How I Shoot: Introduction & Looking for Reflected Light

I don’t claim to know everything about photography. In fact, I am constantly learning new things and looking for ways to improve my work. That’s one reason I love photography so much- there is ALWAYS something to learn and practice, no matter what your skill level happens to be. I often say that attempting to master this craft is a continuous process, and it’s that process that keeps me motivated to continue improving. I’m always open to learn something new from someone who knows more than me, and I’m also always willing to share what I know and have learned with others. I blogged a couple weeks ago about how I was able to teach my first photography class at a local community college last Fall and how it truly was an amazing, rewarding experience. I want to be able to continue that and have been thinking about ways I can incorporate a few tips here and there into my posts for those photographers and aspiring photographers who read my blog. I figure since it’s a brand spankin’ new year, now’s a good time to get started!

To fellow photographers: With these posts it is my hope that if you want to know more about how I shoot, my creative process, how I edit, etc., you can at least pick up some tips that will help you in your own work.

To brides, blog readers, and others who happen to stop by now and then: It might be fun or interesting to you to learn more about how I work and what goes on in my head while I shoot. If not, I won’t be offended if you skip the reading and look for a post with more photos. 🙂

Before I get started, I just want to reiterate that just because I happen to do something a certain way, it definitely doesn’t mean it’s the only way… or even the best way. It’s just the way that I have learned works best for me over the nearly 8 years I’ve been shooting.

The inspiration for each post I write will come directly from emails or comments I receive from people who are curious. Over the past year or two, I have been answering questions to photographers and aspiring photographers via email, which I’m happy to continue. I love connecting with people and sharing what I know! But, I’ll also be posting the questions and answers here from time to time… so, if you have a question feel free to email me or leave a comment. 🙂

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AVAILABLE REFLECTED LIGHT  (as opposed to using a reflector… which I’ll cover another time)

This first post was inspired by an email I received today about a recent wedding I photographed with Meg Perotti. (To see the whole post, click here.)
Lisa wanted to know how I lit the below photo. Was it flash, off-camera light, a reflector? Did I simply bump the fill in post?

Canon 5DMKII with my favorite 35mm Æ’/1.4L lens
Shot at Æ’/2.8 | Shutter Speed 1/2500 | ISO 160
Post-processed with a combo of actions (Totally Rad Actions, Kubota and Colorshift)

First off, if you’ve ever spent any time hanging out with me, you know that it’s not uncommon for me to say “Oh, look at that light!” followed promptly by me grabbing the closest camera (even if it’s just my iPhone) and taking a photo. The closest person to me will likely turn into my model for that moment of light inspiration (much to the dismay, and sometimes delight, of my friends and family). I’m constantly looking for and finding good light regardless of whether I’m on a shoot or even have my camera with me at the time. It’s something I can’t turn off… I’m never not noticing how the light is hitting someone’s face. Really. It’s completely involuntary these days.

Someone once asked me the most important thing to remember when seeking to take a good photo… my response was quickly “find good light.” (Yes, there are many other things to consider… but that’s pretty often always my number 1.)

There are many different types of “good light,” and I truly love shooting in all types of lighting conditions. If you look through my portfolio, you’ll notice every type of lighting situation featured… open shade, off-camera flash/strobe, full/direct sunlight, backlit, low-light, and reflected. Utilizing available reflected light might be one of my favorite lighting conditions because, among many other reasons, it does amazing things for skin tone and the way it can light up a person’s eyes makes me exceptionally happy.

The main reason I love shooting downtown is because the tall buildings are amazing reflectors and create these incredible pockets of light all over the city. For the above photo, the sun was really intense that day at that time (I think it was about 1:30pm) so everything was super bright. But, there was a giant building across and down the the street a little (behind me as I was shooting) that was reflecting a super bright pocket on this part of the sidewalk. The videographer had taken the bride and groom down the sidewalk a bit and as they were walking back, we noticed this light hit them and had them stop for a few shots. The light reflected from that building was enough to beautifully light the couple against the brightly lit background.

You can utilize reflected light in most places with buildings or walls around for the light to bounce… but downtown areas are especially great because those buildings have such reflective surfaces. The key is positioning your subjects and yourself to make the best use of that light. Here are a few other photos I’ve shot that demonstrate the use of reflected light in downtown areas:

An amazing pocket of light in near Union Square in San Francisco:

Canon 5DMKII with my favorite 35mm Æ’/1.4L lens
Shot at Æ’/1.4 | Shutter Speed 1/4000 | ISO 250
Post-processed with a combo of actions (Totally Rad Actions, Kubota and Colorshift)

Below is a photo I took of an elopement a few years ago in downtown Fullerton, CA. It was super bright before the ceremony, so we ducked between two buildings and used the sun bouncing off the light-colored building behind me to light each of them. Even though this was a while back, I still love this shoot…

Canon 5DMKII with the 50mm Æ’/1.4L lens
Shot at Æ’/2.0 | Shutter Speed 1/800 | ISO 100
Post-processed with a combo of actions (Totally Rad Actions, Kubota and Colorshift)

The last photo was taken at Paramount Pictures backlot. I utilized the light reflecting from a white building behind me and to my right. I love how that reflected light lit up little Sylvie’s eyes.

Canon 5DMKII with my favorite 35mm Æ’/1.4L lens
Shot at Æ’/5.0 | Shutter Speed 1/200 | ISO 200
Post-processed with a combo of actions (Totally Rad Actions, Kubota and Colorshift)

Hope that was helpful and interesting to at least a few of you! Let me know if you’d like me to answer any other questions you might have… I welcome all ideas! Any comments on this post or follow-up questions? I’m open to those, too. 🙂

Hope 2011 is treating you all well so far! For me, it definitely has already begun to be an awesomely exciting new year!