A matter of Light

Lighting is also influenced by fashion

While in israel the trend of aggressive lighting that the American photographer Terry Richardson uses dominates,I call this type of lighting "wedding flash" and you can understand what I think about it.

Sometimes it works, though ,especially in the hands of Terry Richardson.

In the attached clip you can see how he uses direct flash and how well he does it.

The effect is domineering,it freezes the face and at the same time cleans it from all wrinkles and blemishes.

What can be termed two for the price of one.

I use this lighting when I want to give to the photo a rough edge

For example here

It is produced very simply by a small flash mounted on the camera itself.

But I also make a point of adding some photographic values.

When I shoot with direct flash I do it on a complex background with depth, so the photo is not flat.

I use a longer exposure than the shot requires in order for daylight to fill in the frame in the places not directly affected by the flash.

If I had not used a longer exposure here for instance ,the flash would have left me with only a dark outline around the model and on her face and no information at all in the street.

This way I can soften the overall effect and actually see the scene outside of the windows.

Flicking through the new September issue of Vouge I can see direct flash is out.

So what's in?

Good lighing.

What is good lighting?

It is lighting that compliments the subject and creats a 3 dimensional image.

Usually it is lighting which comes from an angle of 45 degrees to the subject and a little from above.

For instance in this new campaign of Jean paul Gaultier.

So simple , yet so correct.

This week I photographed using another type of lighting - Neon.

It's usually used in cinema lighting and looks like neon but actually gives a daylight effect.

Lighting specialists and still photographers use this when doing beauty shots.

I picked it this time as I wanted a soft yet cold lighting which creats shiny highlights on the model .

The effect that it produces here is very classical with a slight twist.

Instead of directing the lighting a little above the face,it is directly in front.

This causes the shadow from the nose to slant a little upwards,a small nuance, but which gives to the model's face a modern look.

The next day I came accross this shot of Elizabeth Hurly in a shoot for Estee Lauder using this exact nuance in order to get the same effect.

Maybe a new trend.........