Breaking Down a Photo - What Makes This Image Work?

Good lighting is essential to create good photographs. Without it, many images simply become snapshots. Although everyone employs their own perspective to a photograph, there are certain elements that come into play that helps to separate those simple snapshots from a well thought-out, complete photograph. Many times subtle elements like reflections, shadows, and angles are what separate ordinary from extraordinary images, and not everyone looks for those things even after the image is made. The key is to anticipate ahead of time and setup the shot so those subtle elements become a part of the composition.

It is often a matter experience and understanding how light bounces around and reflects off things that help us to quickly discern what will work. Sometimes you just get lucky, but most of the time great images are made with a little forethought.  So...let's take a look at the above image in closer detail.

First of all, notice the image is a Sepia toned black and white image. From the start of this photo shoot I anticipated using black and white simply from the nature of the character...a Cowboy with a rustic flavor. Black and white with sepia tone simply fits the theme more reliably than color does. It reduces the image to contrasts, shape, form, and of course character. Character profile images require you have a character to profile, and Davy here certainly proved to be a great genuine character.

Converting the image to black and white also required using the correct style of simulated film...in this case I used Silver Efex Pro 2 black and white conversion software to convert to black and white, and changed the image from a neutral BW into an Agfa APX 400 simulated BW film. This gave the image just the right combination of contrast and grain so it would retain a more rustic flavor. I also applied a subtle amount of Sepia tone to enhance that old time western appearance. The overall image then took on a completely new and more powerful look than the original color image offered.

The overall appearance of the image was then set after the conversion, but there is more to this image than the black and white process. The lighting here is displayed in two forms...bold and contrasty along with some subtle detail. It's the subtle details that made this image one my favorites from that shoot.

Take a closer look at this cutout image. Notice the subtle highlights that outline Davy's form...along the jaw line, the length of the arm, and a subtle reflection under the brim of the hat. These were created by placing a bare speed light low and behind the subject and pointing it toward the stall walls along the edge of the stable. It was powered down to provide just enough light to bounce off the wall and to cast that subtle reflective glow around Davy. This glow serves to separate him from the dark confines of the background and the reflected light from the stall walls help to provide depth to the image, otherwise the background would have been almost completely dark. 

Looking at the next image with the bolder light, you see a much more contrasty appearance. Although there was some ambient light bleeding in from the outside, it was not enough this deep into the stable to provide enough illumination. To augment this light, I setup a primary light, with a 31 inch octo-box softbox attached, about 10 to 12 feet away from Davy...at almost a 90 degree angle from his stance. 

From that distance, the octo-box provided a rather harsh direct light against him which simulated an opening with natural light flooding in. The light illuminating his left side is almost all coming from that single softbox light. Had it been set closer, say withing 3 feet or so, it would have wrapped around him generating a softer look...not what I wanted.

Now look closely at the background. Notice how it is very soft, blurred, yet with enough detail showing to provide that sense place for the image. Most of that light is coming from that single low down light described previously, but some natural ambient light also contributed.  Without it, the background becomes a dark mass with no place defining importance. With it, the background now becomes part of the composition. You instinctively know he is standing inside a horse stable as a result.

The camera in this case was set around 50 feet or so from the subject and a large zoom lens was used to compress the image. The background wall is at least 40 feet from Davy, but appears closer because of the lens compression. Using a long lens also helps to isolate the subject from the background so he becomes the center of attention.

All of this setup happened rather quickly...most of it instinctively, some of it just dumb luck, however, everything fell into place once the shutter was released. The major light set ups were purposely set to generate the lighting effects seen. The ambient light came in from behind and right of the subject and provided enough extra light to help with the overall composition effectiveness.

I really like this image for it captured the essence of what I wanted to accomplish...to capture an iconic image of an American Icon; The Cowboy.

A Short Video: The Cowboy Way

The Cowboy Way

The Cowboy is an American Iconic symbol. Few icons in history carry such powerful images of strength, character, romance, and rugged determination. So getting to photograph a cowboy is a true honor and privilege.

Cowboys of course historically tend to conjure images of the wild west, cattle drives, and horses, but cowboys are found today in virtually every state...including Kentucky.  That makes sense because Kentucky certainly has a long history and connection to horses and so the image of the cowboy is a natural fit.

Photographing the cowboy image presents some difficult yet interesting problems to solve like, how do you capture the icon without creating a cliche? Then again, maybe the cliche is exactly what you want to capture, sort of like when writing about a person from history, when fact contradicts legend, you print the legend. One such opportunity presented itself to me recently when I spent a few hours out at the Diamond H Equine Center just north of Bowling Green, Kentucky. There I met Jennifer and Davy Brothers who run the center.

Davy is a true to life working cowboy and the focus of this shoot was to capture that historical image. I also wanted to capture Davy's iconic appearance as a portrait style photograph and to capture the playful interaction between him and Jennifer.

 As most of the photography was captured inside the horse stables, I had to deal with extremes of lighting where in some places the light was almost nonexistent, and in other places there was a bright glaring light filtering in from the outside.

I used two off camera speed lights, one fitted with a 31 inch dome and the other left bare...both fired remotely from the camera. With these two simple lighting setups I was able to throw enough additional light onto my subjects and to provide some background fill light to allow for a natural looking exposure.

Combined with the outside ambient light that filtered into the stables, the effects were natural and effective. I also made some natural light images to help capture that sense of place and atmosphere.

On a rather warm and muggy day, Davy hauled some hay, mended a couple of fences, and worked with the horses presenting photo opportunities in a plain, honest, work-a-day cowboy manner.







It proved to be an interesting photo shoot and my subjects proved to be wonderful examples of a modern day historical iconic symbol.