Recreating the Magic of Ambient Light

Sharon can be defined by 2 characteristics – she is a compulsive renovator, and she hates having her picture taken. The day Sharon got married, she was sanding and plastering right up until the last minute. Her friends finally tore her away and got her dressed 15 minutes before the ceremony. I had wanted to make a portrait of her for a long time, but she resisted. Finally, when she was renovating the halls and staircases of her building, she said if I shot her working, she’d let me make a portrait. It didn’t seem like much of a setting, but I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

Even in recent years Sharon could be dressed up and on her way out, but if she noticed a spot she’d missed, she’d have that paintbrush in her hand, and there was no stopping her. This was the story I decided to tell.

The first trick was how to make it interesting. Often when I let a challenging idea mull in my head for a few days, life drops the solution right in front of me. Walking down 23rd Street, I noticed an array of brightly colored work lights. Bingo! I would replace the ugly fluorescent with a bright blue bulb. Once I had the bulb in my hands, I dropped by to see Sharon and asked her to stand on the stairs, so I could take a high ISO ambient test shot:

The fantasy look of the light is a playful contrast to the actuality of the renovation mess. It looked great, but Sharon, the subject, was poorly lit. The trick was to use strobes and flashes to recreate the magic of this ambient light AND create beautiful lighting for Sharon.

I began by exposing for the blue light bulb. I didn’t want it to be blown out as it was in the “real” ambient test shot above.

The key light came next. I wanted it to appear as if Sharon were being lit by the tungsten ceiling light on camera right. In “reality” the light from that fixture was being overridden by the strobes. Chasi Annexy, my assistant, stood in for the tests.

Recreating the blue glow and balancing it properly with the tungsten effect was the most difficult. It took 3 lights and a lot of patience. Chasi had to hand hold one of the lights in front of the camera pointing down the stairs.

The portrait turned out to be Sharon’s favorite picture of herself. A prize that had not been easily won!

Fortunately, Chris Newhard, who was also assisting that day, had free hands when we started shooting. He used his pocket wizard to capture a few great shots of our final set up:

Defying the Elements – Portrait of Big Duck

Opening the ICP Programs Guide and thumbing through the first few pages, one soon comes upon a big duck introducing the spring classes. Residing in Flanders he welcomes visitors to the eastern end of Long Island.  Many have known him a long time, but I wasn’t introduced to him until a couple of years ago. I immediately recognized his greatness.

Talking CAN make things happen

I’ve been trying to define portraiture for a long time, but words elude me. We usually think of it as an art form that portrays people, but I see no reason why one can’t make portraits of buildings and places as well. As soon as I saw Big Duck, I knew I wanted to make his. As magical as nocturnal photography can be, the nighttime light that falls on Big Duck doesn’t do him justice.  I knew I had to take the lighting into my own hands. That meant equipment. Since I don’t have a car, and I only “sort of” drive, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to do this.

Sometimes talking about something incessantly kills it, and sometimes it’s the only way to make it happen. After more than a year of hearing about how much I wanted to make a portrait of Big Duck, my friend, Lyn Silfen, took pity and offered to aid and abet me. She and another friend, Mary Ciullo, helped me pack all the gear into the car, and off we went.

To capture his full grandeur I had to photograph Big Duck just as daylight disappeared but before the hideous display lights were turned on. It’s a very brief window at best.

Just how much I wanted the shot

1^st attempt: Monday night. Rain had been predicted for later that evening. When we arrived, the sky was gray and heavy with voluptuous clouds. In real life things looked ugly, but actually it was perfect. I just had to make it happen. In an hour all the lights were in place, and I had my framing. Big duck sat proudly waiting for his moment.

Nature had other plans. Just as I fired off a shot or two, the sky opened up. We made a mad dash for the car with the camera still on the tripod and batteries dangling off light stands.

Round #2

2^nd Attempt: Tuesday. It was a perfect night, which meant that it was terrible for the vision I had. The sky was impossibly blue and cloudless. Ugly shadows fell on Big Duck. Bitching and moaning I set up the lights anyway.

Testing the lights and looking through the lens, I didn’t see what was behind me. When Mary told me that she thought there was a tornado coming in from the east, I rudely told her to stop fooling around. However:

This time I was determined. I had to go back to New York the next day. The lights were in place, and nothing was going to stop me. It started to rain. Lyn and Mary were trying to get me back to the car. “You’re going to get electrocuted!”

“It’s okay.”I said “Just one more shot!” (Which everyone knows is never one more shot.) I shot until the battery packs were about to short out. Not recommended, believe me, but this time Big Duck’s portrait was mine.

Location shots: courtesy of Lyn Silfen

Why I see movies twice

No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’m always conscious of the light. Whether it’s calculating the hour of dusk, planning how I’ll light my next portrait or simply watching the color and pattern of light as it streams through a window or funnels down a street, it’s always on my mind.

If you know me at all, you also know an embarrassing fact – I have to see every movie I like twice, because the first time I’m totally absorbed in deconstructing the lighting effects. I am always thinking about making pictures.

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