Lighting

In the summer of 2009, Orlando-based pro Gage Young was photographing rising singer/songwriter Dave Melillo against a receding allée of trees along a length of sidewalk in Celebration, FL. While graphically interesting, these trees broke up the sunlight into dappled hot spots and shadows, creating too-bright blotches on Melillo’s forehead and sections of his shirt while rendering most of his figure a featureless black. Young’s solution: Evenly light the subject.

Creating a strong portrait of an executive is a daunting task. Business magazine photographers often have only a few minutes with their subjects, so most shots are scouted and planned in advance. And when a portrait needs to convey authority and power, funky poses won’t do. Yet despite these limitations, magazine photographer Brad Trent finds a little spontaneity and adds a dash of drama by pulling back the curtain, and the camera, to reveal the wizardry of his set, including his lighting tools.

Lighting illuminates, sure. But that’s not all. It can suggest shape and dimension, draw attention to specific subject details or qualities, freeze action, or separate your subject from the background. In this amazing image by Scott Markewitz, it does all of these things. Markewitz, based in Salt Lake City, UT, and Provence, France, is a ski, action, and adventure specialist. He was hired by helmet maker Giro to photograph professional mountain biker Paul Basagoitia doing a “Superman Seat Grab,” as the trick is called.

Czech lensman Dalibor Zyka with his Ray Flash, which turns a conventional shoe-mount unit into a ring flash that produces the frontal, rim-shadowed light so loved by fashion photographers.