In the Light

Photo Illustration Assignment

2010-12-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

"Black Ops" is the newest installment of the Call of Duty video game series to
continue to allow gamers to enter the world of war and violence. Within 24 hours of going on sale,
the game sold more than 7 million copies, according to "The Independent."
The online multi-player mode is the most popular and is the game staple.

18 mm lens, ISO 100, f/18, 1/250

Idea & Execution
Although the idea initially began as a personality portrait, I thought it was more interesting as a photo illustration on how gamers (highlighted Call of Duty fans) become deeply immersed in the game. I did this by paralleling the "Call of Duty: Black Ops" cover, as shown below.

I executed this by first shooting the smoke. I didn't have a fog machine, so I back lit a candle using one strobe at 1/16 power and shot the smoke. I then shot Matthew with two strobes at a 1/16 power; one on either side of his body. I layered three photos of smoke and used the opacity option to blend them together. I feathered the image of Matthew and layered it over the smoke.

(Paralleled the Call of Duty: Black Ops cover)
http://tinyurl.com/28a4rxx

Lighting Setup for Matthew's Layer:

Additional Image: Photo Illustration

2010-12-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

According to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, roughly 50 to 100 million
vertebrate animals are annually used for experimentation, which frequently
includes cosmetic testing. Experiments on animals commonly measure levels
of skin irritancy, eye tissue damage and toxicity. Most subjects are euthanized after being used.

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/8, 1/250

I wanted to illustrate the use of animal testing for cosmetic products. I envisioned an extremely clean and bright white scene with scattered makeup products surrounding the cat. I wanted an eerie shadow on the background to highlight the cruelty in experimentation. I executed this using two strobes, one set at 1/16 power on the left of the camera and one on the right set at 1/64 to fill in excess shadows.

Lighting Setup:

Additional Image: Fashion

2010-11-20T15:51:00.000-08:00

Farmington resident Danielle Graessle wears her lucky white top with her favorite black jeans
and cowgirl boots during sunset at Heritage Park in Farmington Hills.
"Fashion is defined by the person who wears it," she said.

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/8, 1/160

I owe a big thanks to Kent for letting me switch assignment due dates because of a family emergency. The lighting setup here was relatively simple. My main light source was on the right of my beautiful best friend. It was set at 1/2 power. I used the sunset as a rim light for most of my images.

Secondary:

Lighting Setup-

I was not anticipating turning these in, so the lighting setup "photo" is a little inaccurate. As I said earlier, the main light was set to Danielle's right at 1/2 power.

Still Life Assignment

2010-11-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

Situation I: "Falling Water"

Optical illusions often use color, lines and shapes to make the eye and brain

perceive an image that is different from reality.

35 mm lens, ISO 200, f/16, 1/200

The Setup-

I used three glasses filled with dyed water on top of a mirror and placed them on a slanted table. I put my camera on a tripod and adjusted its angle to make the horizon appear straight; this made the slanted water effect. I used one strobe on a foot, set it on half power and lit the glasses from behind and below. I additionally experimented with different lighting setups, including lighting from camera left and using two strobes.

Situation II: "Bolts."

When used with nuts, bolts is a basic component in how something is put together.

With the end of the semester quickly approaching, many students feel as though they're losing them.

35 mm lens, ISO 200, f/13, 1/200

The Setup-

I placed several different sized bolts on a white piece of poster board. For this particular image, I used one strobe with a purple gel set on an eighth power and lit the bolts from behind and above. I shot over the subject. For the majority of my images, I cross lit the bolts with two different strobes with different colored gels to create a cross effect (as shown below).

(Additional Image:)

Painting with Light

2010-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Situation I: "Feeling Like a Clown"

Alma resident Matthew Stephens recently graduated from college in May,

does not have a job and "feels like a clown." With the country's fallen economy,

many graduates, like Stephens, have fallen victim to the struggling job market.

35 mm lens, ISO 200, f/8.0, 20 seconds

Executing this concept was difficult considering I have a slight fear of clowns. After Matthew applied his face paint, put on his nose and walked to my truck in front of thirty starting people, we headed to the intramural fields. The whole concept started with Matthew "feeling like a clown" because he was graduated without a job. This is why he painted his face as a "hobo" clown.

I used a cable release and set it to 20 seconds. I flashed Matthew from camera right with his hand outstretched. (The strobe was set at 1/2 power, I believe.) I dropped the flash and ran to draw the balloon string with a small LCD. I then colored in the red balloon using a flashlight with a red folder (folded multiple times) taped over it.

Situation II: "Ghost Music"

A grand piano located in Farmington, Mich. has sat untouched in the Miller household for 28 years.

The owner, Patricia Miller, dreamed about learning to play and longed to fill the house with music;

however, she never took lessons after she had two children.

22 mm lens, ISO 200, f/9.0, 30 seconds

I originally wanted to highlight my viola, but I decided to take advantage of the piano in our living room when I went home this weekend. After experimenting with different ways to paint the piano, I decided on the above. I again used a cable release and set it for 30 seconds. After I started the exposure, I strobed the piano from camera right. I then used five glow sticks that were taped together to paint a messy staff.

Throughout the time I was making images, I changed and experimented with my exposure. I decided I wanted the piano to be darker and for the painted notes to highlight the keys to try to show that my mom's thoughts of music were the only thing actually touching it.

Fashion!

2010-10-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Location Lighting- "Circus Couture"

Mount Pleasant resident Layla Gilmore models a "circus couture" look below

Old Mission Rd. on Thursday, Oct. 7 in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Although the style can be

interpreted differently, circus fashions usually include the use of layers and ruffles in red and black.

17 mm lens, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/200

The Lighting Setup–

I spent a lot of time with Layla using various props, poses and lighting setups. We arrived under Old Mission with a whip, a hoop and lots of make-up. My vision was to portray a dark and creepy circus ringleader.

In this particular image, I had a single strobe on a monopod placed to my right. I set the flash to 1/2 power and changed the zoom to create a spotlight effect.

Additional Images–

Studio Portrait- "Indian Fashion"

Northville freshman Neethu Jacob models a traditional Indian gown and shawl

on Sunday, Oct. 10 in Mount Pleasant, Mich. Jacob said the clothes are worn on holidays or special occasions.

Indian fashion is known to incorporate and highlight colors, fabric and embroidery.

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/14, 1/200

The Lighting Setup–

Indian fashion is colorful and captivating; which is the main reason why I wanted to use the style for this assignment. Neethu and I had a great time posing and experimenting with light in the studio. It was great to be able to take advantage of including her accessories.

The main setup included three lights; the soft box was used as the main light on Neethu's right. The light on her left was bounced against the wall. The third was varied from a hair light to a rim light. In this particular image, it was used as a rim. I found this more beneficial to create separation from her black hair and the background. (The lighting setup shown above was taken after the studio session.)

Fashion Exercise

2010-10-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

35 mm lens, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/16, 1/100

Last Monday, we had the opportunity to practice fashion on location and in the studio following a presentation from Traverse City photographer Dan Stewart. Dan joined our group when we went outside, and it was extremely beneficial to get advice from him. Although our time on location was limited, I took a lot from the experience.

Location Light

2010-09-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

Environmental Portrait– "The Grave Digger"

Alma resident Craig Brune, 38, has been a groundskeeper for Riverside Cemetery

in Mount Pleasant for eight years. He is in charge of groundskeeping and office responsibilities, in addition to burials.

"(The job is interesting because) it's a cemetery. I like working with the customers," Brune said.

35 mm lens, ISO 200, f/11, 1/200

The Lighting Setup–

To complete this portrait, I used three strobes. My subject was mainly lit from the left. My secondary light was used as a rim light behind Craig. I varied aiming the strobe on the right; I used it to either light the tombstone or fill the right side of my subject's face.

I wanted to do a grave digger for my environmental portrait. Although I initially planned to shoot with my subjects in the evening, we had to move the time to early morning. My intentions were to make the cemetery look creepy, so I wanted to take advantage of the shadows.

Additional Location Lighting–

Essexville junior Clare Tamez models a lace tank under a gray leather jacket on Sunday night.

"I love playing around with different themes and designs," she said. "Lace with leather are total opposites,

but finding the right color with the romatic ruffle on the jacket balances it out and makes it a softer finish."

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/200

The Lighting Setup–

For this particular portrait, I used one strobe as my main light. For the rest of the shoot, I used two lights; my secondary strobe was used as a hair light.

For most of the shoot, I posed Clare in a field in Shepherd. The weather was miserable and sprinkling, so when we turned around and saw a rainbow, we acted quickly. It came and went in less than a minute, so I had to think lighting immediately.

In-Class Location Light with Paige

2010-09-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/8, 1/200

Paige and I went to the skate park in Island Park during Studio to complete our in-class location lighting assignment.

We kept the lighting setup really simple with a light to our subject's left and a reflector to fill the right side of his face.

This assignment really helped Paige and I feel more comfortable with using strobes on location.

Personality Portrait: Not the Typical Scientist

2010-09-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

West Bloomfield junior Kathryn Brandell is a biochemistry major at Central Michigan University

with minors in both psychology and leadership. While maintaining a high GPA, Brandell stays highly

involved on campus, including being a member of Sigma Kappa and the Leadership Institute.

West Bloomfield junior Kathryn Brandell is a biochemistry major at Central Michigan University

with minors in both psychology and leadership. "I love chemistry because it's an ever-changing field of science,

and I can always learn something new," Brandell said.

(additional image)

(All photographs were made using a 5o mm lens at f/8, 1/200 & ISO 50.)

I immediately thought of Kathryn ("Kitty") when the studio portrait was assigned. She simultaneously breaks the stereotypes both scientists and sorority girls hold. It was great to have her model for my first independent studio experience.

My original setup consisted of four lights, including the soft box as the main light, a fill light, a hair light and a background light. I adjusted the power several times during the session. I found that the fill light looked too hot off the wall, so I additionally experimented by using it as a main light source and using the soft box as a fill.

After taking multiple shots with the plain white background, I decided to use different colored gels to make the photograph more vibrant. I used dry ice and dyed water to make it look like a chemical reaction was occurring in the beakers.

Studio Portrait Exercise

2010-09-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

(Both photographs were shot with a 5o mm lens at f/8, 1/250 & ISO 100.)

During the second class period of JRN 420, we experimented lighting by taking portraits of our classmates. I shot my friend and fellow photojournalist Paige Calamari. She brought several props into class, including bear claw glovevs, a tiara and the goofy glasses shown above.

Although I wish there could have been more time to experiment with the lights (including placing them elsewhere, setting them at different powers, etc.), I learned the basics studio lighting. I am excited to get back in the studio; I intend on using different backgrounds and multiple lighting setups.