photoblog
Ben Bender linked to an article on Emotional Lighting when he commented on my recent post, Shoot the Emotion!
So, since I love to use lighting, I think it’s worth discussing.
Now, this may not be the best photo to describe emotional lighting, buuuut, it’s by far the most convenient. I shot it Saturday.
I gotta ask: is this photo emotional?
Well, it certainly doesn’t gush. But in this setting, with this lighting, I think we all get the idea that these ladies are not to be messed with.
I called this my mafia shot.
I’m using two lights in this “stage.” One is placed behind the frosted glass. There’s a bar back there. To avoid a huge bright spot and maximize the light spread, I’m bouncing it off the white ceiling. This serves as a rim light does double duty as a part-time ambient light. I also think it’s doing all the heavy lifting, lighting Lisa Troia Martin, in the upper right. The second light, shot through an umbrella, is to my left. I jacked it up to 100% to maximize its throw. It’s about 8 feet away from Carol Troia, the lady in red on the right, BUT it’s pointed right at her mother Elena Troia, sitting.
Deep shadows and high contrast light is a common Hollywood trick to visually describe something sinister. …you know, because villains dwell in the shadows.
But these women are NOT villains. Truth be told, they’re charming charming people.
So, this photo is an outtake. Turning this photo in would be inappropriate for the assignment — a wine dinner preview. Below is the
photo I turned in:
“Salute!” The three women of Cafe Troia, clockwise from the left, Carol Troia, from Towson, her daughter Lisa Troia Martin, from Timonium, standing, and matriarch Elena Troia, from Mays Chapel, clank glasses of Antinori wine for a photo shoot held in the restaurants dining room Saturday, January 2, 2010. On the 19th of this month, Cafe Troia will host a special regional wine dinner, featuring the Italian wine. And as a special treat, Alessia Antinori, the youngest member of the wine family, will be on hand to discuss the business.
I don’t necessarily need a story/caption to go along with either image. The “mafia” pick stands on its own. I also think it’s the stronger of the two images. — more visually arresting.
The “Salute!” photo is more obvious. It’s well lit. With the addition of another umbrella, to my right, everyone’s face is filled in. It’s a happier image. I’ll admit, the lighting is a bit sloppy, but over all, it feels happier, joyous, (and maybe a bit artificial.)
Comments are, as always, welcome. Thanks for looking and reading.
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All content © 2012 by Matt Roth
The handed in image is too bright on the frosted glass for my taste… (how did it meter out?) Distracting my eye to the bright object above the women.
The first image is devilish… the facial expressions are what carry it- well, with the light of course. The distance from the table for the lady in red, the shadow, the unknowning is what carries her.
Hey Phil. Thanks for the comments. I agree, it’s a bit bright. If I had another umbrella, I probably would have used it in the bar. If I had another strobe, I would’ve used two in the bar. Lighting behind the glass was also my way of incorporating the inevitable glare I was going to get from the two umbrella’d strobes. The scene was set before I got there. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have used that setting — mostly because of the glass/reflections.
I’m glad you like the 1st image. Its amazing how good test shots can turn out. This is probably my favorite test shot of the year:
http://mattrothphoto.com/blog/2009/11/baltimore-dc-photographer/warren/