What is Three Point Lighting?

Actual definition:

The Three Point Lighting Technique is a standard method used in visual media such as video, film, still photography and computer-generated imagery. It is a simple but versatile system which forms the basis of most lighting. Once you understand three point lighting you are well on the way to understanding all lighting. The technique uses three lights called the key light, fill light and back light. Naturally you will need three lights to utilise the technique fully, but the principles are still important even if you only use one or two lights.

- Source: http://www.mediacollege.com/lighting/three-point/

The three lights involved in this technique all have different roles in the overall effect.

The Key Light is the strongest and therefor the main light, having the most influence on the photo. It is then placed at an angle (to the side) of a model to create some contrasts and shadows on the other side of their face/ body.

The Fill Light is on the opposite side of the Key light, making it the secondary light. By using this light source, the shadows that had previously been created by the Key Light's position alone will  be less intense or non existent. This light source is softer than the Key Light, and you can experiment with how far away this light from the subject of the photo.

The Back Light is placed at the back, and can highlight a hairline and give an overall professional look to the photo as it gives off a 3D effect. By having this light in place, the subject of the photo is more separated from the background.

If you take one of these lights away, the photo can look completely different. I, personally, am keen to experiment with the Key and Back light. This is because I like the dramatic effect of shadows and contours.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p13FqFdgDc This video explains the effect of certain angles of light within Three Point Lighting.

Process of Photoshop

This photo was my first attempt of taking my Photoshop skills further, incorporating coloured backgrounds and shapes into the photo. I did not feel confident with presenting this photo as a product of taking elements of what I learnt and having this as my finale piece. I feel as though this photo has no structure, no sense. I did not feel as though there was a colour scheme, or even a theme that I could work with. The choice of colour in the background was not eye capturing enough for me, and, over all, the photo looked 2D to me. Due to my dissatisfaction, I decided to use the same photo of annaleigh, but edit in a different way.

 

I used the same image as the previous attempt. My original idea was to edit the words "happy go lucky" so they would be the opposite of the emotion displayed. This idea changed as I went on editing and changed different elements.

 

 

I used the magnetic lasso tool to crop the part of the photo that I needed and placed Annaleigh in front of a background. After realising that I did not like the colour on my previous attempt, I played around with colours like bright blue's, greens and purples.

 

I finally found a background colour I liked. The colour also highlighted even more so how dull the colours in the photo were, so I upped the contrast and brightness on the image of Annaleigh to bring the image forward more and make it stand out more.

 

I then played around with the colouring / pencil tools on Photoshop to edit her hair and make it look as though it was hand drawn. There was no particular reason for this; it did, however, teach me more about the different ways I can use tools to manipulate an image.

 

My attitude towards shapes with this image was different before - it made all the difference. Whilst before, I was using shapes of butterflies and random line shapes that didn't fit any theme, this time I used mainly circles, and simple shapes as I found that in this instance, simple changes were more effective. I also chose a colour scheme for the shapes I inserted in the image, I found this looked more professional.

 

This was my final product. The theme that I chose was space, hence the inserted planets that are placed in the background. I think the cluster of shapes are appropriately placed, and I was careful to make sure it wasn't too crowded, as I was aware of my canvas size. The space theme then linked in with the words "Down To Earth" that I used.

Planning For Photographs

Planning of photograph inspired by Nadav Kander

Working with: (Annaleigh and Rosina.)

Pictures inspiring me:

• This picture is my main inspiration, as it is quite different from others that I have seen previously.
• Many people in typical photo shoots will want to use makeup, but instead I will be using another image of nature to decorate someone’s face.

• I have previously taken a few photos of nature that I could use – they do not necessarily need to be images of trees.

• To create this photo, I’ll be using a projector, onto a black/ grey background. To contrast with this and make the model stand out more, the model will wear a white vest / top. The top will be plain and present neutral tones. For experimentation purposes and for documentation, I will take photo's without the projected images, as then, if the projector does not look right, I can Photoshop images onto Annaleigh's face to see if that gives the same effect.
• The lighting used in this photo uses a light source from the left, and a light source from the back. This highlights the hairline, and presents the main features of her face. I don't quite think this is three point lighting because there are still some contrasts that show cheekbones and give her contouring on her face.  I will use the projector as a light source, and I will have a light source at the back. As I'll be creating a dark background / atmosphere, I don't want too many light sources.
• Unlike the model in this photo though, I will experiment with different expressions and angles to see which one looks the best.

Homework - to analyise and improve your own photograph.

Mise En Scene

Whilst I like this photo, I think there are improvements and enhancements that would make this photo better. The setting of this photo is a local quarry / path that is often visited by my family, which is why I wanted to capture this as it looked more natural and at home. however, there is a cyclist in the background that can draw attention away from the two main focus' of the photo. The lighting used in this photo is natural lighting, and the expressions in the this photo are smiles, which are natural portraying genuine happiness. The costumes in this photo are nothing unique or intentional, it just happens to be what my parents wore that day, not that I believe this takes anything away from the photo but, in the future, I could return to this location to take photo's, and have the models wear something you would expect to wear in an environment such as this. There are no props involved.

This photo was improved by adding higher contrasts and brightening the photo to really enhance the sunny day that it was; to add binary opposition I placed the words "Rainy Night" on the photo to make it more interesting and intriguing. The cyclist that I was concerned drew the attention away from the two main people was photo shopped out using my cloning skills; I cloned the grass from elsewhere and placed it where it would be if there were no one there, and then I added in the path, and shadows from the trees. I didn't want to crop the photo as people needed to be able to see the background for the words I placed to have the full effect. Over all, I think this photo has been improved.

Nadav Kander Photo Analysis

During the process of taking this photo, the photographer could get the model to pose by a tree (under certain lighting circumstances) to get the tree's silhouette onto her body. To enhance this, the process could also involve Photoshop, or maybe even the merging of two photo's he had taken separately.The lighting used in this photo uses a light source from the left, and a light source from the back. This highlights the hairline, and presents the main features of her face. I don't quite think this is three point lighting because there are still some contrasts that show cheekbones and give her contouring on her face.  I am not aware if Nadav intended to portray this message, but I feel as though this photo reflects naturalism. She is not wearing clothes, and little to no makeup, showing her natural body, a woman in natural form. I think the tree branches on her body are to emphasise this as, of course, tree's are part of nature and found in natural environments. The mood of this photo has very neutral tone to it; her face doesn't display a happy nor sad expression. The high contrasts and dark tones, with a slight tint of colour really bring out the features of the photo and show the depths of a person.

 

Again, with the recurring theme of nature, this photo experiments with a different, more vast environment. From what I know, the process of this photo would include taking the two photo's separately, and then merging the two via Photoshop and taking the opacity down on the photo of the man. The contrast on this photo is not high, due to the merging. In the photo, before it was photo shopped, I can see that the light source is artificial and is angled to the upper left, as that is where the model is facing.  left The formal clothes contribute to the mood of relaxation, I feel as though his formality with such an environment is almost like a juxtaposition. The props involved are just a pair of glasses.Whilst he looks as though he should be in an office, his thoughts are in a place elsewhere. He feels more at home and relaxed when he can clear his thoughts in a place that is vast and open, unlike a closed and confined office space. That is simply my interpretation, though. I believe the photo is of a famous person, so this could therefore change the meaning; it could perhaps not be about escaping an office environment but more a famous environment.

Due to the blur, which suggests fast movement, the mood of this photo is energetic, which is unlike the other two photo's I have analysed. I think the lighting used was artificial, and that it was angled above him, creating shadows on his face (e.g. under his nose and eyes). If Nadav used a white sheet to project the light underneath the model, these shadows would appear less harsh, or not appear at all but, in this context, the dramatic effect works better and makes the photo less typical. Colour wise, the photo is very stripped back. The simple splash of blue across his face, highlights his eyes and defines his features. This needed otherwise the model in the photo would not stand out due to the background being pale. I think the blur effect has been enhanced during the process of this photo via photo shop. The man is not wearing any visible clothing in this image, nor are any props in the background. There is no specific/ obvious expression portrayed in tis photo, but due to the cold tones and colours used in the photo, I'm sensing a melancholy vibe. I could take inspiration from this photo by adding colour to the my model's face and using a similar background instead of a contrasting one and play around with that.  

Nadav Kander Biography

Sources: https://www.nadavkander.com/biography and Wikipedia (in my own words)

Nadav Kander  is a London-based photographer, artist and director, known for his portraiture and landscapes. He has produced a number of books, and his work has been recognised and exhibited widely across the world, his work included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Société Générale, Paris, Pictet & Cie’s Art Collection and other museums / galleries. Nadav has received the Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society in 2015. Just some of the awards he has won include: the Prix Pictet and a World Press Photo award.



Adam Ant photographed in his usual 'highway attire' by Nadav Kander

Born on December 1st 1961 in Israel, Nadav Kander grew up in South Africa; he recalls memories of him flying there at the age of three due to the fact that his parents wanted live closer to his grandfather. He stayed there, in South Africa until the age of 21, where he set off for England, inspired by seeing a television for the first time and viewing all the different buildings at aged 14 during his time on a visit.

Eddie Redmayne captured by Nadav Kander

Despite moving away from South Africa, it was there that he was first introduced into photography at around the age of ten. Nadav's father would often make slide shows of the photographs he'd taken throughout the year with transparent film. Three years later, at age thirteen, Nadav himself began taking photo's after receiving a camera from his Bar Mitzvah and was inspired by photographers like 'Strand, Stieglitz, Weston and Atget' and began admiring the way that they  had depth in their photographs, they weren't just photographs that would simply be momentums within years to come; he appreciated that in their photographs, they captured true art. "...All (the photographers previously mentioned) of which resonated the feeling that each artist was exploring their respective lives. They made work about both their outer surroundings and their inner landscapes and their art clearly showed their individual and consistent authorship.".


After a motorbike accident when he was seventeen, he decided to quit riding and once more got back into photography; partaking in the National Service (in South Africa), he began printing aerial pictures for two years. Through this experience, Nadav discovered he wanted to become a lens based artist. From there he began working for  Harry De Zitter and went to England, only to return again in 1985 with his future wife Nicole and get married t her in 1991. In the present day, Nadav Kander lives in London with his wife, and three children:  Oren, Ella and Talia.

His publications include:

Nadav Kander - Night. 2000.

Beauty's Nothing. Arena Editions, 2001.

Obama's People. London: Flowers Gallery, 2010.

Yangtze - The Long River. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2010.

Bodies. 6 Women, 1 Man. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2013.

Dust. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2014.

“I think there’s probably more truth about myself in my portraits than there is about the person,” he says. “When you are presented with a person you talk to them and react to their body language and those are the things that inform you as to the darkness, the lightness, the direction and all the tools you have to photograph them. That’s often very correct for the person and it’s often quite correct for you and it’s that triangle I find very interesting.
“The triangle being myself and the sitter and the viewer and the viewer is equally important because I’ve managed to cause them an emotion by the way that I have my sitter positioned or the way they’re looking. How much of that is me and how much of that is the sitter? Who knows, but that’s the beautiful kind of dance.” - an interview from the website: http://www.itsnicethat.com/features/the-shadow-and-the-dance-an-interview-with-nadav-kander

Good Photography Includes These Elemnts / How to go about analysing photo's.

1. Genre - subject, theme & why?


2. Light - good photographers use good lighting; find creative light sources! Natural / artificial,   harsh / soft / exaggerated.


3. Science - burning photo's (etc.)


4. Unique / start blank


5. Framing / focus


6. Formal elements: colour, composition, tone & shape.


7. Accident - allow them to happen; you only use about 5% of the photo's you take.


8. Meanings.


9. Ideology; you can show what you want to show; make others see what you want them to see & twist meanings


10. Warped meanings / symbols.

Emotions // Andy Gotts Response

3 favourite images (before any photoshop)

Mise En Scene

The setting of this photo is next to a window, therefor I used natural lighting for this photo, my objective being to try and capture Aaron in a more natural sense. The costume in this photo would be his school uniform, reflecting his surroundings; his school. Aaron's expression in this photograph is calm and relaxed, implying his natural characteristics are likewise. There are no props in this photo as I did not feel they were necessary and would distract anyone from the individual in the portrait. in addition to this point, if I had props as well as the background there would be too much going on, making it hard to focus on something. I like this photo because of the light source being natural, due to the fact that personally, as a photographer, I prefer working with natural lighting and that it lights his face, highlighting his features.

Something that I would improve about this photo (without the use of Photoshop) is the fact he is in his school uniform; if I had to re-take this, I may have his dressed in his own clothes that express his personality more. Also I think if it were more apparent of his surroundings in the photo, I could use him wearing his own clothes as a juxtaposition.



Mise En Scene

The settings are not apparent in this portrait; this was intentional, the purpose being that the soul focus of this portrait of Katie is her. I think that any background would be distracting and would take away the effect of her image. I chose a black background as it represents how dark and crazy her character is in the photo. This also contrasts perfectly with her white school shirt, which is the costume for this photo. Half of her face is insane and crazy, and half is regular and 'normal' looking. this can represent how personalities can be easily hidden if needs be. Her face has little expression to it, because it doesn't surprise the character how she looks or acts; she's content with the way she is. My light source was a studio light source, highlighting all of her face. There are no props in this photo.  

Mise En Scene

Whilst I like this photo, I think there are improvements and enhancements that would make this photo better. The setting of this photo is a local quarry / path that is often visited by my family, which is why I wanted to capture this as it looked more natural and at home. however, there is a cyclist in the background that can draw attention away from the two main focus' of the photo. The lighting used in this photo is natural lighting, and the expressions in the this photo are smiles, which are natural portraying genuine happiness. The costumes in this photo are nothing unique or intentional, it just happens to be what my parents wore that day, not that I believe this takes anything away from the photo but, in the future, I could return to this location to take photo's, and have the models wear something you would expect to wear in an environment such as this. There are no props involved.



What is a Contact Strip?

A contact strip is when a positive print of all the negative images from one film, and is a result of a contact printing process, making all images the same size as the negative. it is the best way of seeing the which images are the best out of all the film, so you can then choose which ones you want to finally enlarge.

These are my photo's before using Photoshop to change any elements. The first one was taken using manual focus and second one was taken using auto focus.

I chose these two photo's out of the six I took because i thought they had the best focus, lighting and they looked the most natural. Our objective in this lesson, inspired by famous photographer, Andy Gotts,  was to capture our models personality, and thier natural reaction.

I learnt a lot from this lesson:

• How to correctly light a photo, using a studio light, and a blank peice of white paper to reflect light. We played around with the placement of our light sources, which often improved the quality of the photo and seemed to airbrush features on a person's face (e.g dark circles under eyes) if you held it underneath the person's face.  
• That the model is not in charge of the photo, the photographer is. Ultimately, as a photographer, you are in charge of what you produce, therefore you instruct the model. 
• In order to get natural reactions, I told jokes (in order to get my model to laugh naturally) and we experimented with throwing things at / around the model. My peers and I found both methods effective, and captured a lot more than our models simply smiling on command. I'm trying to step away from the typical "selfie" image in our photo's during this photography course and experiment. 
• I found that in order to both look proffessional and focus on my model, if the background is one singular colour. I chose black as it was accessable and I thought, as the model was wearing white already, it would contrast the colours nicely. 

Model: Annaleigh Gailbraith

Andy Gotts inspired portraits

These are my photo's before using Photoshop to change any elements. The first one was taken using manual focus and second one was taken using auto focus.

I chose these two photo's out of the six I took because i thought they had the best focus, lighting and they looked the most natural. Our objective in this lesson, inspired by famous photographer, Andy Gotts,  was to capture our models personality, and thier natural reaction.

I learnt a lot from this lesson:

• How to correctly light a photo, using a studio light, and a blank peice of white paper to reflect light. We played around with the placement of our light sources, which often improved the quality of the photo and seemed to airbrush features on a person's face (e.g dark circles under eyes) if you held it underneath the person's face.  
• That the model is not in charge of the photo, the photographer is. Ultimately, as a photographer, you are in charge of what you produce, therefore you instruct the model. 
• In order to get natural reactions, I told jokes (in order to get my model to laugh naturally) and we experimented with throwing things at / around the model. My peers and I found both methods effective, and captured a lot more than our models simply smiling on command. I'm trying to step away from the typical "selfie" image in our photo's during this photography course and experiment. 
• I found that in order to both look proffessional and focus on my model, if the background is one singular colour. I chose black as it was accessable and I thought, as the model was wearing white already, it would contrast the colours nicely. 

Model: Annaleigh Gailbraith

Before and After Photoshop

Before:

After:

How I used Photoshop:

• First I added one new adjustment layer in gradient map.
• Then I set the colour swatches to default black and white.
• After resetting my gradient bar, I put both arrows 15% in either side.
• I experimented with the contrast and brightness, as Andy Gotts uses a lot of high contrasts within his photo's and my goal was to imitate that.

Taking Black and White Portraits...

These are my photo's before using Photoshop to change any elements. The first one was taken using manual focus and second one was taken using auto focus.

I chose these two photo's out of the six I took because i thought they had the best focus, lighting and they looked the most natural. Our objective in this lesson, inspired by famous photographer, Andy Gotts,  was to capture our models personality, and thier natural reaction.

I learnt a lot from this lesson:

• How to correctly light a photo, using a studio light, and a blank peice of white paper to reflect light. We played around with the placement of our light sources, which often improved the quality of the photo and seemed to airbrush features on a person's face (e.g dark circles under eyes) if you held it underneath the person's face.  
• That the model is not in charge of the photo, the photographer is. Ultimately, as a photographer, you are in charge of what you produce, therefore you instruct the model. 
• In order to get natural reactions, I told jokes (in order to get my model to laugh naturally) and we experimented with throwing things at / around the model. My peers and I found both methods effective, and captured a lot more than our models simply smiling on command. I'm trying to step away from the typical "selfie" image in our photo's during this photography course and experiment. 
• I found that in order to both look proffessional and focus on my model, if the background is one singular colour. I chose black as it was accessable and I thought, as the model was wearing white already, it would contrast the colours nicely. 

Model: Annaleigh Gailbraith

This is a photo by Richard Billingham:

(I do not think the photo has been manipulated)

Settings:

- The setting on this photo shows a possibly outdated house (clearly uncared for) as you can see a wide range of objects in the room. An example would be the deckchair the man pictured is sat on; it's quite random and does not go well witht the cabinate / shelves in the background. I think the alcohol in the background could suggest a reason for this. Perhaps the owners do not care about presentation?   It would explain the art located on the walls that looks misplaced and untidy.

- I cannot see any religious symbols in the room so perhaps he is an athiest.

- I think this photo was taken in the 80/90's due to the furniture litering the room, if that is not the case then it could be the fact that it's outdated.

- It could be taken in Britain as there is a mug in the background (intended for tea or coffee but the can of alcohol next to it suggests otherwise). A message of this photo could be what alcahol can do to a person, how it effects peoples way of living.

Costumes:

- The man in the photo is wearing a jacket / blazer which, in my opinion, doesn't seem to add up considering what he's doing to the cat and the state of the house.

- Perhaps the reason he's wearing formal attire is because he's come home from a day at work. the reason he may be acting the way he does in the photo is because he could be angered by something.

Expressions and mood:

- This man looks angry and irritated, clearly by the cat. It appears the cat has tried to bite or scratch him and he's relatiated by pushing it off (causing the cat jump). It's quite an extreme reaction, potentially infulenced by alcohol.

- Despite the quite dull background, the mood of this photo is quite the opposite, shocking people who come across it and allowing them to react with a range of emotions.

- "I would suggest this is quite a natural feeling photo, it doesn't appear at all staged - even the camera angle is slanted." This was a comment made when I began the course. Since then, I have looked over the photo and my analysis and can see that many of the photos from "Rays A Laugh" are possibly staged to make a point, just inspired by real events.

Lighting:

- As you can see, towards the right of this photo, this moment was captured under natural lighting from the window.

- Perhaps a far fetched interpretation, but the natural lighting could demonstrate that this is a natural occurance, not just a manipulated / staged photo and that it has a real meaning. the lighting of the photo still creates a dark atmosphere which hints to the viewer of the photograph that there is a dark meaning behind this image, reflecting the tone.

Props:

- There are no props in this photo as such, but some objects in the background include:

1. A deckchair
2. Can of alcohol
3. Flask on the table

Andy Gotts - Biography

Andy Gotts is a very famous photographer, known for his black and white portraits  of celebrities such as Daniel Craig, Chris Martin and Helena Bonham Carter. I think anyone who is  on social media has come across at least one of his photo's in thier time on the web.  

Early life: Andy Gotts was born in Norfolk. His education included attending Norfolk College of Arts and Technology,  University of Wolverhampton, London College of Printing and De Montford University. 

He first started out because he wanted to raise money / awareness for diabetes, so that the money would go towards research. Today, acaording to research, he has maneged to raise 3 million poinds for charity, just with his photo's. 

Ever since the 1990's he has had his photo's published world wide in many magazines, including: 

- French Vogue

- Italian Vogue 

- Vanity Fair

Andy Gotts was taken on a roller-coaster like journey from day one, when director and actor David Hoffman recommended Brad Pitt. Once Andy had done a photo shoot with Brad (which was only meant to last 10 minutes but due to their genuine friendship it lasted over half an hour), Brad then suggested George Clooney, whom then suggested Julia Robberts, and she suggested Susan Sarandon and it went from there!

Andy Gotts is most known for his coffee table book called Degrees. This was inspired by Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. He started ot by writing to a total of 300 actors asking him to take their pictures. Just ONE actor, Joss Ackland, got back to him and granted him permission. From there, after the shoot, Joss then suggested he should photograph Greta Sacchi, who'd appeared a movie with him. That was all it took; from there he proceeded, different people refering him to other individuals until he had enough photo's for a book. 

I think Andy captures people in different lights than your average photographer, displaying thier personality and playing with elements such as contrast to get his point across. That's what makes his work so appealing.

He has photographed Daniel Craig in this medium shot portrait, showing a bold personality (bold contrast) and a dramatic side.  I think he's been displayed this way due to Craig's most famous role, James Bond. The background is blank, putting the focus on Craig, which enhances the dramatic effect and contrasts with the black clothing he wears.

Here he has captured Helena Bonham Carter's personality in this portrait, demonstrating that she goes for bold roles (the contrast is bold) and roles that are very crazy and theatrical (hense the jokers hat) which I think makes the photo stand out from average portraits.  I think everthing is very bare (even no clothes) in the photo to emphasise the main focus from the main focus, which is the face. Her theatrical image and outgoing side is portrayed in this photo even more by her eyes being wide open, like she is well aware of the fact she is this person, staring right into your eyes, embracing her craziness by wearing the jokers hat.

MISE EN SCENE
 - Settings
 - Costumes
 - Expressions
 - Lighting
 - Props

(This is a low angle shot.)


The setting of this photo is by the window because then I would have natural light for the photo. the window is in our school, displaying the grounds, but from this photo you would not know this.


Costumes in this photo would be the school uniform, a hint, I suppose as to where the photo may be have been taken. this includes as school tie, blazer and shirt in this photo.


The model has a very neutral, natural expression in this photo as she looks out into the distance. Some of her face has been covered slightly by her hair, but no to the extent that someone could not see the expression on her face. I think this adds to the natural theme of my photo (natural lighting, natural expression, natural hair placement etc.)


The light source in this photo is coming from the right, a natural light from out of the window. I liked this lighting because the windows were very large, allowing me to capture all the features visible in the photo. I think it also highlighted her face and defined the focus.


There is no prop in this photo.