Make Light Real

Neil February 26th, 2008

Strobist: The Lighting Journey: Where Are You?

That said, I believe that all photographers experience a fairly similar series of growth phases as they strive to improve at lighting. Some people may blow through the phases, while others get to a wall - or comfort zone - and camp there for a while.

Too true, I’d love to show you one photo that blew me through that wall and into ‘the journey’ in earnest.

I shot this one in 2004, in the stairwell of a wedding reception hall in Upstate New York. Overall it was a pretty average wedding, and I was actually tired out and wouldn’t have shot this had not my wife and assistant at the time convinced me that she would do the posing if I did the lighting. So I figured something out, and I shot it - and when Liesl got the magic out of them I nailed it. But I was tired and didn’t think much of the shots until I got home and was able to edit them. Then it really struck me. Wow, still it gives me goosebumps. It’s really a timeless shot, abstracted from all location or context….

…..but it has that mood, and that energy, and style…..

This is when I realized lighting is the key. Lighting is the key to freedom, to speed, to expression in photography. Now not all photographs need be lighting driven, as in my job documentation is important, but getting to art is equally important. This shot drove me to experiment and play until I had learned the essence of lighting.

Strobist defines 7 levels of lighting competency:

1. Available Light is Best
2. Competent On-Camera Flash
3. Overdone Off Camera Flash
4. Experimentation
5. Bag of Tricks - interestingly where he suggests most professional editorial photographers reside.
6. Personal and Unique Lighting Style - financial success is a nice hallmark to have
7. Subject-Driven Light

Level seven is defined by absolute mastery of the craft to the point where it transcends into art on a regular basis. Well that’s very Hebraic numerological of him - ha! But it’s very astute, and I respect him for admitting that his average day is shooting at the ‘bag of tricks’ level - but I don’t think he’s giving himself enough credit for his realization of the craft. It’s only his job restraints that hold his craft down - because if you’ll note, the level six ‘lighting style’ is marked with financial success, it also becomes a necessary step to reach subject driven light for a commercial photographer. Because in reality, selling oneself is the hardest step - not producing art.

However, I think that I can get you to the level seven “Subject Driven Light” within one workshop experience with me. How can you make that claim?

“When you turn that fantasy into a fact, you’re in the position to build bigger and better in fantasies….and that my friend is the creative process.” - The Secret

From there you can then revert to play and experimentation to increase your regularity of reaching the level of art - but you know what it is, you can begin your journey with the end in mind and be motivated by a small taste of nirvana at the workshop. The nirvana of light transforming my vision was what it took for me to look deep enough to find it.

If the answer is what you seek

Then the question you must define.

In my philosophy of teaching, to avoid the cliché ‘do what I do’, and to avoid the pitfall of style, you must reach not for the right answers - but for the right questions.  And when you ask the right questions - the subject will give you the right answers.

And once in a great while, someone seems to transcend this process and become the lighting equivalent of Yoda, able to snatch the X-Wing fighter out of the swamp with the sheer power of will. These guys have no predictability to their lighting other than extreme quality….But very rare is the photographer who is both gifted and versatile to the point where sheer quality and elegance are their only calling cards.

All you need is a jedi photography instructor :-p …..

• Creativity , Inspiration , Motivation , Photography Lighting , learning