This week you will see a lot of me. My normal assistant models were unavailable, but my lighting tests need to continue. Which just leaves me. That stated, just looking over the unprocessed photos I am happy with what I see so far. And once again, it’s always good to be your own subject. It not only gives you a better understanding of what people in front of your camera feel like, it also helps you connected your side of the camera with their side of the camera, which only will improve your end results.
By the way, when I do most of these tests, I am not usually just pulling them out of a hat at random. I have a specific aspect of my photography work that I am trying to improve, and I test these setups to see if I can use them in some way in my regular photography work. Furthermore, lighting should be treated like a brush and there are numerous ways you can paint with it – assuming you know how to use those numerous ways to do so. The more I practice, the better I can use light, which is why I always encourage light tests and experiments. The better you know light, the better you can utilize it in your photography.
Anyway, for these photos, I was utilizing my two Alien Bee photography strobes. I had one in front of my just to my right with an octagon softbox and aiming it down at me at a slight angle. The other strobe was equipped with a beauty dish and back to my left aimed down at a slight angle to me.