I love a good light-box.

I’m not sure what it is, but I feel a good neutral background, a light-box, and a decent camera really pulls out a person’s individual creative expression of themselves. Perhaps it is the fact it’s a photography equivalent of a canvas, or perhaps it’s a more controlled setting, I’m unsure.

The reason I mention this is because I really enjoyed this exercise (once I got it working, which was not only a temperamental nightmare, but turns out I did everything correctly and it just chose not to work for me, fantastic), and really enjoyed how different people prioritised different aspects. I was more heavily interested in shadows and angles, where others seemed to be more interested in detail and subjectivity.

Photos I took from the exercise

To use these photos as an example, my focus was more on composition of the parts I already had, than trying to add or adjust something. I loved the shadows coming from the bottom and under her chin in the first photo, and tried to use those shadows to highlight other features, more than trying to do it vice-versa (increasing light on those areas I did want to focus on). I actually hadn’t realised I thought in this way prior to this reflection.

The second photo sort of elaborates on my canvas point. I didn’t see anyone else attempt a Dutch-angle type of photo, but I did see side-ons and I was in several duo photos with Huang, which I hadn’t thought about either. I really liked it due to the way the monochrome filter highlighted the edges of Yascinta better, and the levels of shadows and light blended well throughout the photo.

I’m not able to use a light-box for my photos for Assignment 2, which I find a little devastating considering how nicely some of these turned out. I am eager to do this exercise again or something similar if given the opportunity, and use the lessons I learnt from it, because I want to try a lot more and expand my thinking.