In photo
school you learn to avoid pincer lighting when making a portrait. This is
lighting from the left and the right, but not in the middle. The effect is that
you get a dark band in the face, making it difficult to see the eyes. The
person looks ugly and untrustworthy. I did that for the heck of it, just to try
it out, in this photo.
You see how
Freda, who usually looks real good, suddenly looks menacing, dangerous. The green eyes are a photoshop addition, obviously.
The
procedure I recommend is: set up your key light to get the shadows in the right
place. Where the right place is, that is an artistic decision that only you can
take. After that set up your fill light (usually soft light works best) close
to the lens. The strength of the fill light is again an artistic decision you
have to take yourself. Finally add effect and/or background light.
Arnold
Newman was one of the greatest portrait photographers of all time. He created
the famous image of composer Igor Stravinsky at the piano.
He made a
whole lot of iconic images that every photography enthusiast should know.
Now Arnold
Newman got a commission to make portrait of the German industrialist Alfried
Krupp. Krupp became fabulously wealthy in the Second World War by making arms
for Hitler, using Jewish slave labour. Arnold Newman was a Jew. Newman
describes in an interview how Krupp’s production was interrupted when the
Jewish slaves would take shelter when there was an air raid. To prevent this
interruption Krupp had the slaves chained to the machinery.
Obviously
Newman was no friend on Krupp, but he took the commission to photograph him. He set up
his lights to the side, directed Krupp where and how to pose, and Newman
mishandled his film in such a way that it would give an unpleasant greenish
cast to the photo. In the process Newman created one of the most famous
portraits of all time.
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