Chapter 7. The Beauty of Black and White
Several months before this book went to press, I was reading a photo magazine and noticed the outstanding work of Michael Creagh. Two minutes later, I was writing him an email, asking him if he'd like to contribute to this book. It took about tens minutes for Michael to bounce back a Yes! Lucky bonus for you...and us! We know you will enjoy his work and insights.
Good Production Trumps Lighting
It's not the lighting that makes this shot successful; it's the production.
Riding a bicycle like this one is not a skill that top agency models are trained to do. Finding the bicycle was difficult enough!
In reality, two big guys held the bicycle up while the model used steps to get on it. She didn't peddle anywhere. Later, using Photoshop, I removed the two men.
Lighting the model was accomplished with the main light high at a 45-degree angle coming from the right. It was an undiffused Profoto beauty dish on a Profoto Strobe. It is a punchy light, and you can see its effect on her face and on the ruffle of her clothing before it falls off on the legs.
A great model, props, hair and makeup go a long way to making your lighting, and therefore your photos, look good.
On the opposite side, at a 45-degree angle, was a large softbox acting as the fill light. The ...
Get Studio & Location Lighting Secrets for Digital Photographers now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
