best natural light portraitists?

wclark5179

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Thanks Matt.

Here is a link to Montes mentor:

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Don't panic when you see how old the photographs are, taken during the 1970's when, well, you look at them and try not to laugh too much!

At any rate, the gentleman Joe Zeltsman was Monte Zuckers mentor. He passed away just a short time ago and it's been over two years since Monte left us.

One time when I was visiting with Monte he said, when he was first starting out, his wife complained on how much time he would spend with Joe. She even told Monte that he would be a cheap copy of Joe. Monte responded, "I may become a copy of Joe but I won't be cheap!"
 

2F/2F

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How can I really answer this question? Why natural light only? Portraits are portraits, regardless of whether the light is the sun or an electric light, and light is light. "Natural light portraits" is such a meaningless technical category. Why make that technical distinction between one source of lighting and another, as opposed to a conceptual one? Talk about meaningless...this is like asking who the masters of telephoto portraiture are, or who the masters of overcast portraiture are. I will tell you that anyone whose portraiture is best described in one short phrase by a technical term is nobody who is worth talking about. Now, "natural portraits" I could understand...
 

keithwms

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2F/2F said:
How can I really answer this question? Why natural light only? Portraits are portraits, regardless of whether the light is the sun or an electric light, and light is light.
Click to expand...

Natural, available light is [usually] different in character. Of course, it is possible for artificial light to approach the qualities of natural light, but even then, one has to wonder if it is even possible to photograph a portrait subject in the same disposition when artificial light is used. People simply feel a lot more comfortable and 'natural' when they don't have big softboxes or flashes or whatever aimed at them.
 

TheFlyingCamera

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wclark5179 said:
My friend, coach and mentor, Monte Zucker:

http://images.google.com/images?cli...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCoQsAQwAw

Here is the basis of his portraiture:

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Click to expand...

While Monte was a very successful portrait and wedding photographer, and he often shot on location, I sincerely doubt that during his professional career he shot much without at least a fill-flash, if not an entire array of reflectors, off-camera strobes, and other light modifiers manipulating the ambient light. I can't recall any of his articles for Shutterbug, or any of his books, where he discussed a setup without any artificial light source included.
 

wclark5179

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Scott,

I knew Monte quite well and though he would use reflectors as well as devices to subtract light he, in fact, made many portraits with natural light. Matter of fact he would look for natural controlled light. Do you have "How'd He Do Dat," where Monte used natural light for many of the portraits made on the CD?

I worked with Monte and knew him better than those who only read his articles in Shutterbug and other publications.

Here is a link to some of his ideas on lighting patterns:

Studio setups or outdoors with natural light the patterns are the same. By the way my wife is in a photo in this series:

http://www.montezucker.com/content.html?page=7

Quote by Monte:

"Notice anything different about the light pattern on Toby’s face here? Of course not! It’s one and the same! All natural light."


At any rate, thanks for your comments.
 
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df cardwell

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Nic's smile is all the fill light anybody needs.
 

benjiboy

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My favourite portrait light is north light coming through a window,and a big reflector to fill the shadows.
 

vics

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C heck out Irving Penn's "Worlds in a Small Room." North light studio, mostly a tent he designed for the purpose. Rollei TLR, Tri-X.
 

ParkerSmithPhoto

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Wow, this whole thread and not one mention of Avedon? All of his American West portraits are available light, open shade photography, with the exception of a couple coal miner portraits that look like he added a beauty dish to open up their coal-black faces.

Check out Laura Wilson's book on working with Avedon for this project.
 

ParkerSmithPhoto

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wclark5179 said:
I knew Monte quite well and though he would use reflectors as well as devices to subtract light he, in fact, made many portraits with natural light. Matter of fact he would look for natural controlled light.
Click to expand...

I had a chance to sit down with Monte at Imaging USA shortly before he died. He looked at my portfolio and was not very complimentary!! That was the same year one of my dog portraits went into the PPA Loan Collection and another image was merited! Everyone has their tastes.

He seemed like a swell guy, and his impact on portraiture was obviously huge. I try to use classical structures in my work, though it appears much more spontaneous. The trend now of DSLR, on location, available light portraiture is breeding thousands of people who just don't know shiite about portrait photography.
 
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