Why you should care about light
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 11:00PM Which of the below photos is the most flattering? Why? Is there a right and wrong angle when it gets to photographing faces? Ooooh yeaaaah.
All that camera does is capturing light waves. It is up to the photographer to ensure they are coming from the right places and in the right amounts. In the below image, the right places are the various surfaces on my face. The position of the light source helps me control the amounts.
If you want to see how giant my nose is, check out the top-left image. If you want to see how pretty my eyes are, check out the bottom-center. If you want to see my smile wrinkles, they are in the bottom-right. I think you got the idea.
If you are in a close proximity of a fashion magazine, go ahead and grab it. Open it. Look for some ads for a lipstick, or a mascara (you know, those where the model stares at you like she just had a lobotomy). You will most likely see a photo taken with two sources of light from two sides of a face. (you need to look for two bright dots in the model's eyes, those are the reflections of the light sources that reveal the lighting setup). Such setup fills most wrinkles and leaves nothing but smooth character-less face. Perfect for lipstick ad, isn't it?
What? You don't do lipstick ads? Well, perhaps you get some kind photo taken every now and then. If you ever have to pose in a place with a sharp top light source (a Sun or a ceiling light for instance), your best bet is to lift your chin and try to get the light hit your face like you see in the bottom-center photo.
Was this helpful? Or do you prefer the scary flashlight face instead?
Reader Comments (2)
Brilliant illustration - totally love the way this is showcased. I would have loved to have seen what this exact same setup would have looked like compared with a softbox or umbrella. :]
It looks like you shoot outdoors a lot, do you still use a lot of external lighting equipment?
I use strobes only during the golden hour and at night. I tend to use my 500mm F1.4 for portraits outdoors during the day. You can't go wrong with that baby. :)