The meaning of light

[David Mullen ASC]

The key is high and slightly to the left of frame.

[Sandra Merkatz]

No fill light? Because one cheek is more brighter then the other one, which is quite dark.

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

[Michael Rodin]

There is fill, otherwise we won't see texture and modelling in shadows. Fill is quite high above the lens and maybe a bit to the left.

[Sandra Merkatz]

There is fill, otherwise we won't see texture and modelling in shadows. Fill is quite high above the lens and maybe a bit to the left.

 

I think I´ve got it now: key light from above, a bit of fill light a bit from the left. I like that portrait also because it has some kind of dynamic, as if the woman was moving. The picture doesn´t look inflexible, it doesn´t look like the photographer was saying "Ok, stay this way, don´t move, then you have the perfect light". In a way, it looks to me like she is moving, maybe because of that nose shadow that isn´t "perfect".

 

There is another general question I have, not only about this picture, but generally.

 

Can light create "fake" cheekbones and make them higher or lower, or is it sometimes even supposed to? And is it supposed to create artificial, fake depth, altough there is not dept on the object?

I mean, when a part of the face is higher (let´s say the cheekbones) and another part is lower (like the cheeks), the lower part will be darker and in the shadows, while the higher parts are highlighted. But can you also fake all of that?

 

I marked the edges of the cheekbones here:

 

Are those natural edges due to the higher and lower parts of the face, or can you also fake that? (Sorry, it´s really hard to explain!)

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

Edited June 17, 2017 by Sandra Merkatz

[David Mullen ASC]

As I said, there may be a flag doing a little shadowing on her lit side to narrow the face and darken the shoulder... on the other hand, photos like these were also airbrushed to enhance the face.

[Sandra Merkatz]

As I said, there may be a flag doing a little shadowing on her lit side to narrow the face and darken the shoulder... on the other hand, photos like these were also airbrushed to enhance the face.

 

Let me ask in another way: of course you can put on shadows on her face, darker and brighter shadows, with flags etc.

 

But if you want to have a shadow, you have to have an object that creates shadows, right? Take the picture as an example: a photographer can decide how dark the shadow is on her right cheek, he can also say "I don´t want to have a shadow there" and put light on it, but can he also fake a depth on the face that isn´t there? Can he light it so that her cheeks look very sunken, altough they are not?

 

I´m asking because as a viewer I want to know if I can deduce from the shadows how the face looks, where the "higher" parts are (like cheekbones etc.) and where "sunken" parts are (like cheeks, eyes, etc.).

Maybe a photographer want to create the effect that the eyes are very deep inside the head (for a creepy image), can he achieve that only with light and shadows?

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

[Sandra Merkatz]

In other words, if you can "trust" the shadows in a picture.

[David Mullen ASC]

You've never been able to completely "trust" the veracity of a photograph...

 

In a still image, compared to moving images, it is easier to put a shadow on an object that alters its shape, like flagging a near frontal key light to create a V-shaped shadow on the sides of the face making it feel narrower than it really is. Certainly lighting is done all the time to make it harder to see a defect like a bump in the nose. You could put a false shadow that feels like the cheeks are sunken, or a tiny bright spot to make a cheekbone look stronger, but all of this requires working with hard light which is done less today -- you can't really control soft light as surgically.

 

But again, keep in mind that more likely you'd do these alterations later in the darkroom or with airbrushing the photo (pre-digital) - with a little touch-up work, you can make the cheekbones stand out, you can make the cheeks look more sunken in, you can add or remove bags, dimples, wrinkles, etc.

 

On the other hand, it is very hard to paint actual shadows as if the key light were coming from a different direction, that tends to look artificial, plus it is easier to just put the light where you wanted it in the first place.

[Sandra Merkatz]

You've never been able to completely "trust" the veracity of a photograph...

 

In a still image, compared to moving images, it is easier to put a shadow on an object that alters its shape, like flagging a near frontal key light to create a V-shaped shadow on the sides of the face making it feel narrower than it really is. Certainly lighting is done all the time to make it harder to see a defect like a bump in the nose. You could put a false shadow that feels like the cheeks are sunken, or a tiny bright spot to make a cheekbone look stronger, but all of this requires working with hard light which is done less today -- you can't really control soft light as surgically.

 

Thank you for the answer, now I understand it :)

I was just wondering if you can create artificial shapes with the lighting, or if all shadows on a face in a portrait are "real" and cannot be faked, only altered in their brightness.

 

 

When I see this picture from the opera singer it looks as if the cheek starts to be more sunken in (not extremely of course) at the edge of the shadow. I marked it green. But when I understand you correctly, I must not trust this, because in reality the cheek might also be round and not sunken in at all, and it could be just a fake shadow that creates the illusion that the cheek is deeper than the cheekbones

 

 

 

It´s not easy to ask questions about this topic only with words, especially when your English skills are as horrible as mine :(

 

 

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

Edited June 18, 2017 by Sandra Merkatz

[Igor Trajkovski]

About the fill: if it ain't black there is fill.

Fill here can be the existing ambient light, not just the
"photographic" fill with bounce or another light source.

Black is what comes our as black photographically based

on you camera latitude. -3 stops will probably look black on
consumer camera and on Alexa not.

...

About cheekbones and stuff... Don't forget makeup.
Women apply rouge to emphasize them.

 

In very soft lit environment they'll give that impression.
Put them in light that does the same you'll get the combined result.

The blending. If there is not enough soft transition of the rouge,
plus the lady has naturally bigger cheekbones, it might

appear Angelina "Maleficent" Jolie like :)

...

While the final analysis of lighting and "real" appearance of
photographed subject in stills can be questionable, i think

the same happens quite a bit in moving images too.

While i explored the world of color correction and roto/paint, with
main interest on how to enhance the image or correct some unwanted mistakes,
i was amazed on the amount of techniques for "beautifying" the subjects.

 

I couldn't believe the amount of effort someone will put in retouching moving images.
Well it is not the frame by frame retouch, you use surface trackers, masks, filters,
all keyframed to lessen the effort, but still!...

Smoke and mirrors! :)