Abstract: Chromatically complex light adds much more realism to your lit photos.
Today’s Lighting 103 post features excerpts from a bar conversation with Greg Heisler. It's just as if we cornered him at a conference (which I did) and he agreed to have a drink and talk color (which he did).
This is roadmap stuff. It's above and beyond the specific info he includes with each of the assignments in his book, 50 Portraits, the companion text to L103.Read more »
Strobist
Whenever I spend enough time shadowing a photographer, I end up lusting for gear. Don't judge me: you probably wouldn't be reading Strobist if you didn't have the same problem.
A week spent with Heisler had me definitely interested in playing around with gels, made me want to trade my octabank for a strip light, definitely added a tilt-shift lens to my wish list, but what impressed me the most is what he calls "the unsung hero of light modifiers": the narrow beam reflector.
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Strobist
By Sara Lando — "Lighting is a lot like cooking. You have a gazillion different instruments and what you use will depend of what you want to eat. Also, you don't learn how to cook by eating at restaurants. You have to cook."
When Heisler was talking about this during his lecture, I thought it was cool and made sense. But it was probably only when we stepped into Cavalli Club that I got to realize how much "having to cook" was going to be put into test.
He was entering the club for the first time himself: for a series of reasons, we weren't able to scout the location beforehand and he only got a glimpse of the place from some cellphone footage. When we stepped into the club, the first word that came through my mind isn't one I'd feel comfortable reporting.
The place was pitch black.
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Strobist
Let's say for a moment that you found yourself embedded as an assistant with arguably the world's best living photographic portraitist. And let's also say that, beyond your primary duties as an assistant your secondary goal was to be observant as possible and report back on what you learned.
That's exactly what happened to Italian photographer (and occasional Strobist contributor) Sara Lando, who as you can see above was not at all excited about her assignment at Gulf Photo Plus earlier this year. She looks almost bored, dontcha think?
This post marks the first of a three-part series on what she learned from her experience. Today, the intangibles: the stuff you'd never consider because you are too busy worrying about a gridded beauty dish or something…
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Strobist
This video marks the last of Profoto's Greg Heisler BTS series.
In today's BTS, Heisler does some pretty cool problem-solving before the fact only to get blind-sided with the bison head on the day of the lightning-paced shoot.
Yeah, I said bison head. No, actually Heisler said that…
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In a ‘Master Series’ video posted by lighting maker Profoto USA, celebrated photographer Greg Heisler shares a behind the scenes tale of how he created a unique on-location portrait of then-NBA star Alonzo Mourning. In explaining a lighting setup that even most other pros would struggle to pull off, Heisler breaks down his lighting diagram for a shot that he conceived, ‘just because I think it looks cool’. (via Strobist)
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Having just spent a week with Greg in Dubai at Gulf Photo Plus, I have now heard him express the following thought multiple times:
There is light you create that is a photographic reaction to light as it exists in the world, and there is light you create just because it's cool.
I think it's safe to say that this photo he made of NBA star Alonzo Mourning, for ESPN Magazine, is the latter. How he did it, below.
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Strobist
The Gulf Photo Plus 2013 Shootout just concluded, and boy was it a doozy.
The challenge: make a portrait of Greg Freakin’ Heisler, soup to nuts, in front of 350 people in 20 mins flat. No pressure there.
Major props to John Keatley, who managed to not crack under the pressure and actually make a portrait of Heisler that was consistent with the slightly off-center Keatley style.
Completely seriously, I want a 16×20 of this for the Strobist Cave.
And here’s the thing: Keatley didn’t even win it. This year’s winner was Zack Arias, who suffice to say has a brass pair for what he did. You’ll definitely want to watch the video when it comes out.
Whatever you have to do to get to Dubai for GPP, make it happen.
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For part two of his four-part BTS series for Profoto, photographer Gregory Heisler walks us through his Time cover of former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.
I really enjoyed this video. Not so much for the lighting tidbits, as it is a pretty straightforward photo in that regard. But rather because it exactly captures the vibe of photographers sitting around a table swapping stories. The interesting stuff is rarely about f/stops and shutter speeds, etc. It's more about what has to happen before you are in a position to make the photo at all. So, enjoy.
Oh, and Heisler has a book coming out, too. Read more »
Strobist
To understand the impact this photo had on me when it first came out, you kinda have to get into the head of a Baltimore Sun photographer during the run-up to the 2004 Summer Olympics.
For one thing, this is the only photo which has ever made me shout the F-word in a supermarket checkout line. So yeah, I have been waiting a long time for this BTS.
Oh, and if that weren't enough, there are two more Gregory Heisler vids inside, too… Read more »
Strobist
