, we're saying, "Okay, I know I don't want a high angle, "I know I don't want him to put his chin down, "and I'm going to flag so there's no light on his head "but man, I like that jawline "and I like to have a little separation." So, I will get something like this but now, I feel like he's blending in with the background. I want a little bit of separation so can you do my little flagging. I can't see that modeling light, is it hitting him okay? No, this one I mean. Normally when you use modeling lights, you can see where it's hitting but we've got so much light on in here. And what's the power? 4.3. Can you turn it to, let's turn it to seven just get it so I can actually see. Alright, testing. Okay, and it's gonna have to go, how much, do we got room? I got plenty. Okay, ignore this, don't look at this photo. Okay, and then angle it back towards him. Right there, yeah. Okay, that's it. And then can you narrow the beam a little bit for me? Good, alright, that'll work good. Okay, don't look at this photo guys. I'm deleting it so you don't see it. (audience laughing) What? It's true. Okay, so, here's what we've got going on is we've got this first, this one that we just shot. So we flagged it off but then he's blending in. So will you flag it off for me John? Whatever side's fine. So we flag it off, but the background goes dark. So we add that back rim light to separate him out. But when we do so, it's lightening the top of the head. So the next thing you can do is you can lower it and close the barn doors so it's not hitting the top of his head. It could just hit his arm or the side of his face. It'll help a bit. Let's see, I think right there. Let's take a quick test, same thing to cut it off. So, still might be hitting a little bit, I just have to lower it more. Still hitting a little bit. So if you want that separation, the other thing you can do is light the background. I mean you can angle it so it's just lighting here and avoid the top of the head but will you flip it towards the background? Perfect, and then, I don't know, what's that power at? Can you turn it to six, maybe? Great. Cool, and now, he won't be blended in because we've lit the background. A little more John. We took this to an extreme, like you don't have to be that light. Do you wanna do one more? Can you turn it all the way down? You can also make it just like a little glow. Alright, one more. Okay this is gonna be, this is the shot. Are you ready? Okay, can you turn to your right? Keep going, keep going, stick your chin out. Yeah, good, alright lower that for me. Okay, chin back towards me a bit. Good. Okay, good, great. So then I just got a little bit of separation. Okay, alright, so that would be what I would go for. Not much light on the top, still a little bit of separation. Lower camera angle, chin not out and down. And notice, I don't need the whole top of the head, like, it's fine.

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Ratings and Reviews

Sharma Shari
 

This class was amazing! It was great seeing a demo class with real people. As a wedding photographer that specializes in offbeat/non traditional couples, it is always good to see how I can enhance all my clients beautiful features, and make them feel their best and confident when I am taking their photos!

a Creativelive Student
 

I was so excited to get the chance to learn from Lindsay live, and this course did not disappoint! The techniques she shared were insightful and straightforward. I felt like seeing them on different subjects throughout the day really helped to cement the concepts and grow my photography tools to bring out the best in those I'm photographing. I'm not a studio photographer, but the ideas apply in natural light as well.

maria manolaros
 

Great class! Impressive amount of tips on posing, lighting and photoshop techniques , a real good no nonsense approach by superb teacher. Numerous amounts of thumbs ups

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