Still from Films. A possible light diagram of a scene from Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy

 

Cinematography: Roberto Forza

Camera:Arricam LT, Arricam ST

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: 35mm

Film Stock: Kodak Vision

Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy (Romanzo di una strage) is a film that deals with a bombing at a major bank back in 1969 and whose authors were never found: it was surrounded by the popular belief that the Italian Government was somehow involved. That's why its cinematography is full of contrasts and chiaroscuro, like the screen shot above. This is a one light setting: a lightly diffused HMI light  placed outside the door, not to high, just above the characters' head, producing a strong silhouette and deep large shadows, meaning that the truth, what is untold, is far bigger than people are really told. It is a theatrical light which definitely adds drama to the image while the slanted angle stresses out the tension of the scene.

Stills from films. A possible light diagram of a scene from Once Upon a Time in Anatolia.

 

Cinematography: Gökhan Tiryaki

Camera: Sony F35 CineAlta

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: HDCAM

Film Stock: -

- See more at: http://donatelloromanazzi.blogspot.com.es/search?q=once+upon+a+time#sthash.H1hVO83d.dpuf

Cinematography: Gökhan Tiryaki

Camera: Sony F35 CineAlta

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: HDCAM

Film Stock: -

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is a brilliant film with a gorgeous cinematography. Light is used throughout the film in a natural way, always justified; most of the scenes are lit with a 100kw balloon light to simulate the moon along with on set lights, like  powerful car headlamps. In this screen shot the Key Light is positioned very high imitating the lampost light on the right; lights at the entrance and inside the house play the role of back light and are intentionally blown out to let the ambience light of the dawn to light the rest of the scene. The light coming from the right symbolizes the divine: it may be a small hint announcing the man´s imminent death. This is really a two lights set up in conjunction with a wide angle lens and taking advantage of the latitude of the Sony F35; the result is beautiful.

Read a full review of Once Upon a Time in Anatolia here.

Cinematography: Gökhan Tiryaki

Camera: Sony F35 CineAlta

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: HDCAM

Film Stock: -

- See more at: http://donatelloromanazzi.blogspot.com.es/search?q=once+upon+a+time#sthash.H1hVO83d.dpuf

Cinematography: Gökhan Tiryaki

Camera: Sony F35 CineAlta

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: HDCAM

Film Stock: -

- See more at: http://donatelloromanazzi.blogspot.com.es/search?q=once+upon+a+time#sthash.H1hVO83d.dpuf

Cinematography: Gökhan Tiryaki

Camera: Sony F35 CineAlta

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: HDCAM

Film Stock: -

- See more at: http://donatelloromanazzi.blogspot.com.es/search?q=once+upon+a+time#sthash.H1hVO83d.dpuf

Stills from Films. A possible light diagram of a scene from Django Unchained

Cinematography: Robert Richardson

Camera: Panavision Panaflex Milennium XL2
Lens: Panavision Primo, E  Series, ATZ and AWZ2

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: 35mm

Film Stock: Kodak Vision 5213 200T, 5219 500T, Ektachrome 5285 100D

Robert's Richardson's cinematography in Django Unchained is very much his style: theatrical and unjustified use of light, sometimes harsh and producing blown highlights.  Like the screen shot above. The Key Light, probably an HMI, is placed above on the right and tilted down, it's quite hard,

producing deep shadows on the two characters and blowing the right shoulder, neck and hand of the character on the right. It clearly imitates the sun light exaggerating it. As we can see from the shadows of the small stool and the objects hanging from the wall on the right side of the frame, two soft Fill Lights were used, both placed on the left, pointing down to light Jamie Foxx and the other one low, pointing up at Walton Goggins' face.

Stills from Films. A possible light diagram of a scene from Snow White and The Huntsman

Cinematography: Greig Fraser

Camera: Arriflex 235, Arriflex 435 Advanced and ES, Panavision 65 HR and Milennium XL2, Red Epic
Lens: Panavision Primo, E and G Series, ATZ, System 65

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: 35mm, 65mm, Redcode RAW

Film Stock: Kodak Vision 5201 50D, 5207 250D, 5230 500T

Greig Fraser did a great job with the cinematography of Snow White and the Huntsman, a film that neither critics nor audience liked very much, combining 35mm and 65mm, along with some shots with the Epic. This is one of the very few scenes exclusively lit by natural light and it is a beautiful example of back lighting. This shot would not have been the same if Panavision E Series anamorphic lenses hadn't been used with the lovely and gorgeous typical flares they produce.

Stlls from films. A possible light diagram of a scene from Moonrise Kingdom

Cinematography: Robert D. Yeoman

Camera: Aaton A-Minima, Aaton Xterá

Lenses: Zeiss Super Speed, Canon CnE

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Format:16mm

Film Stock: Kodak Vision 7213 200T

The aesthetic of Moonrise Kingdom, directed by Wes Anderson,  definitely manages to catch audience attention: the election and look of 16mm film, the constant use of wide angle lenses, the position of the camera always in front of the action, as it was the 4th wall of a theatre, are the main characteristics of this feature that can be noticed in this screen shot above too. The composition is brilliant: the wide angle lens makes the place appear bigger than it really is and changes the relative proportions between the children and B. Murray who is perfectly centred in the frame and with the stairs and, thanks to the focal lens used, loses a bit of the threatening look the low angle camera gives him. Light is really soft and natural (justified as typical house lighting) with a warm colour balance; a multi lighting set up was used in this scene.

Stills from films. A possible light diagram of a scene from The Last Emperor

Cinematography:Vittorio Storaro

Camera: Arriflex 35 BL

Lenses: Technovision Anamorphic

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Format: 35mm

Film Stock: Kodak Vision

The last emperor is a great example of fine cinematography, in which Storaro makes a perfect use of colour and its psychology reminding every photographer and cinematographer the importance of the effect of colour tones no matter how subtle it is. In the scene above, the orange colour was used: the emperor is a child and at that age life is colourful and vibrant, entirely spent with the family, all concepts strictly connected to the orange colour. The light (probably a filtered HMI) is diffused with smoke which adds mystery to the image making it more dramatic. The position of the light and the selective lighting on the emperor leaving  everything else in the shadows, obviously represents the divine blessing to the child as emperor.

Knowing Light. Lighting set-ups (IV)

Missed part III? read it  here.

Let's continue with more light set-ups.

Rim Lighting. If the Key light is placed behind the subject only the outline will be illuminated leaving the subject in shadow. It is used to create silhouettes and express a sense of mystery and intrigue in a very artistic way. You can choose to soften the effect by placing a Fill light or a reflector in font of the subject. Rim lighting is very often used in conjunctions with more lights because it helps to separate the subjects from the background and to highlight hair.

Back lighting. When the rim lighting is not that extreme we have a light set-up which is especially used for translucent objects like bottles and glasses. The key light is normally doubled: two lights of equal power are placed on both side of the subject. You can either choose to light directly the subject or bounce the light with a white background. In both cases you have to be careful with light spills: to prevent this you need to use flags and lens hood.

High key lighting. This set-up is characterized for very bright mid tones, intentionally blown highlights and very few shadows. The key light is positioned on one side of the subject at 45º, while the fill light in the opposite side at the same degree. The background has to be white and illuminated by two background lights of the same power.

All these lighting set-ups are really variations of the triangle set-up we seen in this post. These are the basis but you have to feel free to add or remove lights, change positions, directing the subject towards one light or another and move around: you'll see how light and its effects change by doing so. This is the best way of learning to master light: practise and experiment.

Knowing Light. Lighting set-ups (I) The basis.

Unlike natural light, artificial light can be controlled to our discretion in every way: direction, intensity, angle, colour... When in a studio, you have infinite options to light a subject; there are photographers who only light with one lamp, others use 6, 7, 8 different lamps. There's not really a rule to decide the number of light points to use: what is important is getting the illumination and shadows you wanted with a light setting you are comfortable working with. 

If you are getting started to studio light, it may help you to know that there are some basics lighting set-ups most of photographers work with. But before explaining them it is essential to know the types of light yon can employ in a studio.

Key light. It gives the direction of light and the level of luminance of the scene (it's the most powerful lamp lighting the scene).

Fill light. It is used to fill up the shadows and reduce contrast. It may fall all over the scene or just on a part of it. It can be replaced by a reflector bouncing the key light.

Rim light. It is positioned behind the subject pointed to the subject's back. It separates the subject from the background creating a halo around the subject's outline.

Background light. As it name suggests, it lights the whole background or some small parts of it we want to emphasize.  It can be also used for creating patterns of light on a Cyclorama. 

Hair light. Similar to rim light but positioned higher and pointed to the hair highlighting it.

Texture light. Positioned on one side of the subjects. It is a must in fashion photography  because it reveals texture and the nature of the material.

Colour light. A frontal light which helps with colour saturation.

Now that you know the basis you are ready for the following step: how to position them. So stay tuned for the next post!

How I did it. Outdoor black and white Fashion shooting

When we were preparing this fashion shooting, there was one thing my Art Director, Gemma, and I had clear in mind: contrast. So we decided to develop the entire shooting around it. Models, locations, dresses, attitude... everything should reveal the idea of contrast. Once again I chose a Medium Format analogue camera because, apart from being my favourite photographic format, it was the perfect combination with the idea we developed.

Tmaxx 400, ƒ11 t1/125

Two elegant ladies in the countryside, in a filthy and decaying place far from the town where they can freely love themselves in a less platonic way. It's around 1920, as the hair style suggests; the ladies could be an aristocratic woman and her servant... This is, briefly, the story we told trough the shooting. I wanted the images to remind the feel of that time, that's way I shot analogue and that's why I used black and white film.

I chose the film I am most comfortable with, Tmax 400 and a 80mm lens on a medium format camera to respect the naturalism of the whole idea. I used just two lights for the shooting; well, actually three lights if we count the light of the overcast day we had which played as ambient light.

The key light was positioned behind the models, at camera right: it was a naked flash so the light would have scattered all over the place imitating the sun. In front of the models, on camera left, I placed the fill light: a huge octagonal softbox 150cm wide which provided soft and diffused light wrapping the models and able to illuminate both of them. I placed it on one side because the shadows it produced on the blonde model's face were very suitable for her physiognomy.

I used a Y8 filter to whiten the blond model's skin and to accentuate the contrast of the scene. Even if I love grain, this time I controlled the agitation during the negative development because I looked for the fine grain the Tmax offers and played with the time of the process to enhance the contrast.

You can see the whole shooting in my web or in Stravagance Magazine.

How I did it. Artistic nude colour portrait. A light diagram

When I made this portrait I had in mind some Flemish paintings in which the light is just on the subject, leaving the surroundings in almost complete darkness creating a strong sense of mystery. I had no doubts on how to position lights, but the problem was that I wanted this portrait to look like a painting. With a digital camera I would have add some kind of texture in the editing. but how could I do it with a film camera?

Kodak Portra 400 f4 t1/250

The picture was taken on Kodak Portra 400 with a medium Format camera which was positioned in front of the model at her height. I chose a 80mm lens because I wanted the proportions to be as natural as possible. I used just a key light on the right side of the camera, almost at one side of the model and slightly tilted down. By this I would have manage to recreate the atmosphere I was looking for and, by using just one light, I also achieved the "sfumato" I was after.

I also added a background light: it's on the left side and pointing far away from the framed background so that just the fall-off would enter the picture. By that I added depth to the image, thus maintaining my sfumato. I corrected the background light with a blue filter  to add contrast with the orange tones of the model's skin.

To create the painting look I knew that using a shallow depth of field would have helped me. Shooting at f2.8 would have been a bit too much, so I set the aperture at f4. The 500w flash was at 1/4 of its power  and the shutter speed was at t1/250 but the exposure metering was not the one I wanted. 

I could have changed the shutter speed at t1/500 (I can do that with my camera without flash sync problems) but I would have only gained one stop: I needed more. So I used a 0,6 ND, a neutral density filter which stops down 2 diaphragms.

To add e sense of ethereal and help with the sfumato I left the model slightly out of focus (soft focus). But I need a certain texture and this time grains would not have been sufficient. I decided to do this with the development of the film. I used C-41 colour processing and I under developed the negative which made the blacks softer, added a particular grain structure which works really well as texture but also added some colour shift in the blacks which, after all, also helps to the purpose, don't you think so?

How I did it. Black and white artistic nude photography. A light diagram

Artistic nude photography is one of my favourite kind of photography and something I really enjoy taking on black and white film. Here is a picture I made some time ago and the diagram of lights I used.

TMax400 - f8 - t1/125

This picture was taken on a Kodak TMax 400 with a Medium Format camera. The model was quite small as well as the space. in order to enhance her height I used a 50mm lens (which is an angular lens in MF) and positioned the camera really close to her right knee and played with perspective. The position of the legs and the right arm helped to my purpose, conferring to the whole image a certain dynamism.

As you can see in the diagram below, I used a three point light setting. The Key Light was a 1000w flash with square softbox on camera right, slightly tilted down at 1/2 power. I flagged it to avoid light spells on the background.

On the left of the camera I put a 500w flash also with softbox, the Fill light, at 1/4 of the power and more distant from the model than the Key light in order to fill up the shadows on the legs but at the same time to achieve the contrast I wanted. It was also flagged to prevent the light to fall on the background and more areas of the body other than the legs.

I placed the Background light behind the model, at 1/2 the power and with a snoot, which created   the circle of light at her back.

I used a yellow filter Y8 to get a brighter skin tone and shot at f8 and t1/125.

I like film grain very much and normally I want them to gain presence in the print, so control it with agitation during the development of the negative.

The image was then scanned and went trough Photoshop only to place the watermark and to reduce it to web size.

Hope you enjoyed this post, now it's time to practise!