Lighting Depth

A past wedding client called me about doing a straightforward business portrait. I remembered that she was the head of a local Episcopal school. I had recently read a book by William McIntosh that had an amazing photo of Don Blair posing a subject with his class behind.

I knew that Jan Pullen was pleased with the recent wedding we photographed for her son, so I said, “Jan, you trust me, right? I have an idea.”

My goal was to create a unique image that would embody the crucial role a head of school plays in education. I began describing the image I had in mind with Jan. I’m not sure she understood the concept totally, but she said she trusted me and we could go with it. It took almost six months of planning and scheduling to create the image.

About two weeks before the session, I scouted out the gymnasium at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. The bleachers extended out a long way, and I did not want some kids in focus more than others. I knew that a telephoto lens and a lot of flash power would be the key. My goal was to have the children slightly out of focus, to draw attention to the sharp subject. I figured I would need nine Photogenic PowerLights to get enough light. I borrowed some extra strobes (and helping hands) with the promise of a free breakfast.

We set up at 7:00 a.m. because the gym was in use after 8:45. I used two 8-foot long tables about 15 feet away from the kids with three PowerLights each, with overlapping umbrellas on 12-foot stands (making them about 16 feet high). We metered the kids for f/16 throughout. I wanted the students one stop darker than the subject so she would stand out in the image. I placed Jan about 25 feet in front of the kids so I could light her separately. I only used umbrellas with black backing to avoid spill onto the subject.

I used two softboxes to light her—the main light at f/22 and the fill at f/8.5. I also added a grid spot as a separation light. She was standing on an 18-inch riser to place her in the proper position and only have students behind her. I stood about 12 feet in front of her on a table.

We exposed the camera for 1/60 at f/22. I asked Mrs. Pullen (and the 60 or so children) to dress in dark solid colors. Jan chose dark green because it is one of the school’s colors. I had her bring a dark notebook for something to hold. We took photos of her turned both to the right and to the left, holding the notebook, and crossing her arms.

I have to admit, the amount of watt-seconds going off with each shot was a major rush! The entire shoot took about 10 minutes, and we were out of the school’s gym with plenty of time before the 8:45 gym class.

I did normal retouching and changed some clothing on the kids to blend the image better. The 24x30 portrait was delivered in time for our booth at a Junior League Gift Market. The response to the image has been amazing. We have had several bookings directly because of the portrait. It will soon hang in St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Bradenton, Florida.