| Photographer Nixon Wong explains his
use of lighting |
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| "This light is very simple, just one
component, but we played around to soften the shadow and give outline to her form. There
were three panels of black, like a booth, then the one top light aimed down onto her, to
highlight the face and shoulders. I used an Elinchrom 3000 Professional Spotlight, because
a smaller version would have given too much shadow. So, the larger lamp was preferred,
with the umbrella closed half way to further control the light." Top light will strike protruding body and facial features, as seen
here. It has excellent sculpturing qualities and is useful for high-contrast work. Because
of its literally striking quality, the effect of top light can be quite dramatic. It
should never be confused with back light, which creates outline as opposed to highlighting
extremities.
Nixon Wong services a variety of clients, such as Elle
magazine, Kellogg's and Pizza Hut.
Workshop*Nixon
Tel: (852) 2536 4312 |
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| Gobos can be used to project patterns and
images, but they can only be used in profile spotlights and have to be inserted between
the lamp and focusing lens, which is called the gate. "The
predominant lighting is the ETC Source4 600 Watt, sited to the left. Also, there was an
even amount of fill light throughout the area, similar to Japanese photographic lighting -
they bounce light off the walls to create an even area inside the frame.
Then I added a hard light to create the shadow. I utilized
a gobo in a profile light with peak adjustment. The gobo can create the shadow as a layer,
like light through a curtain, and then I can adjust the mask and see where the shadows are
falling. Altering the intensity of the light through the gate can control the shape and
thickness of the effect.
The objects were about ten feet from the paper, so the
background seems even and the shadow doesn't affect the backdrop."
- nixon wong |
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