Rangefinder Magazine
September 2006

3 Easy Pieces: Finding Directional Lighting by Kevin Jairaj
 

Over the last few years, I have received a great many phone calls and emails from fellow photographers asking, “How do you get such great lighting in your images?” I always answer these questions with two simple words, “directional lighting!”

I see many images these days where this concept is not fully applied, so I hope this article sheds some light (no pun intended) on this important concept.

In order to find good, natural directional light, one must know where to look. One of the main reasons we all love the look of window lighting is because the light flows in from only one direction. The light is blocked from above and the sides, allowing us to control the way we place our subjects into the directional light coming from the window.

At a wedding I recently photographed in Cancún, I used directional window light to accentuate the shadow detail in the dress. Notice in the setup photo (above right) that my shooting angle towards the dress allows the light from the window to skim across the dress beautifully, making for a more dimensional and dynamic image instead of a flatly lit one. In the finished image, you can really see the detail and elegance of the dress showcased by the way the window light hits the scene.

Did you ever wonder why studio lighting also looks so appealing? Imagine how soft light coming from a big 4x6-foot softbox falls on your subject. The softbox produces that nice, soft directional light quality we all want to attain. When a studio is not around or we are on location, we must learn how to find that same type of directional light in order to produce consistently great work outdoors.

When outdoors, I love shooting under awnings or building overhangs where I am able to see the light coming in from one direction. In this example (next page), I placed the bride so her face is turned into the directional light, producing a nice, soft Rembrandt-style lighting on her face. In the setup shot, you can clearly see where the light is coming from. (The hairstylist has the bride turned in the opposite direction in order to fix her hair.)

As photographers, we can find directional lighting almost anywhere if we look hard enough. In the example below, the bride and I were finishing up a session late in the evening when I happened to see this wonderful beam of light created by the streetlights around us. Upon seeing this, I persuaded the bride to take a few shots in this spot. I really wanted to try something a bit more dramatic and edgy to match the ambiance of the location.

I wanted the bride’s face to be highlighted by the beam of light; therefore, I had her stand with her back against the wall and tilt her face up a bit, towards the light. The reason this shot was successful was because I used all ambient light and utilized a long exposure with my camera on a tripod to capture the moment.

I hope that after reading this article, some of you will have a greater understanding of how directional lighting can vastly improve your photography.

Kevin Jairaj is a multi-award-winning photographer based in the Dallas, TX, area. He specializes in weddings and is an instructor at www.photographyallstars.com. You can visit Kevin’s website at www.kjimages.com or send him an email at kj@kjimages.com with any questions or comments.