MONTE ZUCKER REFLECTIONS ON A TRIP TO ENGLAND & IRELAND

There can never be enough instruction for studio portraiture on location. There seems to be a lot of fear about this subject by photographers who haven’t had the benefit of learning simple posing and lighting technique. Everyone learned a simple lesson when a very young teenager was brought into the classroom to pose as a bride. She entered the classroom in a strapless wedding gown, bare arms and all. I had to do something to dress her up for a portrait.

The problem was solved when I took a piece of fabric that almost matched the fabric of her gown and draped it around her shoulders and over her arms. I had done this quite often when a bride with a long train comes to me with bare shoulders and arms. The cape-like effect saved the day and pleased everyone. This portrait was created using two Westcott Spiderlights and a reflector. How easy is that? [9]

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Similarly, for the background of this bridal portrait I had two people hold up the back of her wedding gown. The detail of her gown, slightly out of focus, served to create a beautiful setting for her and at the same time showed off some of the detail in the train.[10]

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A visit by the class to the studio of Maz Mashru was a highlight of our class. Within his very successful studio he has both a low-key and a high-key studio. I was particularly interested in demonstrating some of the techniques I had just picked up myself, for creating portraits in a high-key environment. I first got an exposure meter reading of his white background, using a flash on either side. Then, I used a single main light that was 2 f/stops less than the background exposure. When I exposed for the main light the background went completely white. I even used a fan to blow her hair for a more contemporary look. [11]

More close to home, we discussed doing family portraits in a home environment. The concept here was to show the home setting without it distracting from the main subjects. Undoubtedly, this meant using a wide-angle lens again and keeping the subjects as far from the background as possible. Exposure is based on the ambient light on the wall behind them. Then, it’s an easy procedure to match the flash to the exposure set for the background.

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The job was simplified when I used my Quantum T5D flash connected to my camera with a Quantum TTL D-13w Flash Adapter that allows me to dial-in the amount of light that I want the flash to produce in conjunction with the ambient light. In a case like this I match the light on the subject to the light on the background. It’s as simple as that. A straight print is all that’s necessary. [12]

One of the most fun portrait sittings of my visit to Great Britain was this family group made in my bedroom. I noticed that the windows all around the room were allowing great light to flood onto the bed area of my room. So, I did a whole series of pictures with each of the girls lying individually on my bed and then the group of three. To wind up the sitting I brought their photographer/father into the picture and ended up with this fun shot of them all involved with each other. [13]

The pictures came out so cute I came around behind them and took a picture of how it was all happening. [14]

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