Advanced Photography Brief #1: Portraiture - Brief & Rembrandt Lighting

 Task 3:

 From workshop 3 Studio: Lighting the portrait in the style of 'chiaroscuro' art technique (Rembrandt vs. Caravaggio)

Outcome: 

- Produce 3 studio portraits, two using the chiaroscuro lighting techniques demonstrated in the workshop (i.e. one Rembrandt and one Caravaggio) and one in the lighting technique of your own choice using chiaroscuro lighting style.

- All 3 images must be captured in RAW format mastered as a Smart Object in TIF or PSD file format

- Behind the scenes displaying the lighting set up for each portrait

Aspect to consider:

- the quality, quantity and direction of light

- the subjects pose, body position and expression to influence the composition of the portrait 

- broad and narrow light direction,  space around the subject and camera and lens settings.

Chiaroscuro

The Italian noun means 'clear' and 'obscure'. We also perceive the word to mean 'light-dark, originally used to refer to paintings but can also be applied to photographs. It refers to clear tonal contrasts and the patterns created by light. 

There are infinite forms and variations of lighting, and can completely change the mood and atmosphere in a photograph. With reference to chiaroscuro, I will be looking at both hard and soft lighting. Historically, chiaroscuro was important as it gave artists a new way of making their work look three-dimensional. However, within cinematography and photography, it increases the drama and the impact of the image. 

To capture a high-quality image and give me the opportunity to edit them to enhance its effectiveness, we have to shoot in the RAW file format.

This means the focus of this project is the lighting setup and how we will use it to frame our portraits.

Rembrandt Lighting Technique

This lighting technique takes the name of the famous Dutch painter,  Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. He was known as the master of the chiaroscuro technique Especially within portraitures. When looking at his paintings, it is noticeable that he uses single lighting set up to illuminate his subjects. By doing so, it creates a triangle of light that sits on the cheek of the shadowed side on the subject's face.     

                     

                         

                     

 This style of lighting is very dramatic as it uses sharp contrasts between the light and the dark which affects the whole composition. This type of lighting suits low-key lighting best.

Low-Key Lighting: This is a style of lighting in photography, film, or TV. Unlike traditional lighting which uses 3 point lighting, this style typically uses only one key lighting. It accentuates the contours of the subject by throwing other areas into the shade. The effect of this lighting technique is to isolate and heighten the sense of alienation to the viewer.

The key to taking photographs lit in this style is the position of the light in relation to the model. I was able to find a lighting setup diagram that explains this relationship and how it is affected when it is changed:

Simple Rembrandt Set Up Plan:

1. Place your key light sideways, at a wider angle than 45 degrees
2. Lift your light above the model, angled down
3. Refine the light position, height, and orientation. A triangle of light is visible under the model’s eye in the shadowed side of the face
4. Check that the triangle will not be larger than the eye and that it will not “break” the shadow cast from the model’s nose. The triangle should not extend below your model’s nose.

 

The position of the camera in this shoot will not affect the type of lighting that will appear but will affect the mood created in the photo. This is because it will change whether I am using a broad light or a short light.

        BROAD LIGHT: the side of the face illuminated by the key light is closer to the camera

        SHORT LIGHT: the side of the face illuminated by the key light is further away from the camera.

Key elements to this lighting technique:

- Making sure the eye on the shadowed side of the fave has caught light or else the eye will appear 'dead' and won't have life or sparkle to it. 

- Make sure the model or lighting is at an angle from each other, the model is turned away slightly from the key light.

- Light must be above the top of the model's head so the shadow of the nose falls downwards on the cheek.

 

ARTIST INSPIRATION:

Cecil B. DeMille

In the early 20th century Hollywood, film director, Cecil B. DeMille achieved renowned reinvention of lighting in 'The Warrens of Virginia' (1915). Inspired by Rembrandt's trope of light and darkness on the face of the subject, he created films through dramatic low-key lighting. He did invent the lighting style within film but did not coin the term. This style is particularly relevant in the film noir genre.

Within film, this lighting style is generally used in scenes where a character is undergoing intense, emotional change.

MARK MANN

I had a look at the famous Scottish photographer Mark Mann's work, he shoots a range of people from presidents and celebrities to kids. Looking on his website I found that he too used Rembrandt lighting with some of his work:

Adam Driver 

Ana de Armas

Jamie Dornan

Antonia Banderas

Ewan McGregor

Planning for Shoot

I am not planning to take out any equipment from the Equipment Hire, as Ellie and Vicky will be assisting on each other's shoots. furthermore, we will be using each other as models and we also have other housemates who are willing to be models for the shoots too. However, this is to be confirmed due to schedules and availability. 

As a household, we have everything we need equipment-wise: 

- Backdrop (we will be using a dark sheet and hanging this from a door)

- for a reflector, we will be using foil wrapped around a large piece of cardboard. 

- Light

I will be working with a simple Rembrandt setup as displayed above. I will be trying to do a classic portraiture shot with this light setup. However, we are unable to book a studio so instead, I will be creating a backdrop at home. Vicky, Ellie, and I will be assisting on each other's shoots. Together we were able to pull together enough equipment that we could use successfully for the shoot. 

Practical Set Up 

Equipment:

Canon EOS M50

Canon EOS 700D

Relano Softbox Lighting 800W

DIY reflector using a plastic plate wrapped in foil

DIY cardboard spotlight and barn door.

We chose to set up the shoot in Victoria's room as it was the biggest and she also had blackout curtains which gave us more control with the lighting. I was able to find a grey sheet which we used as a backdrop for the beginning but soon switched to using the blackout curtains. This is because with the grey sheet, the creases were more visible and it wouldn't stay taped up and we kept having to move it. Where the curtains were already hanging. Furthermore, the black curtains gave more of a stark chiaroscuro effect enhancing the darkness of the background.

I used both the Canon EOS 700D and EOS M50, both in a RAW format, however, I did use them with different backgrounds in different spots of the room.

To begin with, I used the EOS M50. Because the look I was going for was very hard light to achieve a stark chiaroscuro lighting style, I adjusted my camera to ISO 800 and F32. This allowed me to capture the darkness and light so they both seem as if there is a stark contrast. 

The focus of the image is on the face and the eyes and I also like how intently she looks at the camera. The Rembrandt look is achieved successfully, this is because you can see there is one source of lighting coming from the left of the image at a higher angle. We can recognise this because her nose casts a shadow across her cheek, whilst also catching the triangle of light across her central cheek on the left side of her face in the image. I also thought this was a successful image as the light catches the eye that is on the shadow side of her face, making sure it's not a dead eye. I found that no matter where I moved the camera, this lighting style would stay the same with reference to the model and the light. What I like about this image is the calm but intent look she creates; there is a source of power but vulnerability created in the model. I have chosen not to edit the image as I thought that in order to capture true and authentic drama, I needed to make sure that as much of it was captured in the truest form. Furthermore, I love how her skin is softly illuminated but is so stark against the background. This photo was also the most focused photo and I also liked how all the curtain creases aligned so that she appeared to be the main focus, this was a subtle but perfect focus that helped emphasise the model and the lighting. 

If I could redo the shoot I would get a tripod as I found it incredibly difficult to focus the image due to the slow shutter speed. However, I was able to create my own tripod-like stand with a drying rack and a few books to make sure the camera was at the level I needed. I also think a proper softbox and barn doors would have been more useful to control the lights rather than have someone stand up and hold the DIY cardboard barn doors open for me. 

FINAL IMAGE:

OTHER IMAGES:

The reason I did not go with any of the other images were that:

- background would appear too bright  

- the eyes would not be illuminated by light so the face would not appear as full of emotion and not allow the viewer to fully connect 

- The image was slightly off-center.

Behind the shoot set up:

This was the basic setup I used for my final outcome photo, but I was unable to capture behind-the-shoot photos of me using the blackout curtains as a background. 

Annoyingly, the final outcome for this particular photo was not shot in raw and I recognised this only at the end when I had no more time left to reshoot However, all the other photos I took were all in a RAW format.