Chasing the Light: Samuel L Jackson by Amanda Demme

In learning photography, we are gifted to have such a wealth of talent to draw inspiration from. One of the more challenging elements of it for me has been lighting. We have natural God given light in the form of our sun and then there are many means of artificial light from flashes, constant lights and strobes. All this said, I wanted to create a space to share my learning process and hopefully others can glean what they will from it as well.

I found this image of Samuel L Jackson recently, captured by the amazingly talented Amanda Demme (@amandadeeme) and I was simply inspired by it to want and try to recreate the shot.

Image captured by: Amanda Demme

Looking over it I analyzed the lighting and went about recreating it with the tools I had on hand. From what I saw, there is light coming camera left and somewhat high based on the shadows. As well, there was either light being bounced back or directly coming from camera right.

36” Photek Softlighter umbrella camera left and a gridded 3’ strip light camera left to create a little edge light.

Based on what I saw in the image, I setup the following lighting arrangement. Originally I wanted to use my 60” umbrella, but the limited ceiling space had me modify the size in order to get the light high enough to achieve a similar light. Initial shots with this setup give me the general light but I was losing information in the eyes, as the key light was overhead, so I worked to add in a 3rd light behind camera as my fill light. That light was a 60” umbrella pointed directly towards subject. A more simulated look of the setup can be found below.

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Lighting arrangement using Set-A-Light software. Definitely check it out to supplement your light chasing learning!

So putting it all together I came up with this recreation :)

It’s not exact but I think it comes close. And that’s the fun of playing and experimenting. I do dig the lighting setup, it provides a dark and moody environment to photograph. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Treasured Moments: Austin Photoshoot With My In-Laws

I find it interesting as a photographer, when my son was born, I captured (and continue to do so) lots of images of him as he grows up.  It makes sense to, children grow up fast.  On the flip-side of that though, we have our parents, both my own and my in-laws.  It's strange that the same notion hasn't struck me to strive and capture as many photos of them as I can.  As much as my mind seems to think that they will always be present in our lives, the truth of it all is, that will not be the case.  So on our recent trip to visit my in-laws, I made it a point to capture some updated photos of them.  

My goal was to capture some fun individual shots of them and work in some paired shots as well.  All the while, making full use of my B1 strobe, mainly to force myself to learn how to use the lights.  I must say, it was quite a challenge, especially when I had become so accustomed to adjusting for just natural light.  

The light was fading fast, I had to juggle a new lighting style and I had my own pressure to produce great images of my in-laws.  Overall, I'm happy to have come out with these lovely images.  Images that I know myself and the rest of the family will enjoy for all time.

Do you have any recent photos captured of your loved ones?  If you answered no, I suggest not waiting a moment longer and look into getting that done.  The Fall season makes for a good time of year to capture those updated family photos and I would love to be the photographer to help captures them for you.