Exercise 1, Part II

• Utilise white and black core board for fill light or negative control.
• More natural light sources made available from windows.

After reviewing everyone’s shots it seems we were more deliberate in the placement of the subject and so overall had better composition. However, maybe we next need to focus on an assessment of the light whilst considering the subject’s features. Then make decisions motivated by these factors.

Fig. 1 ‘Alyson’

I feel the shot of Alyson is the most successful in this, as the team have managed to model her face and feature her eyes whilst maintaining composition and mise-en-scene. They have achieved a soft but defined key light and also kept her fill side eye (camera left) out of the shadows. I find this combined with the sharp eye light (from the reflector/window presumably) and moody shadows very striking. The colour version of the same shot does not lose any of these qualities.

Fig. 2 ‘Andrew’

On that note, I am curious why the tones in the luminance while in black and white are (somewhat) lost when viewed in colour. I understand that our eyes ability to perceive a range of luminance is limited in colour but why does this affect the visual aesthetic or quality? Why do some of the shots ‘work’ in B&W but lose a/some quality when in colour? For example, the colour shot of Andrew (in my opinion) is not as successful as the B&W version. When in colour my eyes dart across the highlights on his face and overall his face appears more 2 dimensional. Yet the B&W looks balanced, modelled and my eyes are drawn to his eyes. Why?

Although the idea of employing the core boards initially seemed straightforward it wasn’t until class reflection that it truly sank in how difficult soft light can be to control. This has me thinking back on some cinematographers who like to utilise soft light and how they have managed to control it. What implications would come from simply lowering our exposure slightly and increasing the volume of our key light? Could this be an alternative to too much spill rather than trying to flag it with negative fill?

Side note: I love in this team’s interview how the light worked in this moment.