THE INITIAL SHOOT - PORTRAITS

Knowing that lighting was going to be a strong factor in how the triptych turns out, I used two models to practice the old masters' painting technique, chiascuro, and conducted a breif initial shoot to get better acquainted with the kit again. It quickly became apparent that warmer lighting would be more appropriate as I'm insinuating that the scene for the main image will be lit by candle light. The accidentally dark image was successful because much less information is captured, perhaps, this type of lighting could work for background props and secondary crowd characters who have less importance. Positioning wise, it is better when the models do not look directly into the camera and I prefer when the shadow is on the side of the face closer to the camera - it is more jarring, more menacing and above all more interesting. Furthermore, I forgot about the angle I was shooting from in relation to the subject. I need to remember to stay in line with, or slightly below the model rather than above to ensure they assert dominance over the viewers.