Natural Light

I started a new module this week - 'Picturing the Body'. We began with a workshop on 'working intimately with natural light'. For this we used a large meeting room, which is a good 20 feet high with a wall of north-facing windows to match. I've always found light from tall windows wonderful to work with, especially if the room goes back a long way. I think it's because when close to the windows the light from above is particularly strong, and then as you move back its intensity is comparatively less (for the camera that is).

In such a large and largely lit space there was lots of potential. Our tutor showed us a tip to see how light falls in any given spot in a space. Originally demonstrated by William Eggleston, you can simply hold up your hand and look closely at the changing quality of light reflected by it, as it moves within the area. By quality I mean the strength of light, the harshness, and the temperature. We worked in pairs, considering how we could use the light around the room and where we could make use of reflectors, and then tying this together with an application of framing.

Below is the contact sheet. I always find editing my work and choosing the 'best' pictures to be difficult – I am often indecisive. Our tutor encouraged us to build a frame, and then using a tripod keep that frame, and allow the subject to move/react/pose/communicate within it. I recognise this to be a reliable way toward producing a strong portrait, but I failed to identify this strong frame until after the shoot rather than during it. Consequently I only had a few images to choose from for my 'best' picture. Practice makes perfect.