Use dark tone and high contrast to shoot high quality and touching images
In the previous article, we analyzed the use and change of dim light and its application in clothing photography, including several common lighting methods. Now we continue to share one of the commonly used light types for shooting in autumn and winter,Concealed high contrast.
Dark tone high contrast is a lighting form suitable for shooting in autumn and winter. In many cases, clothing is shot two seasons in advance, such as fur or coats, cotton clothes, etc. in autumn and winter in midsummer. When the shooting season is not supported, we need to finish shooting indoors, and many men’s and women’s clothing in autumn and winter also use dark tone high contrast shooting.
In recent years, fashion brands that have been presented in a dark and high contrast way, such as/LD Men’s Wear/Alexander Wang:
■ Basic features of darkened high contrast
On the screen, the color is rich and stereoscopic. When the deep color and light color form a strong contrast trend, it can be called dark tone high contrast. Such photos can often show the characters’ stable, implicit and restrained personality traits. The tone is usually a sharp tool to create an atmosphere, which can well express the emotions of the characters.
Dim lighting does not mean simply reducing exposure. It usually requires adding highlights where visual attention is attracted to form contrast and highlight the focus of the screen. Clever use of light can make the picture more powerful.■ Use light and fill light
The side light or semi backlight is often used for darkened and high contrast photos. On the one hand, it can outline the model, and on the other hand, it can make the light cast a large area of shadow between the model and the camera to create a heavy low-key effect. When shooting a clothing film, it is necessary to ensure that the picture presents a rich light and shadow effect, and at the same time, it should meet the performance needs of commercial films. Different parts should be illuminated according to the actual required brightness and range to avoid the effect of light superposition. Generally, single lamp with hard light source is used to illuminate the figure, and the light ratio is adjusted by supplementing light with reflector, and the backlight is appropriately increased to create a sense of space or render the atmosphere.
■ Metering
In actual shooting, attention should be paid to the light dark relationship between the characters and the background. Generally speaking, the light is relatively small, so the characters should not be submerged in the background. Therefore, when measuring light, we need to use a light meter to measure the light of the bright part, dark part and background of the person respectively to obtain accurate light ratio.
■ Indoor dark and high contrast lighting method
Use studio lights to create a dark and high contrast atmosphere in the studio. Common light types are as follows.
1. Side top light
The light with a large incidence angle is very suitable for representing the fabric with simple style and strong texture. This light can well represent the material and fabric details of clothing. The light ratio is controlled at 1:6.
Note: The pose of the model is mostly lateral, which will make the nose, eyes, mouth and face of the figure better displayed, and form highlights in these parts, forming a contrast with the shadow tone of the rest.
The light bitmap is as follows:
2. Butterfly light plus backlight
This light type is very suitable for representing the material and luster of fur and leather clothing. Because the color of autumn and winter clothing is generally dark, it is not easy to see the material and details, so the contour light from the side and rear can well outline the luster of the fabric. Similarly, dark clothes are not easy to show texture and luster in the black background, and contour light is very important. The light ratio is controlled at 1:5.
Note: The shadow on the face should be even and weak.
The light bitmap is as follows:
3. Low angle side light
This type of light belongs to the classical Rembrandt light, which is suitable for various shooting needs requiring high contrast. The light will leave shadows on the side of the characters and clothes, which can well express the stereoscopic and quality sense of the characters and clothes. The light ratio is controlled at 1:7.
Note: The dark part needs to be properly supplemented with light, but the facial light cannot be broken.
The light bitmap is as follows:
4. Large angle side backlight
This type of light is very classic, and suits suits and casual clothes very well. When shooting, the light is always placed on the side of the figure, and the light moves with the model, leaving shadows on the side of the figure and clothing, while enhancing the spatial relationship between the figure and the background. The light ratio is controlled at 1:5.
Note: Use small index light to supplement eye light on the face.
The light bitmap is as follows:
5. Remote side light
When the light distance is extended, the irradiation range is also increased, which can better take into account the whole body of the model and the scene. In this case, it is generally unnecessary to add additional auxiliary lights. The light ratio is controlled at 1:6.
Note: The contrast between light and dark in the darkened picture is large, which is easy to cause insufficient details in the dark part of the clothing. You can fill in the weak light in the dark part. It should be noted that the light should be controlled more carefully to avoid the deviation of the light receiving angle of the characters, thus affecting the performance of the overall darkening effect.
The light bitmap is as follows:
