Week 5 of the course introduced us to the world of lighting techniques in photography. We were grouped together and given the chance to experiment with strobe lights and other equipment, exploring how they create different shadows and highlights. Since I’m quite new to the professional equipment used in photography, this was a great introduction for me. Our group watched a demonstration and then tried it ourselves in a hallway. We played around with plain black and white backdrops as well as the wall right behind us. Adjusting the strobe light’s position and how the camera captured the image were the main things we focused on. The model changed poses, and sometimes we even had two models.

I particularly enjoyed this week because it taught me the importance of teamwork. It made me realize that everyone brings different skills to the table, which is especially helpful for someone like me who isn’t very familiar with the technical aspects of cameras and photography terms. I had fun changing the camera’s exposure levels to create more shadows and emphasize the strobe light’s brightness. I’m still a bit confused about connecting the strobe to the camera, but I’m sure with more practice, it will become clearer. It’s still amazing to me how they work together to create a flash when you press the camera’s button.

Here are some examples from our experiment

Week 5 was also when we started our second assignment, which was about capturing strangers and their stories. The class showed us examples of different ways to approach this type of storytelling through photographs. It was really inspiring and helped me try to understand what the photographers were aiming to convey. Interestingly, I was actually going to do a photoshoot with a stranger on the same day as this lesson, so the timing was perfect. The class provided slides to guide our narrative structure in the photos, including establishing shots, action shots, portraits, and close-up details. These elements play a key role in telling a compelling photographic story, and this insight has already started to shape how I think about my own project moving forward.