Reflected Light

 
In the first class of the spring semester, IPC Visual Lab instructor CW Griffin challenged us to manipulate natural light before we started thinking about picking up strobes. For our first homework assignment, we had to find a surface that would reflect light, then use that surface to create a portrait in which the subjects were lit by light through a window and backlit by light through a window. 
 

The kids' easel in my brother's home had one side that was plain white, and standing next to a window, it reflected light even on a cloudy, rainy day. I had my brother sit with the window lighting the left side of his face, then I had him sit as close to the easel as possible so that the white surface lit up the right side of his face. I also had the children stand facing the easel, with their backs to the window, so that the white surface illuminated their little faces. The results   were softly lit portraits of people I love.

I found another reflective surface - one of my brother's computer screens. In a darkened room, from less than 2 feet away, the screen lit up my brother's face as much as a strobe. The result was a dramatically lit headshot that uniquely utilizes the tools my brother and I use the most - a computer and a camera.

Editor's Note:  Ms. Jennifer Kay is finding light in unusual places by utilizing reflective materials and
unorthodox light sources.  Hence, she creates a natural feel and ambiance when she takes advantage of all the light that is available without over powering her subjects.