Highlights and Sidelights

Recently I was on a film set with a few friends, and of course, I brought my best friend along with me (not Annie... although she was there too). My camera! Hence this shot. The light source, seen just off the left of the frame, was a large and powerful standing light used to light the walls and background from above (the shooting was going on down the stairs). These two fine folks just happened to be perched upon the steps, waiting for a "go," when I snapped this photo. In this case, this light acts as a sidelight in relation to them. It highlights half of their features in a crisp and cool light, as opposed to a soft glow that might be achieved by a less intense light. As you've probably picked up from my other blogs, I'm partial to contrasty lighting, and this is no exception. The way their right sides are outlined by this white light is stunning to me, and while the exposure of the photo is a bit high, this highlighting still acts to separate them from the background. On the other hand, their left sides are mostly in shadow, again playing into the contrast lighting that I'm so fond of.