Schedule Changes

First change: This coming Wednesday 7/15 Class #10 We are going to feature the work of Martha Rial. Pulitzer Prize winner photojournalist she was a staffer at the Post Gazette and most recently at a daily paper in Florida. She just returned to Pittsburgh and will show us some of here Photo Projects. I have decided to also move the Business discussion to this class, so that all of you who expressed interest can hear that lecture.

This will mean a few good things for you all.

One The Environmental Portrait will be due on 7/22 (The week after next) We will also that day talk a little more about White backgrounds.

The White Background Portrait will be due on 7/29 ( I know that many of you will be on vacation) you can either bring it in early! or with permission drop it off with me. We will use the balance of this class to talk about Hot Shoe flashes.

The final project will be due on Aug 5.

A few of you have asked about Light meters and a RAW discussion I could make time but only before class this coming Wednesday, which I know does not work for many of you that work till 5pm. It is a really tight summer time wise.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Richard

Lighting Ratios

Good Photography Discussion on an approach to lighting a subject. <Strobist>

Photographer approach to location lighting <joeMcNally>

Understanding Lighting Ratios <vividlight.com>

Lighting Ratios for Portraiture <cameradojo>

Lighting Ratios and Incident Metering Demystified <Super.Nova.Org>

Manual Flash Lighting Ratios <Super.Nova.Org>

Inverse Square Law & Guide Numbers

In physics, an inverse-square law is any physical law stating that some physical quantity or strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity. <wikipedia>

Lightsource Intensity =1 / Distance squared

The Inverse Square Law defines the level of light from a fixed light source relative to the distance from the light source.

If the Light Source produces an output of light equal to X at a distance from light source to subject Y, at a lightsource to subject distance two times (twice) Y, the Light Source output will be equal to 1/4 of X.

Inverse Square Law <Geoff Lawrence Photography Tutorials>

Inverse Square Law and Guide Numbers <portraitlighting.net>

Interesting article on AlienBees by W.A. "John" Johnson

Calculating Range of Guide Numbers article

Giude Numbers = Flash-to-subject distance * f/stop
At 10 feet:
f * 10 = GN
f/8 * 10 = 80

Class Notes: Reference for Reading Assignments in Book

PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING 4th Edition John Child & Mark Galer

CLASS 1 Intro to Light (pages 1-21) Chap. Introduction + Characteristics of Light

CLASS 2 Lighting 101 (pages 33-72) Exposure & Light Meters + Contrast & Compensation

CLASS 3 ReView White Lightning  (pages 89 - 104) Color Correction & Filtration

CLASS 4 Field Trip

CLASS 5 Still Life Solid Object  (pages 145 - 161) Studio Lighting

CLASS 6 Still Life Transparent Object

CLASS 7 Environmental Portrait (pages 109 - 125) Lighting on Location

CLASS 8 Painting with Light

CLASS 9 White Background 

CLASS 10 Projects

CLASS 11 Hot Shoe Flash Photography (www.strobist.com)

CLASS 12 Business of Photography (www.asmp.org)

CLASS 13 Final Projects Due

Class Notes #1 Summer : Light

Great class last night. Wanted to leave you with this reminder.

For next week, 2 examples of Light. books, movies, magazines, life.

Book Recommendation: MAKING MOVIES by Sidney Lumet published by Vintage

quote from page 26: "It is in the preparation. Do mountains of preparation kill spontaneity? Absolutely not. I've found that it's just the opposite. When you know what you're doing, you feel much freer to improvise."

Emerging Photographer Ross Mantle

Last evening we talked about the Final Project for the studio lighting class.

I asked emerging photographer, Ross Mantle, a recent graduate of Ohio University and their Photo Journalism program. Ross spoke about his most recent photo projects and his experience working as an intern in a variety of newspapers around the country.

Ross, touched on a few very important messages for my students.

- Editing your projects, go back and visit project archives over and over again, because the project or your vision may change over time and you will see things in your edit that you didn't see before.

-Learn from your failures. Mistakes can lead to new ideas and approaches.

-Start projects, by just starting them. Do something, the rest will come.

I think this is good advice for all photographers.

Here is his website

#4 Class Notes Using Calumet Strobe & Soft Box

We went through the Calumet Studio Flash system (#2) with a Chimera softbox.

The demo illustrated proper incident meter technique.

We began the semester long discussion of Lighting Ratios. (pg 62-63 in the Photographic Lighting textbook 4th Edition.)

Here is an article that helps explain it.

Here is a useful chart to print out.

Here is a link to another Flash meter Calibration technique.

I want to continue our discussions of Light. Understanding the nature of light. (pg 11 in the Photographic Lighting textbook 4th Edition.)
Here are some of the Light Characteristics.

-Source
-Intensity
-Quality
-Direction
-Contrast
-Color

#3 Class Notes Using Mono Lights

We introduced the first studio flash system to the class. The White Lightning Ultra Series 1200, here is the instruction manual.

We used a photography umbrella, here is an online tutorial that you may find useful.

We looked at Observed Light, here are some of the links some of you mentioned.

Carlos Serrao

Coletta 03 on Flickr

Rebekkah

Dave Hill

#2 Class Notes Flashmeter and White Balance

The primary lecture last evening was about basic flash meter function and calibration. Two brands that we looked at Sekonic and Gossen the DigiPro F is the model thatPF has for you to use.

The Flash meter, or any meter, is just a measuring device, no different than a yard stick or a 12 inch ruler. What is important, is knowing what an inch is. To know when you use your meter that the information can be interpreted in photographic terms. Specifically about your camera sensor (or film) and your specific meter device and the processing software (or processing procedure for film) that you follow. The concept here is to control as many of the variables as you can, so that the variables you cannot control, when metered will give you predictable results that will allow you to translate the ideas in your minds eye to the page or to the screen.

Meter Calibration part 1-
The process is fairly simple, photograph a scene with a gray card and a color chart. We will use "copy style flat lighting", the more controllable the better, overcast days or open shade if you are using available light. Ideally you will want to shoot on a tripod to keep the image consistent. Because this is a studio lighting class, we will talk about aperture as the variable, because as we discussed class #1 that is the primary camera control to use with flash photography. It should be noted that if we were using available daylight or hot lights, we could also use the shutter speed as a variable.
To continue, we will want to set the light distance and or power setting to get an even light on our subject and to establish at our first ISO, of 200 an aperture of f/5.6 I suggest 5.6 as on most lenses it is in the middle of the aperture scale. (Note, some zoom lenses may require a smaller aperture as the 5.6 is near the top end. Adjust accordingly.)
We will then make "bracket" exposures of 1/3 (or 1/2) stops in each direction. I suggest 2 2/3 (2 1/2 stops) both under and over. We will then look at these frames in Light Room or Photo shop using the eye dropper tool and the information palette to determine which exposure most closely matches the reference numbers for the Gray Card and or the Color Chart - Gray squares. Here is a link (Click on ColorChecker RGB Summaries, Spreadsheets and Lab TIFF File) for information about the MacBeth Color Checker and related chart on RGB Coordinates.

This will be continued in the next class notes.

Here are the links about Dynamic Range: simplified zone system and dynamic range.

We also discussed White Balance, The Kelvin Color of light and how to calibrate for that in the studio.

We also looked at some web sites featuring photographers:

Annie Leibovitz and Sean Connery follow the Links : the notes here are to notice that they are shooting in daylight (pretty bright daylight) an assistant is using a white diffuser over Sir Sean's head and the dock he is sitting on, to drop the daylight exposure down. An assistant to the left is holding an umbrella soft light lighting the subject with a consistent and controllable light. In the final shot you see that the "balance" of those to two sources, the strobe and the daylight "look real", not over lit. Also notice that the assistant with the light is holding the light on a pole, to follow the action.

We also looked at Annie Leibovitz Profoto 8 & TIME 10 Questions

We watched Ovation TV David LaChapelle and Todd Hido

The notes here are that the photographer searches for the right location, the right light, and sometimes both are not always exotic or far away. Second that photography has a work ethic. That you may not have a lot of photographs for every effort made. Finally, that photography books are like movies they have a narrative and a flow.

We also took a look at some of my work and discussed the lighting approach in those images.

#1 Class Notes Introduction to Light

Welcome to Studio Lighting, I am looking forward to this semester.

The text book for this class is available at the main counter near Dave's Cafe Obscura. The book is PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING fourth edition. This is a wonderful book and covers all of the lessons and then some that we will cover in this class. I just reviewed this new edition and it is even better than earlier editions, although they cover the basics equally well.

Here is the web site companion www.photographyessentialskills.com

Topics we discussed:

Flash Sync Speeds here and here.

Making your own sync cords here.

Podcasts about the history of photography by Jeff Curto

Studio Lighting Schedule

Class #1: (1/15/09)

Orientation & Facility Tour
Intro to Light

Lecture:
• Introduction to class, syllabus, equipment and materials
• Introduction to light
• Camera Settings
• Color profiles, white balance
• Shutter sync speeds
• What is a flashmeter
• Build a list of subjects to cover in class

Assignment:
Assignment due 1/29 2 examples of observed light real world or printed samples
Bring next week any camera or handheld meter you plan to use in class.

Class #2: (1/22/09)

Flash meter & Exposure

• Lecture:
• Flash Meter calibration with Camera, film or sensor
• Gray Card
• White Balance
• Color of Light / Kelvin Temps and color gels

FLASH SYSTEM TESTING (ONE on ONE)

Assignment: No Assignment

Class #3: (1/29/09)

Lighting One on One

Demo: Using one light and a flash meter
• Lecture: Review Assignment 2 examples of observed light
• Reflectors

FLASH SYSTEM TESTING (ONE on ONE)

STUDIO TIME 1

Assignment: No Assignment

Class #4: (2/5/09)

Still Life • Solid Object

Lecture
• Review:
• Metering - Key and Fill Light
• Metering Ratios
• Qualities of Light / Contrast

STUDIO TIME 2

Assignment: Due 2/26/09
2 prints presented of two different lighting setups of a solid object still life using one primary light source.

Class #5: (2/12/09)

TBD

Assignment: No Assignment


Class #6: (2/19/09)

Still Life • Transparent Object

Lecture
• Review:
• Qualities of Light / Color

STUDIO TIME 3

Assignment: Due 3/5/09
2 prints presented of two different lighting setups of a transparent object still life may use multiple sources.


Class #7: (2/26/09)

Painting with Light


• CRITIQUE: STILL LIFE SOLID

Assignment: No Assignment

Class #8: (3/5/09)

Environmental Portrait

• CRITIQUE: STILL LIFE TRANSPARENCY

Assignment: Due 4/2/09
2 prints presented of two different lighting setups of a portrait of a person in their environment using at least one primary light source.


NO CLASS SPRING BREAK (3/12/09)

Class #9: (3/19/09)

Portrait White Background

Lecture
• Lighting a background
• Using ratios to control background to foreground lights

STUDIO TIME 4

Assignment: Due 4/9/09
2 prints presented of two different lighting setups of a portrait of a person with a white background, using techniques discussed in class.


Class #10: (3/26/09)

TBA

Assignment: No Assignment

Class #11: (4/2/09)

Projects:

CRITIQUE: Environmental Portrait

Assignment: Due 4/23/09
Final Project of Final Portfolio of a Minimum 8 finished prints with a theme and consistency of techniques or approached that was discussed in class. Studio Lights must be used in at least three of the final images presented.

Class #12: (4/9/09)

Review

CRITIQUE: Portrait White Background

Assignment: No Assignment

Class #13: (4/16/09)

Hot Shoe Flash Photography
Lecture
• Fill - Flash
• Synchro – Strobe

Assignment: No Assignment

Class #14 (4/23/09)

CRITIQUE : Final Project

A lighting quote from the strobist

“Motivated light is one of the keys to getting believability and logic in your lit photos. Where would the light come from? What would the light look like?

Those are questions you should be asking yourself before you design the light in your photos if you want to hold a visual narrative.” the strobist