Exploring Light, Discovering Style: A Lighting Tutorial

My mandate for this editorial shoot was to create a look that harkened back to an earlier era; a time when fashion poses were caricatures of reality and the lighting quite direct. While a more casual "lifestyle" look was considered, it was ultimately rejected in favor of this much more stylized approach.

As I scouted the location shown in the following lessons, I was greeted by a deep and cave-like environment which was marginally-illuminated by a mix of indirect-daylight and a handful of decorative tungsten fixtures. There was decent direction in the some of the ambient light, but the quality simply wasn't there. Color temperatures varied widely from place-to-place.

Many striking images could have been made under the ambient conditions found in this location, but only through a series of compromises mandated by the unpolished nature of the existing light. With the stated intention of expanding our skill-sets, let's proceed under the assumption that we have the time, inclination and perhaps even the profit motivation to "create" rather than "seek" our image opportunities. These are not scenes from a documentary; these are scenes from a romance novel.

With the following lessons, I'll share how I approached a variety of lighting challenges during the creation of a bridal fashion editorial series entitled, "Vintage Glamour."