Meet Ted, the Head.

The other day I had to go into the bank and met with an account representative. In the process of discussing my account issue, he asked what kind of business I was in. I told him I was a professional photographer. One of the first things he asked was, “Do you use manual?” I was so surprised by his questions that it took a second to register what he was talking about. “Absolutely, “ I replied. “Shooting with auto allows the camera to make decisions for me, instead of letting me choose the results.”

There is something else that determines the results in our images also. That is the lighting. You need great lighting to have a really great image. Whether you are photographing architecture, landscape or people, great light will make the difference between nice and awesome.

When you photograph people, more than any other photography probably, you need to be able to do it right fast. I can’t say it enough, learn lighting patterns and master setting up your lights correctly and getting the image on the first shot. Of course, unless you have a very patient and available model, this gets hard. ENTER: Ted, the Head.

Ted is great. He never gets impatient, never gets tired, poses however I position him, and will repeat the process over and over, if I want him to. Ted sits on a shelf in the corner of my studio. When I’m getting ready for clients, I can grab him and do a test shot before they arrive to make sure my lighting is killer ready for at least the first shots. Then since I have practiced multiple lighting setups over and over, I can make quick changes and nail the rest of my shots.

Below is an example of lighting on Ted. I created a loop lighting pattern and then shot a full face, 2/3s view and profile maintaining the same lighting. After this I moved or turned him for other lighting patterns.

      

Image 1: Ted in a full frontal position with loop lighting pattern and soft fill on loop side.

Image 2: Ted in almost 2/3 position (can’t see left ear) with same lighting. Camera moved, not Ted.

Image 3 and 4 have same light on Ted, loop pattern with soft fill. Shot from left, light is flat. Shot from right loop is visible and face is defined by the light. Camera moved to left then right side, Ted didn’t move.

Image 5: Ted in same position, camera moved to opposite position of image 2. Fill light off creating a split light effect.

Practicing like this on a weekly basis will build your confidence and your ability to set up and shoot great shots quickly. Once you learn the lighting patterns you can easily adapt your model's positions and still create the same lighting. This will garner you confidence from people you photograph…and word will start to get around!

By the way, Ted is available from Mid-States Beauty through Amazon.com for $14.69. There are other more realistic options if you want to spend more. You could even get a wig. I searched for “Modeling Head.”

Whatever you do, get something to practice on that will allow you freedom to try anything and give you a model who will not grow weary of your experimentation.

Have a GREAT Thursday!