For this assignment, I chose a teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) because it has a strong architectural shape and plenty of texture. I knew it would challenge me to light it correctly and enable me to practice the techniques I had learnt through the practical exercises in part 4: Light.
Shape
Back lighting (natural light)
To illustrate the shape of the teasel, I used back lighting in the picture below to give a two dimensional image. I have created a silhouette of the subject which looks dramatic but very flat. The exposed the hair like structure around the shape of the teasel (end of the “bract” which make up the teasel shape (see texture)) is well defined which adds shape to the picture. This would not look as dramatic if it was out of focus.
F16 1/350 SO400 105mm partial metering 28/1/13 08:58
The sun had just risen and the sky was blue. The weather was bright and windy. As the flower was a yellow/ brown colour in the light, I used partial metering to give a more accurate exposure reading from the teasel and the blue sky background. By selecting an exposure value between the two, I was able to take a picture with the correct exposure. An aperture of F16 and a shutter speed of 1/350sec enabled me to lose most of the detail in the middle of the flower. To enhance this further, I decreased the brightness slightly in photoshop to draw the viewer’s eye away from the middle of the flower to the strong architectural shape of this plant.
The teasel lends itself to a simple composition – the curves of the leaves follow the shape of the head. I took some photos using sunrise as a backdrop to add drama (back lighting). However, I thought this had more shape definition because the subject has enough edge detail to make it interesting. The contrast with the background is well defined. My practice pictures can be found on the “test shots” page on my blog.
Front lighting (natural light)
Another interesting part of the plant is the thorny leaves just underneath the head. As the sun was shining straight onto the teasel (front lighting) and the light levels were high, I focussed the camera underneath the teasel. I stood in a ditch containing a foot of snow so no room to manoeuvre the tripod. I pushed the ISO up to 800 which allowed me a shutter speed of 1/60secs; fast enough to hand hold the camera although the stem is overexposed.
F16 1/60 ISO800 73mm partial metering 28/1/13 09:06
I decided to convert the photograph to black and white as an experiment and by applying a high contrast filter the subject has more contrast with the background. I used this filter because it gave me slightly more contrast than using a green filter. I prefer the black and white version because the absence of colour allows the viewer to see the shape of the plant more clearly.
F16 1/60 ISO800 73mm partial metering 28/1/13 09:06 black and white (high contrast filter)
With my picture above, I chose front lighting to photograph the scene in the plant’s natural environment so that it contrasted with the sky. Front lighting minimised the shadow detail of the seed head and left shadow on the leaves because of their relationship with the position of the sun which adds more contrast to the scene.
Form (Photographic lighting)
I experimented with photographic lighting to show as much depth as possible in the object.
Use of flash and snoot to control lighting direction
To achieve this photograph, I used a flash and a black snoot to control the lighting direction. I sat the teasel on black velvet to absorb the reflected light and worked in a completely dark room. I took several photographs and decided that this gave enough light to recognise the form of the whole teasel.
F22 1/200 ISO100 105mm flash
Use of flash and snoot to create a hard shadow
I suspended the teasel from the ceiling and used flash to cast a shadow. I did not know the exact position of the shadow until the photo was exposed. To overcome this, I mounted the flash on a tripod so I could move it more precisely after I had reviewed each picture. I used a large black snoot mounted on the flash to light a large area of the mount board. As the teasel was not completely still, I had to take several pictures to achieve to best composition. I found that the faster the shutter speed, the harder the teasel looked.
F22 1/6 secs ISO100 105mm flash
Texture (Available lighting)
Tungsten lighting with a shiny foil reflector
I positioned a diffused tungsten lamp on one side of the table and a mount board with shiny foil on the other side of the teasel to reflect the light back and minimise the shadows which appeared on the bracts. I learnt from a previous exercise that shiny foil minimised the shadow detail by reflecting the light back onto the subject so the texture is shown.
F22 6secs ISO100 80mm
Tungsten lighting with a diffusing cone
This photo was taken using a cone diffuser made from tracing paper. I hoped to minimise shadow which would detract from the detail. I experimented with the teasel on a white sheet which was not effective. I changed the white sheet for black velvet and I was amazed at the difference. The detail and colour of the bracts and contrast with the background was pleasing. I brightened the photo by 0.5 stop in photoshop to make the bracts brighter.
F22 15secs ISO100 105mm
Colour (natural lighting)
A teasel seed head has little variance in colour so I decided to photograph it in natural light to make it more colourful.
Rim lighting
I had previously noted the position of the teasels so I was able to make the best use of a sunrise to capture the teasels. As the sun rose a little higher in the sky, the sun shone through the teasels giving the effect of rim lighting. In order for this to work, the teasels had to be against a dark background. As it was so windy, I found it easier to handhold the camera. I had to increase the ISO, use a fast shutter speed to stop motion blur and use a wide aperture.
Rim lighting can have the effect of separating the subject from the background. I think because the rim lighting highlights the teasels’ outline, there is more colour in this than the photo I took with edge lighting. (My practice pictures can be found on the “test shots” page on my blog.The composition works with the group of three teasels against an undulating background and the colours are suggestive of a low sun.
F4 1/750 ISO400 105mm 28/1/18 08:31
Side lighting
This photo uses side lighting of the teasel against a bright blue sky to make the teasel more colourful. To retain a large depth of field to capture detail, I set the aperture to F16. After setting the camera to partial metering and taking some exposure readings, I had to increase the ISO to 400 so that the shutter speed was fast enough. Side lighting creates interest to the photo in the form of shadows and light. In this picture, I wanted the picture to look interesting with shadows, so I did not use a reflector to reduce them. I took this photo early in the morning so that the shadows were softer than they can be in the midday sun.
F16 1/125 ISO400 65mm +1 exposure compensation partial metering 28/1/13 09:09
Conclusion
Throughout this assignment, I have examined the use of natural, available and photographic lighting to show shape, form, texture and colour. I have gained experience in thinking through how I want to light a subject and which type of lighting and photographic technique would suit the subject best.
In shape I demonstrated the use of backlighting and front lighting to display shape. To exhibit form I used a flash and black snoot to control lighting direction and used flash and a snoot to create a hard shadow. With texture I used tungsten lighting with a diffusing cone and tungsten lighting with a shiny foil reflector to show detail, and to display colour, I used rim lighting, side lighting.
I think that my journey through lighting techniques has been very beneficial to develop my skills and enjoyment from both taking and looking at photographs. I enjoyed learning about photographic lighting and feel it will now offer more choices to still life photography.
