"The Organist"
©David A. Ziser
I made this image a few years ago as a promotional portrait. I had known Tom for many years as he plays the pipe organ at many of the functions I photograph. He is considered one of the best in town. He wanted his portrait made in his home. I suggested we do it at one of the venues where he plays and we could use the pipe organ as a background. Tom assured me his home would be just fine as he and his wife had a pipe organ in their home. I thought WOW, sounds good to me! We set the appointment for a few days later. Since I was going to be working in his home, I planned to travel really light gear-wise. But, heck, I always travel light gear-wise ;~). I set up the shot and placed just one light on Tom. You guessed, I chose to shoot my flash through a translucent umbrella positioning it far enough away from the subject to create fairly strong shadows on his face. I really like the effect of the stronger shadows on the portrait. His dark turtleneck sweater directs all viewer attention right to his face. I controlled the ambient light with the shutter speed till I just barely had the pipe organ spilling through the background unobtrusively but still noticeably supporting the composition of the portrait. Camera Specs: Nikon D1x fitted with 80-200m non VR lens, F4.0 @ 1/30 second, ISO400. Enjoy! -David
Hi David. Beautiful lighting (if I may say so) and interesting technique. I think the light, being somewhat between hard and soft, sets this portrait apart. Given that you used only one light, was the shadow of the subject lightened as well when you lightened the ambient for the pipe organ? Thank you in advance.
ReplyDelete