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Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
MINIMALIST LIGHTING
P r o f e s s i o n a l Te c h n i q u e s f o r
L o c a t i o n P h o t o g r a p h y
KIRKTUCK
AmherstMedia
®
PUBLISHER OF PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
DEDICATION
It’s so much fun to be able to dedicate something. Of course, the dedication has to be to my wife, partner, critic, and
the queen of calm, Belinda. Without her, nothing would ever get done. If everyone had a partner like her, there
would be no war, no hunger, and lots of great art in the world. She and our son Benjamin are the constant source of
light in my world.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’ve been blessed to work with some of the most talented advertising and design professionals in the world during
my career, but few have been as helpful to me personally and as instrumental in my growth as an artist than my friends,
Mike Hicks and Greg Barton. They’ve guided me in both business and visual growth.
I must also acknowledge the work of writer/photographer David Hobby. His Strobist web site provided the gen-
esis for this work. He is a gifted person and quite the futurist where our profession is concerned. One day I hope to
meet him in person.
Any business acumen I have at all is the result of my long friendship with Deborah Kobelan. She is the last word
on business, negotiation, and workplace ethics, and I value her judgment above all others.
Copyright © 2008 by Kirk Tuck.
All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.
All rights reserved.
Published by:
Amherst Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 586
Buffalo, N.Y. 14226
Fax: 716-874-4508
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher: Craig Alesse
Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins
Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt
Editorial Assistants: Carey Maines, John S. Loder
ISBN-13: 978-1-58428-230-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007926862
Printed in Korea.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechani-
cal, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.
Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opinions. The au-
thor and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.
CONTENTS
About the Author
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
The Heroes: The Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
How to Choose the Right System . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Whoa! Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Turn on the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Untethered Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
The Optical Illusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Tethered to the Camera of Your Choice . . . . . . . . . .39
Mix and Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Hauling Around the Photon Generators:
From Caravan to Carry-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Getting Your Lights to Stay
Where You Need Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Hold Still Right There! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Going Beyond The Light Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Heavy-Duty Clamp Champ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
The Ultimate Portable Light Stand? . . . . . . . . . .48
Two Final Vital Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Gaffer’s Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Color Correction Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
PREFACE
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
INTRODUCTION
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Why Go Minimalist? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
The Basic Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
A Worst-Case Scenario with
the “Old School” Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Going on an Equipment Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Who Benefits from Minimalist Lighting? . . . . . . . . .10
Breaking Old Habits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
1. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHIC LIGHTING
. . .12
Early Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The Early 20th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The Late 20th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The Digital Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Why Does Minimalist Lighting Work So Well? . . . . .14
Changing Photographic Styles
are Accelerating the Move
to Minimalist Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
4. THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
HITS THE ROAD
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Modifying the Photons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
The Bounce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
All Strung Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Smooth as Silk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Singing in the Rain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
The Hard Facts About Softboxes . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Critical Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
The Simplest Use of Minimal Lighting . . . . . . . . . . .63
The Next Step: Separation Anxiety . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Double Your Pleasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
The Third Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
2. EMBRACING THE PORTABLE APPROACH
. . . . . . . . . .17
Almost Everything You
Need to Know About Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Intensity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Hard and Soft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
3. PUTTING TOGETHER THE RIGHT STUFF
. . . . . . . . . .26
The Right Equipment to Shoot
Just About Anything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
Lighting in Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Designing the Light is Your Main Job—
Everything Else is Just Human Interaction . . .67
Take it Outside! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Practical Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Lighting a Group in a Conference Room . . . . . .73
Shooting in Rugged or Messy Conditions . . . . . .73
High-Magnification Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
Energy Sources: Batteries and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . .76
Alkaline Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Rechargeable Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
External Power Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Cheating: Blending the Minimalist Approach
with Higher Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
The Most Valuable Non-Light Tool
for Creating Flawless Photographs . . . . . . . . .84
Using Nikon SB-600s and 800s
in the Remote Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Case Study 7: Jessica Ortiz-Perez,
Owner of Austin Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Case Study 8: Roger Brown, Abbott Spine . . . . . . .102
Case Study 9: Swim Meet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Case Study 10: Missy Ruthven, Triathlete . . . . . . .106
Case Study 11: Dave Brown,
Vice President of Dell, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Case Study 12: Paul Froutan
for
Accelerate
Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Case Study 13: Project Breakthrough . . . . . . . . . . .114
Case Study 14: Superheroes for Periscope . . . . . . .116
6. THE WRAP-UP
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Resources
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Index
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
5. MINIMALIST LIGHTING CASE STUDIES
. . . . . . . . . .88
Case Study 1: Kevin Rollins, CEO of Dell, Inc. . . . .88
Case Study 2: Pat Palta, AMD Employee . . . . . . . . .90
Case Study 3: Valerie Kane, AMD Employee . . . . . .92
Case Study 4: Dr. Elizabeth Moorehead,
Radiologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Case Study 5: Ribs and Slaw,
Tribeza
Magazine . . . .94
Case Study 6: Asti Trattoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kirk Tuck attended the University of Texas where he dabbled in electrical engineering and English literature before
accepting a position as a specialist lecturer teaching photography in the University of Texas College of Fine Arts.
Soon, he was lured into the world of advertising photography and served for seven years as the creative director for
Avanti Advertising and Design, where he won awards for radio, television, and print campaigns. In the 1980s, he de-
cided to become a freelance photographer, a career he has
enjoyed ever since. Kirk’s clients include IBM, Tivoli Sys-
tems, Dell Computer, Motorola, AMD, Freescale Semi-
conductor,
Elle
magazine,
Private Clubs
magazine, Time
Warner, Pharmaco, PPD, JSR, The Arts Council of Texas,
Southwest Water Company, Adventure Tours, and many
advertising agencies. He resides in Austin, TX.
Taken during lighting tests for an advertising shoot at the Austin Lyric Opera.
Suave and debonair, the author nevertheless forgot to shave and so ruined
what could have been a perfect shot (humor intended). Photo by Kirk Tuck.
4
MINIMALIST LIGHTING
PREFACE
from the position I knew best, that of a working
professional with twenty some years of experience in
lighting and shooting. My big struggle was to get rid of
the preconceived notions about lighting equipment I car-
ried around and to refocus on the idea that I could get
more with less.
I realize that many readers might be new to photog-
raphy and have none of these prejudices. If that is you,
then I hope you are interested in reading about the steps
of my conversion to a minimalist style in order to under-
stand the way photography has evolved. You needn’t have
the experience of working with last-generation studio
flash equipment to get a lot out of the concepts we’ll
cover in the book. In fact, I envy you if you are coming
to photography in general, and lighting specifically, with
a clean slate. That means you won’t have to unlearn bad
habits. You won’t find yourself hampered by the tyranny
of too many choices, and you’ll be able to work on de-
veloping a style that works well for you.
I have many friends and acquaintances who have taken
up professional or semiprofessional photography recently
because of the new wave of digital SLRs, which are both
powerful and inexpensive. Many are starting businesses
as portrait photographers and wedding photographers,
and they’ve approached me frequently looking for advice
that will make their images better and more salable. Many
are finding that brides and moms are getting more and
more demanding about the way photos look and are
pushing new photographers to learn how to light beyond
just sticking a flash on the camera. This book is really
aimed at them and all photographers who want to get
great results from lighting without a huge hit to their wal-
lets and without too much complexity and encumbrance.
Photography is one of the most popular hobbies in
the world. Tens of millions of cameras are sold each year.
Paying more attention to lighting is a way to rise above
the routine and do something special. The challenge is
the fun!
PREFACE
5
W
hen I sat down to write this book I was working
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