Capture a vintage noir-style image with a single light
Challenge 1 Alistair Campbell
Having made the trip to our location, a beautiful 19th-century Grade 2 listed country house near Knowle in the West Midlands, we began our day with a briefing from event producers The Creative Hub. Its team had sourced six models to be photographed in different rooms of the house, each possessing a distinct theme.
First up, a PeakyBlinders vibe in the library with Hamish Scott. Decked out in his suit, Hamish certainly looked the part. Alistair said he often shoots with just a single light, so began the day in his element, quickly setting up his camera to fire a test shot and get a rapport with the model from the off.
“I’ve never shot photography with continuous lighting before,” said Alistair. “I used to use it for filming video, but the constant changing of gel filters held on with clothes pegs became tedious. Back then, the lights would also get really hot, so I didn’t like using them. Being able to shoot today without having a wireless trigger stuck to the top of my camera was a welcome change, as they usually bash me in the head all day! I really enjoy using a single light – for me, photography is as much about the dark areas in an image as it is about light ones.” Expert opinion
A great start to the day’s shooting by Alistair. He has positioned and directed Hamish well, and the telltale triangle on Hamish’s cheek is a fitting application of the Rembrandt lighting technique.