Lighting courses and style
Was think of running lighting courses but then thought
"Artpunk lighting course : Stick the light there, switch it on, take picture. Does it look good? Nope. Move it"
Im not against lighting courses but why would i want to shoot in someone elses style. To me a photographers style is down to how something is lit and post processed. The post processing less so, if a retoucher is used.
I think photographers should experiment with lighting till they find a way of working that makes them happy. You can see instantly if something isnt working and can change it.
What bothers me though is magazines taking the safe option and pictures in magazines being very samey. I can understand why they do it, to please advertisers but they arent encouraging photographers to develop a style of their own. Its becoming very boring.
I thought id show you a development of my work. Starting from shooting with a Pentax MZ 5n in 2005. This is just my model photography though as i did start when i was 18 shooting live bands and landscapes. This was mostly for fun though and at the time i didnt class myself as a photographer.
In The winter of 2006 i switched to digital and shot with a Nikon D80 and a beauty dish with a 500w bulb. My work took a leap forward in quality. This was when i started my muse projects which has carried on till this day. It gave me the opportunity to experiment more with lighting.
It wasnt till last year i started working with studio lighting while i was working with Chrissie at Fozzie's studio at Polmont. Days were spent there just experimenting with lighting.
6 months ago i bought some illumen 8's and ive been working on my style using those lights. Its taken a wee while but its starting to head in the right direction.
Theres to many folk wanting to take a shortcut instead of putting the work in
Nice post Paul :) Everyone has different ways of learning though and many find it helpful to get an insight in to how to use lighting such as rim, key and fill before embarking on their own experiments or where they feel they haven't been making progress at the right pace. I emphasise I'm teaching them what they ingredients are rather than how to make the dish.
ReplyDeleteYeah Paul im not having a go at photographers that run courses or attend them. Just in my own instance people wouldnt learn much if i did one. Photographers would learn alot from you, McGillicuddy and Yerbury.
ReplyDeleteJust for me the way i light something is tied in with my style. I love to see photographers developing a style of there own like the people ive mentioned. It would be great to see instead of following the fashions of the day.
I'm a big fan of workshops and tutorials. There's a lot of information you can learn from reading and indeed from experimenting. But I find watching a photographer work is a fascinating experience. From how they use lights in terms of how precise and measured they are or indeed how haphazard they are. How they interact with models. How they hold a shoot together in terms of handling the technical aspects as well as maintaining rapport and keeping the mood. So it's not always about following lightinng instructions or styles per se.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand that Ciaran. If you ever watched me work you'd be wondering how i ever managed to get a picture. Im a terrible communicator of ideas and half the time i dont say a word while shooting. Thats no big problem though as they dont understand what im saying when i do talk lol My philosophy is , if they are nervous get them a double.
ReplyDeleteIm definately not a technical photographer so there would be no point in me running lighting courses.