Eric Hamilton – Celebrity / DJ / Nightlife Photographer

Archive for December, 2009

We interviewed DJ Skeet Skeet for some upcoming blog features while he was in Park City December 12. When we got to the hotel, a photographer from Skullcandy was already there setting up lighting for some lifestyle shots. (Skullcandy sponsors Skeet Skeet.) She was clearly planning environmental lifestyle shots (using ceiling bounce with diffuser and a bounce hood), so I went another direction and kept the focus on Skeet, rather than the environment.

Isolating your subject

• Look for sparse backdrops – not an easy thing to do in a cozy hotel room, but if you crop tight and plan the camera angle carefully, you can create isolating backgrounds almost anywhere.
• Light your subject and the background from opposite sides – In these shots, I lit Skeet Skeet and the background in reverse – that is, Skeet Skeet is lit from the left, and the background is lit from the right. This technique serves to distance the subject from the background and emphasize separation.
• Exploit background contrasts – In the top image, there is a black curtain that serves to split the background into two halves – light and dark. I placed the dividing line behind Skeet Skeet so that he would contrast with the background on both sides. Light on the dark background, and shadow on the bright background.
• Light your subject from behind – Light is bouncing off the background, creating glancing highlights on Skeet Skeet’s face, camera right. This technique is particularly important when the subject of your portrait has dark skin – which is more likely to vanish into a dark background.
• Use background elements to frame your subject – Mirrors, picture frames, windows, doorways, corners, you name it. Anywhere there are lines in the background, there is an opportunity to frame your subject with them.
• Create depth with shallow DoF – In the bottom image, there are four distinct levels of clarity visible in the shot. Skeet Skeet is in focus, the chandelier is just out of focus, the lamp is blurry, and the mirror almost looks like a watercolor smudge. The contrast between blurry and sharp is one of the most important clues your brain uses to determine the important part of the image. To achieve this effect, open your aperture wide, use a long focal length, get close to your subject, and create physical distance between your subject and the background.

Strobist Info: SB-600 bounced off umbrella camera left, SB-600 bounced from background camera right (creating right side highlights and background separation).

Check out the full set: