Rangefinder Magazine
Features

Light Sense by Norman Phillips
Emulating Natural Light

I remember in my childhood I would sit at the window and absorb the light patterns that result from innumerable sources and delight in how they affected my senses. I had no knowledge of cameras or photography. Instead, I used a range of lead pencils, rendering drawings that showed an appreciation of light and shade. When the camera took over from the pencils later in life, the observation and recognition of what light is and does to our senses and how we may use it to create images took on a new and ever more exciting dimension. As a photojournalist, my first venture into professional photography, I always sought to be on the right side of the light so as to insure my images had impact as well as the intended message.
We know that natural light has one primary source, the sun. But the countless secondary sources are what help to create a multitude of light patterns that are mostly ignored or not given credit for the way they affect the images we capture.

Daylight is the ultimate light source and its simplicity is what makes it the most profoundly exciting tool for camera artists. In my camera room I seek to apply the same simplicity. I will often break the rules with the angle of my key lights so that I can use different secondary sources to light my subjects. I will use as few light heads as possible, sometimes only one or two and I will use one, two or more reflective surfaces to create light patterns that create the effect I am seeking. This is how natural reflected light from walls, trees, water, grass and plants subtly illuminate so many of the subjects we capture on film.

I see portraiture in two main and separate categories—the capture and the creative. In the capture mode we will use a pre-set lighting formula so as to capture images for their spontaneity. This is what happens in much wedding photography and in candid-style children’s portraiture. In the creative portraiture mode we are going to individually create light patterns to bring out the special qualities of our subjects. Our understanding of light—how we can use it to sculpt and shape an image and its effects on film determine how successful we will be.

It is rare for any seminar or workshop to run its course without my being asked about f-stops, shutter speeds and light positions. Do I use a main light, a hairlight, a fill light, a back light? What modifiers do I use? How many watt-seconds? I appreciate that this information is important. But more important is for each of us to observe and explore the incredible world of light around us and see how we can create the same subtle patterns in the camera room. Each of us has a different feel for the way light may define our images. Whether you have studied under Monte, Joe Craig or Frank Criccio, you owe it to yourself to explore the possibilities of light in order to develop a unique style of your own. The masterful works of both Rembrandt and Gaisborough are uniquely different in the way that they saw light on their subjects. Photographers should be no different. To persistently work from a set lighting pattern is not creative or rewarding. Seeing the light is not just a metaphor for a photographer. In my workshops I first teach my students to see light. Each of the images in this article is lit differently so as to create a unique impression of the subject. It is recognition of the awesome qualities of light. Until we truly recognize light as our primary tool we will never be complete photographers. We cannot reach our potential as artists until we learn to skillfully use all our tools and resources. The most important of these is light.

Norman Phillips, a frequent speaker on the photography-lecture circuit, owns and operates a portrait/wedding studio outside of Chicago.