Here is one to challenge your thinking? Do you ever get tired of doing the same old stuff? Or, do you get frustrated trying to do some of those tricky Photoshop manipulations? Well, I do, too. When that happens, I try to go back and do things "photographically". Since I have a video production background as well as being a figure painter (acrylics, pastels & watercolors), I revert to controlling my lighting and seeing what my lighting is doing. I know that these may be somewhat revolutionary ideas, but if you will train yourself to see lighting and create lighting, you will be a much better photographer. If you still want some "guess work" simply use a different ASA rated film or a different manufacturer's film and you will still not know what your final image will look like. I will guarantee you that the same image shot on ASA 100 film will be totally different than one shot on ASA 800 film.   

This photo of Sheryl was done in Showcase Photographic's rental studio in Atlanta. It is a 325 square foot space (15 x 25 feet) with an 11 foot ceiling. The studio is equipped with Photogenic's new PL2 Powerlight system. For those of you have not yet had the opportunity of working with these units, let me tell you they can be overwhelming. They are equipped with a wireless remote control unit and each unit can be individually adjusted in 1/10^th f/stops. Awesome, but you can get wrapped up in the technology and forget about posing and other essentials if you are not careful. A hint! I went in a day ahead and practiced with the adjustments, but still had some trouble "controlling" my lighting the next day.  

But, more about Sheryl. She is a gorgeous model and even though this was our first time working together, I think the results reflect her professionalism and poise. When first setting up this photo, I started to use orange and blue gels. Sheryl immediately told me she hates orange and asked if we could use something else. So, out came purple to replace the orange. Thanks, Sheryl. 

I cross light when I use gels. In other words, if I light the model with purple gels to the left and blue gels from the right, I use just the opposite on the background. The background was my favorite Superlite White Lite background by Dianne Fleming (Superlite Custom Backdrops by Dianne, 516-248-2799). This background drapes beautifully and reflects light amazingly. 

To give some additional texture in the photo, I stopped by a local fabric outlet and found some beautiful lace in a light beige color. It measures 60 inches wide and I bought 7 yards at $3/yard. I cut it into two pieces, one 4 yards long to hang as a "background" and one 3 yards long to use as a drape for the model. The drape portion was suspended about 5 feet in front of the Superlite background.   

The lighting was pretty basic with all units set at the same power settings. I metered the light on the model and exposed at f/8 on ASA 100 film.  The gels are from Rosco's Creative Color Kit. They are 10 x12 inches in size and are extremely heat resistant since they were originally made for movie and video lighting. Do not try to use color cellophane or you may damage your lighting or burn down your studio. 

When shooting with gel lighting, I ask my processor to print with the standard printing pack, with no color correction. If the processor has tried to do color correction, then I don't know where they started from and cannot tell then what adjustments to make. I usually do not go back for color corrections, though. Every time I do these, they come out differently and that is part of the fun.