Robert Frank at the Walter Reade Theater

Photographer Robert Frank entering a screening of  "Pull My Daisy," a film he co-directed with Alfred Leslie in 1959, The event took place at the Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center, NYC, Thursday, May 15, 2008.

Photo by David Rapoport.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 14

I am interested in doing a series of images of people that are site specific. I am using a Sunpak ring light on my Canon EOS 30D. The camera is low, and is looking up at the subject. I am shooting at different times of day, and also at night. Exposures are balanced by trial and error. Distance from camera to subject plays a large part in the quality of the fill. It also affects the balance of flash and ambient light.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 13

I wanted to balance a dusk, approaching dark sky with artificial light, in this case, ring light. The challenge was to adequately light the subjects and balance that light with the other lights in the shot. The intention is to capture a fleeting moment and create the feeling of movement.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 12

I wanted to do a photograph on location with an unlikely subject and reactions from others in the shot. The shot was taken in little India with a Canon EOS 5D and a Speedlight 580EX on camera. I used what ever I could as reflective material. In this case it was the front of the awning behind me. Flash setting was ETTL and the camera setting was Aperture priority.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 11

I was learning how to balance ambient light and strobe with a Sunpak DX 12A ring light. In this image, I worked with the strobe, overcast daylight (approaching dusk), and tungsten light (the light inside the store). It was taken on the fly, in the street.

The second photograph was taken a few weeks earlier. I wanted to demonstrate the ring light in studio. 

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 10

I think this is one of the most sophisticated still life photos I have ever taken. It is of a from a Puja ceremony. It required me to see the light and anticipate what it would do to the specular highlights and the reflections that are visible. The 580EX light was pointed forward and up. What was lit there was reflected in the turntable. The flash also revealed detail in the fruit, as well as its shadow.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 9

I wanted to try doing a nude study in the SVA studio. I used a translucent background and shined reflected light from a strobe through it. In front I have a strobe slightly off camera and in front of it. I attempted to understand strobes and balancing the light in this way.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 8

I wanted to try film. I shot this image virtually in the dark. The main light is a flash light with diffusion and a snoot. I wanted to balance the main light and the night ambient light coming through the window.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 7

Another photograph in the Chelsea Hotel lobby. I tried this Q-flash through a white sheet on a friend. Once it was set up, Robert Lambert (who lives and works in the  Chelsea Hotel), artist step in with another subject and got the shot. They only allowed me two exposures.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 6

This was my first serious attempt to use off-camera portable lighting on location. I was able to get access to the Chelsea Hotel lobby for this shot. The subject is sitting in a telephone booth and a Canon 580EX flash is pointed at him through the glass partition that separates the two stalls. The light had to be set up in a way to get the optimal effect.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 5

In this improved version of the Man Ray photograph, the subject has more separation from the background, due to an adjustment of the direction and position of the beauty dish and the color of the seamless backdrop is thunder gray instead of black.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 4

I attempted to imitate another Man Ray photograph of Kiki de Montparnasse. I used a beauty dish feathered off of the subject and background to light the subject evenly but a little bit dramatically. Also, I directed the beauty dish off of the background.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 3

The improved version of this Man Ray photo offers a darker, more textured background. It also has better image quality.

The Mystery of Light, Prof. Chris Callis: Week 2

My intention was to imitate this Man Ray photograph using modern artificial lighting. For this image, I utilized a beauty dish and a plain white seamless background.