cgardner
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 p.1 #5 · "Sculpting with Light", a good book to start with? | |
Put it this way: if you have to ask then yes, you'll probably find some value in it or any other book you read. I haven't read that one specifically, but over the years have read hundreds of photo books, both technical, pictorial, and biographical and gleaned nuggets of wisdom from just about all of them.
Lighting is similar to cooking. You need to start by mastering some basic techniques and in the process learn the "flavor" profile of the ingredients, such as when an umbrella is a better tool than a soft box, or the what causes the look of a face lit close in with a dish unique. By the time the basics techniques are mastered you will have an idea of what ingredients will combine to produce the desired flavor profile and you rely more on your senses than strict adherence to the recipes.
Shooting models, at least experienced ones, is actually easier than shooting your spouse, kids, or parents because models, in general, are selecting for their slim, symmetrical, well proportioned faces which look good from most angles, especially full face. Posing is just the conscious realization of what angles of hip, shoulder, eye line, legs have on the sub-concious reaction to body language. What makes on pose demure, and the next one a few seconds later coy, or sexy? A good experienced or naturally gifted / extroverted model will know and strike the poses on their own, so even a clueless photographer can capture great looking photos.
http://super.nova.org/TP/MM_2299S.jpg
But if you are clueless about posing and dealing with an equally inexperienced model the results will not be the same. The message here? If you learn how to pose the spouse, kids, parents and friends in ways that make them look good you'll have no problem shooting models.
So read every book you can. A cheap way to do that is get a library card. Practice on any face you can drag in front of a window or flash. Study faces and body language even when you don't have a camera in your hand, at work, in the checkout line at the supermarket, etc. Play "How would I light that face?". Try out poses yourself in front of a mirror. Its actually the best way to learn because you wind up knowing now the pose feels, how feet need to be placed, weight shifted, which makes it much easier to give posing directions.
Chuck
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