Well, as you would expect, I suppose it’s a bit of both. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but let me explain…
Once you’ve been shooting full-time for a few years, lighting kind of becomes second nature. Actually that’s not quite true, but it’s difficult to explain (and probably a personal thing that varies from photographer to photographer – but I can only speak for myself).
I’ll try again… Although I think about lighting explicitly for every shoot (if not every photograph) that I do, the thinking is not exactly scientific.
I’m not too good at analogies, but I guess it’s like a master chef creating a new recipe: She instinctively knows how hot and how long she wants to sauté the onions, without having to think about what temperature they caramelize at, or whatever.
The thinking I do before lighting a shot (or when making decisions about the best ‘available light’ conditions for achieving the shot I am visualizing) is more about the kind of feel I want in the shot – which is determined by the ‘quality’ of the light – which is in turn determined by the size, shape, colour, and position of the source(s).
Confused?
The point is, there are as many different ways to light a photographic subjects as there are ways to skin the proverbial feline.
When I did my ‘apprenticeship’ as a photographic assistant in London, we shot a lot of room sets (fake home interiors). In order to make these look ‘natural’, we would often end up using a dozen lights of different types, mixing studio flash with tungsten (‘hot’) lighting.
Yet I now find that when I am photographing musicians or other ‘character’ portraits, I use only one light (yes, *one*).
Indeed, many (if not most) of the ‘beauty’ shots you see on the covers of the big fashion mags are photographed with one big light behind and slightly above the camera, and a plain white foam-board reflector just out of shot under the model’s chin.
This as good as completely eliminates any shadows, giving a soft, soft, light which is also very flattering to the complexion.
We’ll explore this in a bit more detail – including how to take advantage of a basic lighting ‘law’ for zero budget – in some future posts.
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