The second photo I shot for the editorial assignment mentioned two days ago was of an engineer demonstrating how a portion of the temperature sensor systems were manufactured. It was a perfect complementary image to the closeup of tweezers grasping on of the minuscule temperature sensors.
The lighting is similar. One light, an SB800, is placed at right slightly behind the apparatus. This strobe will rim light it and put a strong light on the engineer’s face. A second SB800 at far left and slightly behind the engineer make a hair light to separate him from the background and to cross light the apparatus.
The third light, a Vivitar 283, was set 180 degrees of the angle of the strobe at right creating a slight cross light where they struck the same object. The strobe at right was just a little higher.
Posing the engineer so only one eye peeked around the apparatus created an unusual composition that balanced out the size and shape of the numbered rotor he’s attaching wires to. The symmetry of his hands frames the horizontal edges of the photo keeping your eye at the center.
I failed to flag the strobe at right so more light than I wanted fell on the background at top right.
This was one of two photos I could set up and light within the short period of time I had between arriving and the lunch plans of the office. Not unusual for a news photo assignment time.
