When we are going into this assignment we want to think about LIGHT. This is an image-story about light.
Not just lighting, but light itself.
The subject matter may be whatever you want it to be, but the idea of light, the capabilities of light, the structure and rythms of light are what we are going to see first.
A bit of background:
“I want a shot with lighting that creates an atmosphere around the subject,” the client said while looking through your book for the upcoming shoot. “Something that makes the image ‘jump’ off the page, you know what I mean?”
He removes the cigar from his face with short, stubby hands and looks at you… waiting for an answer.
You quickly formulate the fact that the guy is a little nuts.
You nod your head in agreement without stating the obvious; “No, I have no idea what you are seeing inside your brain, Mr. Client, but now I am feeling a little on the edge of disaster here…”
He reaches for a stack of magazines on the ground and points to a cover shot of a local magazine… “Like this, with cool lighting and stuff.”
The cigar ash falls on one of the covers and you start to back away slowly, expecting the whole place to be engulfed by a raging fire.
You are starting to think that this professional photography thing may be a little over the top of really strange when you suddenly realize you can do something like that. It is not easy, but with a few lights, a couple of reflectors, maybe a desk lamp or two, you could create an image of the subject that has that ‘ethereal, otherworldly, sort of cool like in Vanity Fair sort of way…
BTW: It has to be a square crop. And it has to be in color.
And it has to pull people into the magazine with a smashing image!
(NOTE: Based on an assignment given to a friend of mine a couple of years ago.)
EXAMPLES
