I love portraits. I love the diversity and the complexity of people, and how we, as photographers, can capture a sliver of a person's personality and it will be there forever. I didn't set out today with the goal of taking a portrait, but when my little brother Noah was willing to participate I couldn't resist. Since it was totally dark outside I had the idea to turn out the overhead light in my room and use a small portable light to illuminate his face. The result was a very dramatic lighting pattern with deep shadows on either side and creeping onto the left side of his face (his left, it's the right side when you're looking at it). Luckily he was wearing a dark shirt so it worked out surprisingly well. Now that I'm looking at the finished product, the serious expression on his face makes him look much older than his three years. To get the really dramatic look I wanted I faded a black and white effect to give the colors in his face a little bit of a washed out look so the bright colors of his eyes and hair didn't stand out too much.
Grace, this is WONDERFUL.
ReplyDeleteThe way the light is falling on his face is so beautiful.