The Importance of Lighting

I’ve always been drawn to photography as a storytelling medium and the more I have immersed myself in this industry the more I have been fascinated by those photographers who really craft a story within their work.

These image makers have variety of tools at their disposal to use in constructing the story they want to tell. There is the camera side of things; the relationship between f-stop and shutter speed, composition and framing, the subject and the relationship the photographer builds with this subject. These are all really important but for me one of the greatest tools available to a photographer is lighting. Great lighting can really elevate an image, highlight what the image makers wants to say and transform the photograph from mere documentation to a crafted piece of art.

For me there are a few stand out contemporary photographers whose skill and use of light just blows me away.

Gregory Crewdson - The master of lighting, of building an image, constructing a story. With an obvious influence from the painter Edward Hopper he creates cinematic and often surreal images of small-town America. He uses huge crews to create his images and the behind the scenes look more like a motion picture set than a photo shoot.

Annie Leibovitz - Arguably the greatest portrait photographer of our time, using flash lighting and complex sets on location to produce beautifully engaging and intimate photographs. She has shot everyone from Keith Richards to the Queen. 

Dan Winters - mainly working in the studio Dan creates hyper realistic images of some of the world most well know faces. Dan’s simple sets and outstanding lighting really focus’s the view on the subject create unbelievably intense imagery.

As camera technology makes photography more and more accessible and we become increasingly bombarded with imagery, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to truly focus on the one thing many photographers often overlook... the undeniable power of light.