[Leica] shadows in portraits (was Re: IMG: my Aunt and her Husband)

[platoali at gmail.com (Ali Yazdi)]

On Shanbe, Aban 22, 1389 09:17:17 pm you wrote:
> Shadows are the way we see things, the way we recognize people and they
> have meaning beyond that, knowing the preconceptions that come with the
> amount and placement of shadows is one of the things that photographers
> are (more or less) paid to know. But breaking those conventions is also
> the responsibility of a photographer because shadows and posing can do
> things like re-enforce gender stereotypes.
> 
> I came across a website a few years back -- someone here will remember whos
> -- of this guy who's done a bunch of presidential portraits. he had a
> behind the scenes of photographing ronald reagan -- he  just sat him close
> to a wall and put one small softbox about six inches from the President's
> face, aimed at a 45 degree angle and zing -- that was it. lots of dark
> shadows, wrinkles, drama and greatness. Power, mystery.
> 
> It was probably with this in the back of my head that I lit novelist
> Victoria Janssen with one small Photek softlighter II
> 
> http://www.kylecassidy.com/lj/2010/victoria-janssen.jpg
> 


Very beautiful Portrait. And good tip.
 It is quite hard me to use hard light. Whenever I tried to use a hard 
light. 
I can't control the shadows. and things get more complicated when I try to 
use 
second or third one. Simply I get confused by them.

 Usually in the end, I am  forced to use two or tree soft light to get an 
acceptable result.  models expect an acceptable result, and I don't want 
disappoint them.

Bests
Ali Yazdi