Photography News Issue 29

Photography News Issue 29 absolutephoto.com

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Technique

You can see from the example images how this cuts the spread of light, particularly around the edges of the frame, forming a much stronger vignette than the unmodified light. Distance of the flash Something else which can help focus the light on the subject andwhich changes the look of the spotlight effect is to alter the distance between the flash and the subject. Positioned close to the subject, there’s less chance for the light to diffuse and spread, so the spot is clearer. To make the spotlight effect more pronounced we framed up with a wall a few feet behind Amber. The proximity of this, or any backdrop, also affects the look; the further off thebackdrop is, themore chance you have of lighting the subject alone; the closer the background, the clearer the circle of light will be, and it’s the latter effect that we wanted to achieve here. For that reason, with the flash on the camera, we framed up at about five feet from Amber, Toomuch power In this first shot, the power of the flash is too high, leading to burn out on the subject. This happens easily when shooting in manual exposure mode, as the flash is highly focused and comparatively strong at low powers.

using a 50mm f/1.4 lens on aNikonDf body. Just as the fieldof viewchangeswhenusinga camera with a smaller sensor, you’ll find that smaller sensorswill show less of the spot whenused in a similar configuration; its edges are cropped out by the smaller imaging area. So if you’re using an APS-C or Micro Four Thirds body and you want to see the spot around the subject, frame up from further off or widen the view. Zoom head settings The zoomsetting of the speedlight canalsomake a difference to the spread of the light. Typically zoom settings might be from 24mm to 105mm (or 120mm), and if you’re shooting with the unit on the camera, or using wireless TTL, these can be set automatically as flash is focused to match the zoom setting of the lens (the idea being that the flash should then fill the frame at the current angle of viewgivingagoodcoverage, andnone of the circular lookwe’re after here). You canmake use of this by avoiding TTL mode, and setting Flash head at 20° up With a grid fitted to the speedlight, here the bounce and swivel head is angled up slightly, at around 20°. In this position the spotlight effect doesn’t sit around Amber as intended, so the angle of the flash needs to change.

the flash to manual, then framing wide and zooming the flash to its longest setting. It’s important to note that the change in the spread of light will only be noticeable when the flash is used bare. When a modifier like a grid is used, the light is already restricted; the only difference you’re likely to see is a change in the smoothness of the light, and then only if you shoot against a blankwall (see examples). Exposure settings and flash power If you have a flashgun or studio heads that allow TTL (through the lens)metering, you can rely on that mode to set the flash power so it works with the exposure settings you’re using; basically, you’ll get a good exposure. If you’re shooting in manual exposuremode, aswewere, thepower of the flashmust be carefullymonitored, especially as when using a grid or snoot (or anything else that focuses the light) it will bemore intense. For instance, in our examples we shot Amber in manual exposure mode, at 1/30sec at f/2, Flash head at 0° Moved to its 0° setting, where it fires directly forward, you can see how the pool of light has moved down from the previous setting. In this more direct position, there’s a little burn out on Amber, so the power had to be lowered further.

Feathering the spotlight Because of the way that speedlight heads can rotate as well as tilt, the spot can be moved horizontally, allowing you to feather the light and use just its edge. This effect sees contrast on the subject lowered.

ISO 200. Using these settings meant that, at our location andwithout the flash, the exposurewas dark, so shutter speed wasn’t an issue (only the brief burst of flash being picked up). ISO was kept low to increase image quality, but with the wide aperture employed to create a shallow depth-of-field, light floods into the camera from the flash. This, combined with the focused light meant that the flash power needed to be set low andwe eventually settled on 1/32nd. Angling the light Bearing in mind that most speedlight heads can be tilted and rotated, the position of the head can affect the spotlighting in a creative way. For instance,withagridattached,wetriedfeathering the light by turning it away fromAmber slightly, producing a completely different look, with the light shifted to the periphery. Angling the head up, or down (if possible), will also allow you to better direct the light, depending on the height you’re shooting fromcompared to the subject.

Other spotlight effects

Whatever flash you’re using, the first step in creating a spotlight is to channel the light

Spotlight as kicker light

Of course, the benefits of spotlighting go beyond the stylised effect in the main part of this technique. It’s more common for spots to highlight small areas of the subject within a wider lighting set-up, and that might include the subject’s eyes; depending on the strength of the light this can give a classic Hollywood or film-noir look. Spots are commonly used as accent lights, too, such as illuminating the subject’s hair from behind or as a kicker to add form and give them separation. Backgrounds themselves can also benefit from a spotlight; correctly positioned the light creates a small pool of illumination behind the subject, also adding separation. In all cases, it’s important to control the power so the strength of the spotlight adds to, but doesn’t dominate the composition.

Thanks to... This month’s models were the wonderful Amber Tutton and Harriadnie Beau. To see more of their work, visit amber- tutton.co.uk and harriadniebeau.com.

Spotlight on eyes

Spotlight on backdrop

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