articles/Portraiture/big-dog-convention-page2

Rolling with the BIG Dog - After 2015 Convention - part 2 of 1 2 3 4 5

by Damian McGillicuddy Published 02/02/2015

A TOUCH OF CHARACTER

To the surprise of many, while I always travel to these events with a bevy of beautiful models, I bucked the trend in my 'Hooked on Classics' presentation by plucking a gentleman out of the audience and taking his portrait instead of the leggy blonde I'd brought with me! I may be best known for my glamour and fashion photography, but at the end of the day when I see a great face I simply have to shoot it.

My goal with this portrait was to demonstrate the power and versatility of the humble umbrella - the single most underused and misunderstood weapon in the modern photographer's arsenal. But with the right knowledge and application, this simple tool can be the most powerful piece of kit in your bag. As far as I'm concerned, you should always bring your brolly whether it's raining or not!

One of the things I always love about using speed lights and umbrellas on my talks is watching the faces in the audience - not only the slightly puzzled looks as they see a Grand Master whip out supposedly 'primitive' pieces of equipment, but also the occasional bewilderment as the thought obviously dawns on them, 'That's not how the man in Boots has his umbrella set up - it's not even pointing the right way!'

Of course, we've all seen the photographer in Boots taking photographs of kids wriggling around and he has his brolly pointed directly at his subjects. But the reason for this isn't because he's trying to take the best picture possible, it's because he's taking photographs of kids wriggling around. His objective is simply to get decent pictures of rambunctious kids. For the rest of us, though, our objective should be to get pictures that are a little more artistic!

So, instead of pointing the brolly at my subject as if he's going to attack me with a water pistol, I actually position it to the side of him almost facing in the opposite direction - and a few people in the crowd clearly thought I was going a bit senile for 'wasting' the light being produced. But the fact is this: I don't want to blast my subject with flat, lowest common denominator light that gives me a picture devoid of shape, form, texture and direction.

What I'm doing with the light created by the brolly is the same thing as a chef preparing chateaubriand steak: I'm using only the absolute finest bit and basically throwing the rest away. I don't care about the light being produced by 90% of the 'dish' of the umbrella; the bit I want to use is the penumbra being created by the very edge of it. I only want the 'finest cut' of the light, just like I only want the 'finest cut' of the meat in a chateaubriand.

While the edge of the brolly gives me a dynamic shaft of light that cuts across and accentuates the subject's characteristic features, the rest of the light being produced isn't entirely wasted. Thanks to our old friend the inverse square law, the light reflected from the opposite side of the umbrella is acting as my fill, providing just the right illumination and just the right quality to give me some wrap and additional tonality.

One of the things I talk about in my presentations is the concept of 'zonal control', that being the method of lighting your foreground, mid-ground and background individually in order to create depth and dimension in your images. To this end, positioned directly behind the subject is another speed light, sitting low and angled only slightly up to provide subtle illumination and gradation to my backdrop

Please Note:
There is more than one page for this Article.
You are currently on page 2

• Rolling with the BIG Dog - After 2015 Convention page 1
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog - After 2015 Convention page 2
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog - After 2015 Convention page 3
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog - After 2015 Convention page 4
  
• Rolling with the BIG Dog - After 2015 Convention page 5
  

Contact Damian McGillicuddy

1st Published 02/02/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:51:42

More Portraiture Articles

There are 21 days to get ready for The Society of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Wednesday 15th January 2025