Paint Your Imagination With Light

Joe McNally is perhaps the greatest lighting technician in photography today. His videos are not only helpful 'how to' programs about applying artificial light to photography, they serve to inspire those of us looking to elevate our photography to another level. He has an uncanny ability to take an ordinary location with marginal light and layer it with his own vision of how the light should work. Not even close describes my own ability to mimic or to even understand how he does what he does, yet I have learned a great deal by simply watching and observing his technique. What I've gained the most is to not be afraid to employ imagination when trying new ways to capture images.

Single Studio light with softbox and homemade Grid - Image shot under an old bridge.

I have discovered that understanding principles of application is important, but, sometimes a significant gap separates us between simple understanding and applying that knowledge in the field. I recently watched one of Joe's new videos, The Garage Guys, one of the few I had not seen before, where he stepped into a mechanics garage with horrible florescent lights hanging from the ceiling and by strategically placing a few speedlights around the inside he transformed the scene into an exciting and transfixing photograph. His final image(s) left little doubt about the importance of using imaginative thought when creating a photograph. Check out his video.

Speedlights will increase your effectiveness as a photographer and using them opens up new potential for creative photography, but, like so many others, I have a tendency to fall into a cliche trap where I often fail to look beyond the potential of the visual elements in front of me. That is where using light to paint your imagination will often bring to life ordinary situations and become one of the most exciting photographic adventures you can travel through. The trick is to seek out opportunities to put the potential into play. This can be using very simple fill light as seen in the picture below, or more complex applications of multiple lights. It is to generate a balance between what is there with the full potential of what the image can become.

Single Sony Speedlight fired remotely using Camera popup flash as the trigger - Overcast day

Of course Joe McNally pretty much has unlimited resources when it comes to equipment and it is not unusual for him to use 6, 7, or even more than 10 speedlights with an array of available light modifiers in one shot. Most of us can't imagine owning that many lights much less using that many especially name brand lights like Nikon, Canon, or Sony.  However, available today are much less expensive models that do a wonderful job when used within their capabilities. (Yongnuo, and Godox are two of the more proven ones available and they cost a fraction of the name brand versions).

Single speedlight thru large window. Dark overcast day - Used a bed sheet to cover the large window and then fired the flash thru the bedsheet. Created a soft warm light which also cast interesting shadows across the wall in the background.

Even using a single speedlight will open up your creative instincts far more than simply always relying on available light. Combining the two becomes an imagination enhancing project.

Two Godox speedlights - One bare, one with orange gel. Additional available light in the form of incandescant street lights.

Photographers paint with light. When you begin to paint your imagination along with it, the limits of what can be accomplished photographically become almost infinite. Painting your imagination with light will in itself elevate your photography to a level well above what the ordinary photographer will normally accomplish. The trick is to not limit your imagination by being afraid to expand beyond your comfort zones. Remember...you learn by doing, so get out there and start doing.

Two Godox Speedlights fired remotely.

On the Hunt: Searching for that One Great Photograph

I am always on the hunt...to find that one great photograph. I have not found it yet, but I am never deterred toward that endeavor. Searching for that one great photograph is an obsession where one seeks perfection as invisioned within the heart.

I try to see, I attempt to capture the world from the perspective of the camera. Even when I take time to study another photograph created by another photographer I find myself examining the image from the perspective of how did the photographer manage to capture such a fascinating print. I am always searching for ways to create an edge, to elevate what I see with my eyes into something that becomes a visually stunning image. It matters little what the subject might be, when the subject is illuminated by amazing light, even a single blade of grass can become a great photograph.

When a photographer begins to visualize the finished image before he ever releases the shutter, it is to step into a visual world filled with possibilities. It becomes an instinctive place where the mind begins to connect with and to think like a camera. To do so one must let go of preconceived prejudices and let your heart take control and allow your emotional self to lead you through what is there. Seeing the image means to look deeper, to look beyond the ordinary. It is to build the image from your imagination by collecting the visual components required for the composition and assembling them one piece at a time until nothing else is required.

Searching for that one great photograph becomes the driving force behind all great photographers. They develop an uncanny ability to see beyond the obvious to find the true deeper visual story in everything they attempt to capture photographically.

To become a photographic hunter, a searcher of great photographs, one must often experience discomfort and disappointment. But, like a hunter, the greater reward is not so much the final harvest, it is the process of persevering through the uncomfortable, to eventually reach a moment when the harvest stands presented in front of you ready for the taking, and you recognize something unique and exciting is about to happen.

A Simple Lighting Setup

The weather in early May in Kentucky can be quite unpredictable. However, the sun shined bright and clear

for Prom date day this past season. A bright sunny afternoon is not always conducive to great photographic conditions as the harsh light creates harsh shadows and blown out highlights on almost any subject. Capturing prom dates under bright conditions like this can become a challenge, but using a simple lighting setup can often save the day and allow you to blend the natural light with artificial light.

In recent years I have become very fond of using off camera speedlights (flash). The creative opportunities they inspire become almost limitless. I have become so fond of using them that I rarely shoot a portrait using just natural light anymore. Speedlights provide the photographer a greater dimension and range of capabilities. Even with a simple one light setup, your outdoor portraits can be transformed into natural looking, well lit creations. The trick is to make it look like you're not using a light. The best fill light usage is where you can only tell it is there if you remove it. The biggest advantage I see to using speedlights in they open up the eyes bringing life to the windows to the soul of the person. Without that extra bit of illumination, eyes will often look dark and lifeless.

All the prom dates arrived, on time and excited about their special day, at the shoot location. I was there simply to help out another photographer friend. I used a simple light setup to take the photos; a single speedlight with a small softbox attached. This provided mobility and plenty of fill light and it also allowed me to take advantage of the natural sunlight filtering thru the trees.

The basic setup is quite simple: The subjects were placed in a shaded area with the sun behind them and the filtered sunlight was allowed to provide a nice backlight across the hair. This served to help separate them from the background. The softbox was postioned about four feet away from the subject at about a 45 degree angle with the top of the box slightly higher than the subject. The softbox diffused the light spreading it evenly across the subject(s), gently wrapping the light around them. It also provided a nice catch light in their eyes. I used a long lense which helped to blur the background providing an even greater amount of separation.

The type of speedlight I used happened to be Godox brand units. They are rather inexpensive units but very reliable and come with their own remote transmitter / receiver units thus allowing for easy off camera use.

The basic exposure was set to capture the background, and by adding the light, my subjects were properly lit. The light was of course fired remotely with the tripod mounted camera set on manual using ISO 100, 1/80th shutter @ 200mm and f/5.6 aperture. The speedlight power setting was place between 1/4 and 1/2 power which gave me the f/5.6 aperture. The power output of the lights can be remotely changed from the camera making exposure adjustments quick and easy.

What resulted turned out to be rather nice, natural looking images using a quick and simple lighting setup. Without the speedlight, the exposure setup would have been much more difficult to control inside the shaded area especially with the bright sunlight filtering through the trees.