Chasing Your Shadow: The Secret Sauce You've Been Missing
When you hear the word lighting, most photographers are going to think about adding one light to a scene. Some might even think about adding two or three lights. But most of us aren’t going to think about a key aspect of lighting, and that’s because for many of us this might not seem like lighting at all. That’s probably because when it’s there it might go unnoticed, and when it’s missing it might not be identifiable. And this missing element is what’s holding many photographers back from doing well in completions, enjoying the look of a print or feeling like there’s a level of refinement they can’t achieve. But for most of us, it’s hard to put a finger on it.
In this article, today we are going to explore all the ways you can remedy this mystery problem and review what choices you might consider to improve your images.
A photographer asked me to critique his work and when I looked over his photos, his faces were well illuminated, his subjects were separated from the background through a combination of edge lights, hair lights and background lights, but the shadow details were missing. Where did they go? While this can be a style choice, it’s often not on purpose. Sure, you might want to maximize drama with hard light for a beauty shot or while using an optical snoot to project a sharp pattern, but often times an image will be elevated if the viewer can see a range of tones, similar to what we see constantly with our own eyes. And speaking of eyes, think about it this way-if you were a makeup artist, it wouldn’t matter how good you were at applying eye shadow if the foundation was too light or the wrong color. The shadows are our foundation. During my critique, I suggested that he could use bounce cards, reflectors or even an extra light to illuminate his shadows ever so slightly in order to maximize details.
To learn more from me please visit: johngress.com/academy
Click here for a full list of all the gear I use in the studio - shop.howl.me/JohnGress
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:30 Passive Fill
06:54 Passive Fill Demo
09:19 Passive Fill Outdoors
11:18 Active Fill
14:43 On Axis Fill
15:51 Active FIll Demo
19:02 Different Fill Sources
20:42 Conclusion
This video was shot with a
Canon Cinema EOS C70
Adorama howl.me/cjCnaWADdkp
Amazon amzn.to/3vkvy7X
B&H bhpho.to/44dCV23
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens
Adorama howl.me/cjCnaWBvRsx
Amazon amzn.to/3o3BZK0
B&H bhpho.to/3LyIa5g
Canon C300 MK 2
Adorama adorama.rfvk.net/kjnVP3
Amazon amzn.to/3YM6fKo
DZOFILM Pictor 20-55mm T2.8
Adorama howl.me/cjCnaWOCkuM
Amazon amzn.to/420C6Z0
B&H bhpho.to/3NlRcUv
Items mentioned in order of appearance
Elinchrom Rotalux Deep Octabox (100cm / 39”)
Adorama howl.me/cjCnv90VNi5
Amazon amzn.to/3fRG5AH
B&H bhpho.to/3oSg0cy
Studio Titan Side Kick STA-06-090
B&H bhpho.to/3UakUM1
Elinchrom FIVE
Adorama howl.me/cjCnmmUpjV1
Amazon amzn.to/3Um6V61
B&H bhpho.to/3LcypYZ
V-FLAT WORLD Foldable V-Flat, Set of 2, Black/White
Adorama howl.me/cjGcCZBleDO
Amazon amzn.to/3NI0f29
B&H bhpho.to/3VD8tKR
V-Flat World bit.ly/3fXqaid
Studio Titan Camera Stand STA-01-360 MK2
B&H bhpho.to/3cf4RfL
Tether Tools TetherPro Right Angle Adapter USB 3.0 to USB-C Pigtail Cable, 20", Orange
Adorama howl.me/cjFnO8ODuMQ
Amazon amzn.to/3lo6gj4
TetherPro USB-C to USB Female Adapter (Extender), 15' (4.6m) (High-Visibility Orange)
Adorama howl.me/cjFnQCwSGnF
Amazon amzn.to/33Eeca8
Elinchrom Indirect Litemotiv Strip Softbox (13 x 69”)
Adorama howl.me/cjCnml5FQG0
Amazon amzn.to/33NTasn
B&H bhpho.to/44b7B43
Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478DR-U-EL Series Light Meter for Elinchrom EL Skyport System Adorama howl.me/cjzWPnYhPVY
Amazon amzn.to/2NM9DTz
B&H bhpho.to/3Lz1Og7
Elinchrom Rotalux Stripbox 35x90cm
Adorana howl.me/cjCnv9oDSZ6
Amazon amzn.to/3nUwD3M
B&H bhpho.to/40PXZbZ
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:31 Passive Fill
06:54 Passive Fill Demo
09:19 Take It Outside
11:19 Active Filll
16:52 Active Filll Demo
19:03 Fill Options
20:41 Conclusion
Music: Evolution and Going Higher by Bensound bensound.com/
Пікірлер: 45
Incredible video. You are the king of lighting!
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Wow, thanks Josh!
We just found you and it's so good to find someone that still does it right! Love your work and the attention to your craft.
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much!
Definitely one of my favorite videos so far, been looking for a good breakdown of the differences and purposes of the different types of fill
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Awesome! Glad it was helpful!
This is by far one of the most comprehensive lighting video if watched, Facts and information that inspire experimentation, Kudos! I've kept this open since you posted and have watched it several times because it is worth several views, TU!
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Wow. Thank you so much! I’m glad it was helpful. 😊🙌🏼😊
What a masterclass! Thank you soo much for sharing your experience and work! I'm learning tons about elegant lighting because of your videos. You have a big fan here in Brazil!
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Muito Obrigado! 😊😊😊
What a lesson! My favoirte light is what you call the "painter" look of the small brighter light source in front of the much larger and slightly dimmer one.
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Bob! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙏🏼😊🙏🏼
Very clearly presented and helpful video. Thank you!
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thank you Peter🙏🏼
What a fantastic video. Immediately applicable info. Thanks!
@JohnGress
4 ай бұрын
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
Phil sure is a great guy, thanks for introducing him JG
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Hell be loyal for life!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I used an active and none active fill quite a lot in the studio, wrote a blog post on it a while ago for the lighting company I work with. I also use my 170cm Octa behind me a fair bit. It has been a while since I shot hard light with soft chaser from same direction ... will have to run that again as I quite like the result. Fill can really elevate your work. Great video John.
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Richard! I am stealing that hard light with a soft chaser line!
@rickjbradbury
Жыл бұрын
@@JohnGress No worries. Go for it. 😄
Thanks for the thorough tutorial. It got me thinking about modeling lights in strobe units. I mostly use small battery power strobe lights for location portrait sessions. Due to the limitation on my lights, I do not use the modeling lights. It got me thinking what impact does not using a modeling light play when you need to evaluate the shadow or fill areas. Obviously not using modeling lights, limits my ability to see the light pattern. Just some thoughts that come to mind as I watched your video. Thanks again. -Jim
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Jim, Because the modeling lamp is in the strobes, they're going to project light the same way those lights do. If the strobes are on very low power and the modeling lights are on at 100% brightness, I could see them theoretically having an impact on the exposure, but I haven't seen it happen myself.
@jaescala
Жыл бұрын
@@JohnGress Thanks John for the thoughtful reply. Like you say, the modeling light will not have any effect on the light in my photo. I don't want to confuse the purpose of your video. I meant to say that I should consider using modeling lights to evaluate the light patterns before I take a photo. I often need to take photos without a tether set up. My only way to evaluate the image is by viewing it on the back of my DSLR. The modeling light should help me preview all the light in my composition. Your video illustrates fill light very well and it got me thinking about my workflow and how to further improve the lighting. Again thanks for the great video. All best! -Jim
thanks John, nice topic and presentation
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Dan!
Great video and very informative.
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!🙏🏼
This is fantastic! Now do the one for chasing waterfalls! 😂
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thanks! Stick to the rivers and lakes that you’re used to!
@petemcknight803
Жыл бұрын
@@JohnGress 😂😂😂
Thanks alot for this sir👌🙏🙏🔥
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thanks Simon!
Great Video!!
@JohnGress
4 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Great job sir!
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thank you kindly!
Great video with great detail. I have a question about using a light meter. I use a Sekonic L308 flash meter. In fact I have a question on that, because other KZread presenters have shown different ways to use a basic flash meter. By that I mean some say point the meter to the light and others say to point the meter to the camera. What is your take on this and WHY?
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
I actually asked an older photographer last week if one of these approaches was considered the right way to do things and he said there wasn’t an accepted rule with regard to where you point it. To me it seems like you should point it at the light so you’re reading what the light is doing and not mixing that in with what the shadows are doing.
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Thank you too!
When you take a light outside, to keep a natural look would you recommend HSS or keeping it in manual?
@JohnGress
Жыл бұрын
Both will work just fine. But most importantly, monitor the flash output to make sure you aren't adding too much.
@smellgoodphotography7722
Жыл бұрын
@@JohnGress curious to know what was your setting and flash output on those location settings
Pretty good video, I though.