Advanced Photography - Task 3

by Tarald K. Tvedt 11:54 pm 0 comments Cinematography Photography Professional Toolkit Year 2

Task 3:

From workshop 3 

Studio: Lighting the portrait in the style of chiaroscuro art technique (Rembrandt vs. Caravaggio) 

Assessment Task:

Produce three studio portraits, two using the chiaroscuro lighting techniques demonstrated in the workshop (i.e. one Rembrandt and one Caravaggio) and one in the lighting technique of your own choice. All 3 images must be captured in RAW format and mastered as a Smart Object in TIF or PSD file format as outlined in workshop one). Use the techniques demonstrated in the portrait workshop to consider the quality, quantity and direction of light in relation to the subjects pose and this influences the composition of the portrait (e.g. broad and narrow light direction, subject pose and space around the subject and camera and lens settings.)

Caravaggio:

In my Caravaggio style image I took the soft box off the light to create an even starker contrast between the light and dark. I also asked my model to sit slight forward as to seem more imposing to the viewer. I did this to create a darker posture, that might make the viewer feel threatened, as was often wanted from the religious imagery Caravaggio used to paint.

Rembrandt:

For my rendition of Rembrandt I decided to add a little something. When lighting the scene I put one light to shine from the models right at a strength of 3, and another light to the left of the model, with a strength of 1. The secondary light had no flash, and was simply to give the broad side of the face a little light, while the narrow was illuminated and we had the triangle on his left cheek. I asked him to turn 90 degrees, turn his head back 45, and then his eyes towards me to create a dramatic and mysterious effect. I used soft boxes on both lights to create a soft, and smooth image, even though the contrasts between light and dark are very clear. 

Own style:

For my own style I wanted to create something that I felt like the two other styles were missing, although they were hugely inspirational. I put the light behind the model and shone it towards their back and side to create a silhouette of sorts. I didn't want the light to be too strong, as I wanted the silhouette to be nostalgic and dramatic. I discovered in my attempt to recreate Caravaggio and Rembrandt that I always look for facial structure when taking pictures, and that I use the light to better see it in images. For my style I wanted to elevate the cheekbones my model had, and also the outline of his biceps, to compliment his figure. I think it worked out very well. 

TJ