DPPA – Claude Jodoin

Tonight at DPPA, Claude Jodoin presented his program, “Lighting Magic with your Flash.” I’m going to live-blog for a bit, hopefully it will make sense! Claude is planning to do live demonstrations of lighting, and then we will examine the SOOC camera images after he creates the images.

Myth #1 Dispelled – Lights do not cast shadows, subjects do.

f/5.6 at 1/125 is Claude’s magic number. When you shrink your format from medium format to 35mm sizes — you get a gain in depth of field when using the “same” aperture. It has to do mostly with the magnification of the image. What does this have to do with lighting? Well, you have more flexibility when you’re using the smaller sensor size.

Claude’s first setup was to demonstrate the concept of light quality.

• Power source = 2×3 softbox
• Light source = bed sheet diffuser hung between subject and power source — this, in effect, creates a larger, softer, light.

It all translates back to how much light power you need to achieve your goals. Whichever format you use — it’s all about what you do with your light.

When you create a more diffuse light source, the beam angle of the light is actually what you’re changing, not the “softness.” … softness has to do with perspective, not size.

By using grids or barn doors, you can narrow the beam angle while taking advantage of the homogenized/diffuse light.  So this will make it easier for you to keep the light from spilling onto the background.

All you’re trying to do with a really big box is to emulate window light, which is pleasing for flesh tones.  If you want the light to come more from the front, you have to move the subject to the “back” of the window.  And you want to have the camera right by the “front” of the window, so that you’re not getting the window in the shot.

[So far, a lot of this information is pretty basic, but it never hurts anyone to review, does it!]

If you add in a second subject to the window light scene, you just need to adjust the 2nd subject’s distance from the light source until your meter reading is the same for their cheek as for the cheek of the 1st subject.

Next topic: photographing groups.

Bring the light so it’s a little bit above the chin of the bottom person.  It’s very critical you feather your box… Claude positions the light stand where he wants it to be, and then feathers the softbox forward until all the meter readings are even.

For a 2:1 ratio, you want the intensity of your fill to be exactly the same as your main.

The main light illuminates one side of the face, and the fill light illuminates both sides of the face — thereby creating a 2:1 ratio.

Claude believes it’s better to shoot things flatter — and if necessary, add contrast in Photoshop.

It’s easier to add contrast than to take it out.

High Key…  we all know how to do high key on white.  But, what about doing high key on black?

First we have to qualify, what is white and black.

White is a light amplifier (2 stops more than incident meter).  Black, on the other hand… is 3.5 stops less than incident meter.  So in this instance, the difference between black and white is 5.5.  To get pure white you want 3 stops more than incident (so effective range becomes 6.5 between black and white).

– BREAK –

Sidenote on expensive stuff vs. cheap stuff.  Claude thinks white bedsheets should be part of every photographer’s toolbox.  It’s about the quality of light you can get, not so much about the price you pay for it, so much as what you can do with it.

– END OF BREAK –

Glamour lighting is nothing more than over-under technique.  Claude likes using a smaller light source for glamour.

If you have a round/broad face, use short lighting, if you have a narrow face, use broad lighting.  If you have an oval face, you can use any type of lighting pattern you want.

You’re always working incident light against the reflective properties… know that you have discrete control.

Sometimes it’s better to establish your main exposure without having the reflector in place.  You can control the ratio between the main and the reflector by changing the rotation of the main light.

Claude’s rule of thumb – always keep your light within 2 stops of your incident light reading.  It fits within the limits of a digital file, you can still tweak it in Photoshop, and it’s still printable.

Another option: instead of using a silver reflector in glamour lighting, diffuse the light with a white cloth.  You’ve just widened the beam angle of the light reflecting from the reflector.

You have a lot of control with reflecting light, blocking light, and bouncing it.  It doesn’t really matter what you use — just that you know how to use it.

Well, I’m going to have to sign off now.  My poor laptop’s battery is flashing an orange warning light at me (low battery).  I’ll have to fill in the details later, as well as come up with a summary of Claude’s program.

It’s always interesting to see how other photographers create images; and even if you already think you know everything (which I don’t claim, by the way), it’s always possible to come away knowing something you didn’t know before.