Assignment 6

 
Set up a still life.  Light the still life in an interesting way. Then, use your understanding of depth of field to make two photographs:

1. Shallow DOF (less in focus front to back)

2. Greater DOF (more in focus front to back)

Post: 2 photographs. Label each image with your camera settings in the following format: ISO 100, 1/125 @ f/3.5.

Describe your setup (i.e. how many lights you used, where the lights were in relation to your subject, whether you used fill cards/diffusion, the settings of the strobes, etc.). Then discuss what you did in each photograph to emphasize the Depth of Field.

 

Shallow Depth of Field

ISO 100, f/4.0 @ 1/60

First a 1600 strobe was set up to the right of the composition and at roughly a 45 degree angle.  We settled on the light at around -3 after taking a meter reading to arrive at an aperture of 3.5.  I set mine at 4.0 with ISO 100 and 1/60.  A reflector may have been a good idea here just a little to the left of the composition.  I set my single point focus on the white bird next to the basket about of a third of the way into the composition.  The focal plane field was the white bird and the cat, while the rooster and cow are out of focus. 

Wide Depth of Field

ISO 100, f/16 @1/60

The lighting set-up is similar to the first.  We increased the intensity of the light to nearly full power and used the light meter.  F/16 was the suggested aperture.  Here I tried to set-up an engaging composition, something that would allow me to show a wide depth of field.  I single point focused on the rooster on the top of the "barn" and took the shot.  The result is the entire photo from front to back is in focus.  The bunny in the back begins to show a little softening, but not much.  Here I could have also used a reflector on the left side to provide a soft light there.  

Assignment 5

Using Rembrandt lighting, create a portrait with key, fill, and backlight. Post one photo of each part of your setup along with a label that says which light it is:

1 key light

1 fill light

1 background light

1 with all three lights combined in the same photograph

3 Light Set-up deconstructed

Freestyle 1 & 2

Freestyle creative light set-up 1 yielded the above result.  See the 3 light set up diagram below. 

1600 Key light at 1600 was nearly full power with fill light at -1 and set far back from the subject.  The 800 light in back on medium power was lower than all the rest with the light directed straight toward the back.  I should have tried with the 800 back light shining straight upward to get hair light on the bottom of her hair.  Settings f/16, 1/60 and ISO 100.

Freestyle 2 with light set-up diagram below.

The following light set-up had the Key light dimmed a bit as I was looking for a less intense light on the subject.  The light intensity of the fill light increased as well as it was brought closer to the subject.  Back light was brought over the subject's head to create a hair light that is different from the first.  In the first, the lack of hairlight and the key light providing much of the light on the hair, gives way to a very dull flat look while the less intense light over her head provides a warmer glow.

Assignment 4

Make a portrait of one of your group members. Select a quality of light to communicate an aspect of your subject's personality.  Make a second portrait that is opposite from the first.

Using one 1600 light, we decided on two qualities of light with Hana -  soft and direct light.

This soft diffused light portrait of Hana was achieved by setting the light high at a 45 degree angle and placed off to the side of the photographer.  We tried several diffusion filters but settled on the Rosco White Diffusion filters as it gave the softest most uniform light.  This soft light portrait of Hana uniformly lit projects friendliness and comfort.  The law of light most at work here is the inverse square law.  With the help of the diffuser, light spreads out as it travels over a distance resulting in a softer, diffused light. 

In stark comparison to the first image where all of Hana's face was lit, the use of side lighting here placed at the same level as her face and just off camera left projects an edgier portrait of Hana.  Harsher shadows and contrasting lines seen down the middle of her face highlight a light and dark side of the subject.  The heavier use of make-up adds personality and meaning to the image.  The law of light most evident here would be that light travels in a straight line, reflecting off her face and dropping off on the opposite side. 

Assignment 3

In one photograph, using one light source, clearly demonstrate the 3 laws of light:

• Light travels in a straight line
• Angle of Incidence = the Angle of Reflection
• Inverse Square Law

Assignment 2

Assignment 2: Inverse Square Law

Each group will produce ONE set of images. Each person will post their group’s final images on their own blog.
Part 1: Use 3 4x5 cards: black, gray, and white. Clamp each card onto a light stand and place the cards so that they are just slightly overlapping. Using just one light source, make all three cards appear to be the same gray value. (You can move the cards and the light source until it works). Record the distance from the light source to each card.
Part 2: Post two photographs:
1. The resulting image with all three cards and the distances you recorded from the light source to each card.
AND
2. A photo of your setup in the studio.
Then, explain how you used your understanding of the Inverse Square Law to find the solution.

From light source: Black - 2', Gray - 4'6", White - 12'

Assignment 2 studio set-up

We marked down measurements on the floor and used the 1600 watt light source.  It took a few tries to get the black card to read the same gray value as the other two but we arrived at the following distances with using camera settings:  ISO 1000, shutter 1/50, F3.5

Light source - 1600

Black card at 2 ft 

Grey card in middle at 4 ft 6 inches

White card in back at 12 ft from light source

Assignment 1

Hard/direct Light

Soft/diffused light

Light from the front

Light from the side

Light from above

Light from below