russdenney01 Offline Upload & Sell: On
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Natural light portraits without modifiers... | |
Admittedly, I am as much of a techie as can be when it comes to gear. I love the capabilities of the latest cameras, lenses, and lighting equipment.
Having said that, I have really come to appreciate what I've seen people in this forum getting out of natural light...and without modifiers as well. No reflectors, diffusers, strobes, etc...just photographer, camera, and subject...
Lisa Holloway is an excellent example of this...much of her work is exactly that...
I understand there are limitations to what one can do with natural light...the classic example of a backlit subject. Expose for the subject and the sky is blown out. Expose for the sky and your subject is too dark. Using flash and/or strobes perhaps with ND filters (in some cases) allows us to compress the dynamic range of a photo and get everything in without a loss of detail. I understand that. There will be situations where flash is a must...
What I think photographers like Lisa have been able to do is to demonstrate very effectively that it doesn't have to be that complicated (or expensive) to take quality portraits. Granted, Lisa's post-processing is second-to-none and that is a key part of her image effectiveness...and another reason her classes fill up months in advance...
I, for one, am encouraged by this and will continue to try and work with the simplest of techniques. Yes, I may rent strobes for a shoot where they are needed/desired, but for now, it's camera, lens, and my photographer's eye.
I have been so encouraged by the people in this forum, their feedback, and the work they post.
Thanks to all of you...
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