What I learned About Light From Hobby and McNally- by Lynn Clark

This is our first post from photographer Lynn Clark who will be a regular contributor to the blog. Thanks, Lynn!

What I learned About Light From Hobby and McNally

Since I took my first photojournalism class in college, I've been shooting with available light. I rarely turned on the flash on my early point-and-shoot digital cameras because I hated the harsh shadows and quality of light. If I wanted your portrait, I moved you to a window or to open shade. Not enough light? No photo.

I've recently dipped my toe into lights--small flashes with remote triggers, stumbling along as I learned how to use them on the fly. My favorite resource: the venerable strobist.com blog, authored by David Hobby. Hobby is the god of small flash photography. Following his tutorials and doing his assignments, I've gotten the hang of the technical aspects of using my flashes.

And yet something has eluded me. I can expose a photo just fine, but the effect is, well, kind of blah. Flat. Boring. I want to learn how to bend the light, make it dramatic.

That's why I ponied up $99 and attended Adorama's Flash Bus Tour on March 22, which featured Hobby in his khaki shorts and legendary shooter and author Joe McNally. I haven't yet applied what I learned--my brain hurts too much. But I can't wait to try.

I learned that the reason why my images look one-dimensional is because I've been using light like I'm a 4-year-old drawing with crayons. Pros use light like a sculptor.

1. Light is like salt. You add it to taste.

Hobby layers on light in four stages. That way, he says, when something looks horrible he knows exactly what to fix. He shoots in manual mode because that's what he prefers. (I prefer it too, I'm finding.)

• Assess for ambient. Expose for the background, then light your subject.
• Add a fill light for "legibility" of the details--often two stops down from the key light.
• Add the key light, modifying it with everything from a small softbox to a silk Japanese lantern--speedlight dangling inside by an eyebolt and hung with fishing wire.
• Add accent light: a splash across the background to separate it from the subject, a pop along an architectural or sartorial detail to add dimension. Sometimes add a kicker, flashing light to open up eye sockets.

2. Shoot in open shade on the north side of any building.

The darker it is, the more you can control the light, Hobby says. The north side of a building is almost always in shade. Make it darker by underexposing the background, then add lights where you want to pop or dial down the subject. This is exactly opposite of what I was trying to do. I look for the brightest area. But in retrospect, it's a DUH moment. Photography studios are caves for a reason, right? That reason: to put the photographer in control of the light rather than have the light control the photographer.

3. Take a photo of the person from the position of the light source to see where the light is hitting her.

Imagine you have a strobe in a softbox at 45 degrees to your subject's right. If you take a dead-on photo, you may be walking back and forth all day tweaking the light's position. However, Hobby says, if you take a photo standing right behind the softbox, you'll be able to "see what the light sees."

4. Find the balance between what light your eyes see in the scene and what looks "lit."

Hobby showed us many pull-back shots of lighting setups. One of my favorites was a guy playing piano on a huge stage. He walked us through different lighting scenarios until he reached a point that looked bright, natural--and not artificially lit using three speedlights (one in a softbox and two bare). While I know it will take me many years of practice to do that lighting setup, I know I can do it.

A little light philosophy from Joe

When Hobby was finished--leaving me breathless and brain-sodden--Joe McNally wowed us with his lighting chops, bringing out three assistants, C-stands with booms, multiple modifiers and at one point, a Nikkor 200mm f/2.0 lens that he said he paid "an extra $3,000 for the extra stop." (Wow.) I'd say I learned less application from McNally, and his philosophy about light is what I'll remember.

"Submerge your light into the condition that exists," he said as he walked us through the use of TTL with layer upon layer of flashes. "Lighting is not math. Light is feel. Lighting is gut. You have to take chances to make it work."

Lynn Clark is building a freelance boudoir and portrait photographer in Denver, Colorado. She blogs about what she's learning  as a newbie. Find her work at http://lynnclarkphotography.com.