Creative Flash 9 - Film Noir

Emphasizing Drama with Light

Film Noir is a cinematic style that emerged around 1941 and remained popular until 1959. The Maltese Falcon (1941) is one of the earliest and best know films of the genre. 

American films became available to European audiences again after WWII. Critics in France coined the name noir after the French word meaning dark or black.

Film noir is dark, both figuratively and literally. Desperate characters navigate dangerous situations and often meet with fateful endings. Cinematographers emphasized the drama of the stories by staging dark, shadowy scenes and emphasizing only selective areas with light. 

Shadowy Figure - Film Noir Lighting

The film noir lighting style is also used in portrait, fashion, and glamour photography.

The image above uses a simplified lighting setup. Film noir typically uses three lights (key, fill, and rim). I removed key light in this case to boost the effect of mysterious shadows. This fellow looks as though he's up to no good!

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Flash:    Nikon SB-910 / SU-800 commander

Light happens.  Be ready.  Shoot hard.

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Creative Flash 8 - Modern Dance

The Art Of Human Motion

One of the most fascinating shooting assignments of the year was also one of the most challenging.

A modern dancer contacted me about taking some promotional head shots. We arranged to meet one afternoon at his rehearsal studio. As we discussed his expectations, I offered to take some shots of him dancing. He was open to the idea, and what happened next was amazing.

Modern Dance 1

Modern Dance 2

I looked around the studio and picked what seemed a promising location. He agreed, and I set up my lights as quickly as possible. (We didn't have much time left after completing the head shots.)

When everything was ready, I gave him the signal, and he launched into a non-stop flow of acrobatic movement. I watched him closely and released the shutter any time that he seemed to be moving toward an expressive position.

Modern Dance 3

Modern Dance 4

After about two minutes of astounding dance improvisation, he would stop and say, "I think that's enough."

I would look around the studio quickly, spot a new potential backdrop and say, "Uh, how about over here?"

"Okay!"

I'd drag the lights into a new position, rework the exposure calculations, focus, and lock everything in place. When I gave him the word, he'd go at it again for another two minutes while I shot like crazy trying to catch as much of his expressive, improvised performance as I could.

Modern Dance 5

"Okay, I think that's enough," he would say.

It was a demanding and fast-paced session, but the images came out beautifully. The experience underscored the importance of being able to set up my lighting kit in a hurry. Clients have limited time, energy, and patience. Work fast if you want to make the most of your time with them.

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Flash:    2 x Nikon SB-910; 2 x Nikon SB-800

Light happens.  Be ready.  Shoot hard.

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Creative Flash 7 - Juggler In Action

Instant Magic

This was one of the truly magical moments in my photography this year. I enjoy looking at this photograph again and again, seeing the brightly colored batons of the juggler frozen in time and space. I hope that you'll enjoy it as well.

The Juggler

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G
Flash:    Nikon SB-910 (handheld) / SU-800 commander

Light happens.  Be ready.  Shoot hard.

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Creative Flash 6 - Cover Girl

Lighting In Fashion

After the clothes and the models who wear them, lighting is one of the most critical elements in fashion photography. Dress a beautiful model in a stylish outfit, put her in bad light, and you'll end up with a photograph that no amount of Photoshop can recover.

Wedding Dress In An Old Prison - Daniel South Photography

So, when you get the call to shoot a fashion assignment or a cover girl, you'd better walk into the studio with some mad lighting skills. Because Photoshop doesn't have a filter for boring.  

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
Lighting: Custom setup

Light happens.  Be ready.  Shoot hard.

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Creative Flash 5 - Balancing Sunset

Santorini Chapel

When trying out new gear or learning new techniques, expect some failures along the way. I had lots of failures as I tried to incorporate flash more extensively into my photography. And the most catastrophic failures always seemed to happen outdoors.

Happily, this photo of the chapel at sunset on Santorini turned out as I had hoped. I was a little nervous, because previously in this situation, I hadn't always walked away with the results that I expected. 

Balancing Sunset - Santorini Chapel

Step By Step

- I mounted the camera on the tripod, attached the cable release, and looked for a suitable composition. 

- I focused on the cross at the top of the arch and locked it in place by setting the autofocus switch on the lens to manual. 

- I set the exposure mode to manual and dialed in settings that rendered the sky correctly.

- I attached the wireless flash transmitted to the camera's hot shoe and set the flash level.

- I attached a warming gel to the speed light and put it in remote mode on the proper channel and group.

- The camera and tripod were to the left of where I was standing. I used my left hand to trigger the cable release while holding the speed light in my right hand at a raised position. 

- It took a few tries to find the best position for the light along with the best power output setting. As mentioned above, expect failure and be prepared to make adjustments on the fly.


By contrast, here is a second shot of the chapel captured without flash. I shot this one a few minutes earlier as I was fine-tuning the composition. 

Santorini Chapel Silhouette

The chapel renders a lovely silhouette and offers a creative alternative. Each version has its own appeal with the flash version showing additional detail. It's nice to have options.

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
Flash:    Nikon SB-910 with full CTO gel / SU-800 commander

Light happens.  Be ready.  Shoot hard.

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved

Creative Flash 4 - Times Square Bikini

Illuminating Personalities

I've never had an interest in photographing the cartoon characters in Times Square. I'll leave them to the tourists and their phone cameras.

But this young lady in her red, white, and blue bikini offered something unusual. Quite unusual, in fact - I saw her there only on that one day.

Red, White, and Blue Bikini - Times Square

The flash highlighted the vibrant colors of the lady's outfit. 

I held a single speed light at the length of my fully extended left arm. The angle of the light source with respect to the camera created a sense of drama (notice the shadow areas on the right side of the frame). 

On camera flash would have created a flat, deer-in-the-headlights look and probably some red-eye.

Camera: Nikon D800E
Lens:     Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G
Flash:    Nikon SB-910 / SU-800 commander

Light happens.  Be ready.  Shoot hard.

Copyright © 2014 Daniel R. South

http://www.dansouthphoto.com

All Rights Reserved