Lighting Evaluation

Evaluation
Whether it’s knowing how to use lighting equipment, how to use it creatively or knowing how or when to introduce different lighting techniques, lighting can still be a daunting experience. By the time I finished the brief I wanted to ensure I came away with a clearer understanding of certain lighting techniques and feel confidant with my abilities, knowing I can take out the lighting equipment at anytime and photograph.

After grouping up with Phil Auty and Chris Harvey we began straight and booked the studio space. On the day of the shoot Chris brought in a fragrance bottle to photograph, however as a group we had no vision in how we were going light it. As a group we were not put off by this as it allowed us to problem solve, experiment and discuss with one another creative ways of lighting. Reunited with the studio and the lighting equipment we managed to achieve some great images of the bottle, however for me I was beginning to feel that lighting products was becoming a cliché. As a photographer who enjoys lighting, I understand the importance of having these skills; however working in a studio is an area of photography I’m not drawn to. I find working in a studio restricts my creativity and therefore I was looking further a field. After much soul searching I reached the decision of going out on location and document the interior of my grandparents house in Manchester. Both myself Chris and Phil had our own little projects we wanted to pursue and therefore we found each other working separately and getting on with producing images.

Prior to going out on location I began searching the Internet and looking in various books for examples of interiors and how professionals approached their subject. Research suggests that complicated lighting set ups are unnecessary. If areas of a subject require additional light then either additional lighting can be implemented or reflectors can be used to bounce the light. Before I began speaking to people I always considered the more lights to light up the subject, the better, however this was not to be. On location I was using no more than two flash heads and one tungsten light to add warmth to my subject. After analysing my images I found the tungsten light made no real difference to the aesthetics of my image and a better solution would have been to use an amber filter.

Planning what equipment I was going to need on the day of the shoot and organising the insurance and liaising with my grandparents was well managed and went well. For future photo shoots I will adopt the same approach and this will help me avoid any problems in terms of wasting time and incurring or increasing costs.

On my grandparent’s house the shoot took two days and after day one of the shoot I then realised how much time was required for travelling, time spent photographing and setting up/ putting away the equipment. In my opinion I felt my naivety got the better of me on day one, however by day two I managed to turn it around and gave myself an additional two hours in the working day which enabled me to work at a much smoother pace and I was able to finish my work on time.
I feel the landscape image I took of the armchair in my grandparent’s house with the carpet and side table was probably one of my more creative shoots. I have been told in the past that my competency of being able to use the lighting equipment is sufficient; my creativity however needs stretching, as I tend to play it safe. The way of working I adopted when out on location was to analyse each image I took on my lap top screen and ask myself what could I do differently to improve the image. I found this approach successful and it was at this point when I began to feel like a real photographer. Making images, analysing them and making alterations to my lighting boosted my confidence and were a rewarding feeling.

I believe working in a team has its benefits, however on this occasion I was happy working on my own and getting on with producing images. Communication within the group was kept to a minimum and again this was due to the fact that we were left to putting our ideas into practice. The only breakdown in communication was when we all arranged to get together and plan out the design of our leaflet idea. Over the two days of the shoot, as well as being photographer, I was also responsible for finding the location, research, planning, organising and assisting, props, and styling. Although to some degree I managed to work well on my own there were times in the day when I felt it would be helpful to have some help.

The cost of the photo shoot at my grandparents was minimal. Costs such as travel, time and insurance were accounted for and although my shoot was unpaid I am aware how valuable time is when working as a photographer.

Reflecting on my experiences I believe my recent experience compared to the one back in 2007 has been a more rewarding time for me. Although I already had the knowledge of being able to meter light, set up and use the lighting equipment I feel my confidence and development has improved significantly. I believe working alone has been one of many factors responsible for this as I was left on my own and empowered to analyse and be critical about my images and solve any lighting problems that were going to either help or hinder my shoot. All in all it has been a great learning curve for me. One key point I will take away with me when I go back out and use the lighting equipment is to remember that there is no need for complicated lighting set ups. This has been already demonstrated in past lighting inductions where creative images have been created using only one light and several reflectors.