VFlats: bit.ly/3fXqaid
A photographer recently asked me to critique his work on Instagram and when I looked over his photos, his faces were well illuminated by his lights but the shadows were jet black. While this can be a style choice, it’s often not on purpose. So I suggested that he could use bounce cards, reflectors, or an extra light to illuminate his shadows ever so slightly to maximize detail.
Then the very next day I was out having a few drinks with a friend who trains make-up artists, and she was telling me that many of her students are very linear and only want to learn formulas for a particular face, but it’s harder for them to grasp the under-lying concepts which you adapt for each individual. As she was sharing with me details about eyes and lips it hit me that its not the sexy parts that make or break the look, often times its the foundation and how you blend it all together. The same is true for us photographers too.
As photographers, we might obsess about this modifier or that one, believe me I have, but often times we fall short when it comes to shadow detail. This is something I use to struggle with from time to time when shooting in a new room. But over time I have learned to diagnose what is wrong and then I will administer the right solution. Every shoot poses its own set of problems, so the purpose of this post is to share some basic concepts that will help you maximize dynamic range and develop more details in your depictions, no matter where you are or what tools you have at your disposal. Shadows are our foundation, the transition from dark to light is our blending and our midtones and highlights are the sexy parts.
Read more: johngress.com/fill-is-not-a-p...
Check out my IG: / johngressmedia
Music: Evolution and by Bensound bensound.com/