Rangefinder Magazine
February 2005

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Your Adventure in Classics by Monte Zucker

Reminiscent of 1940s Hollywood glamour: 2/3 facial angle helps create chiseled look. I created the spotlight by wrapping a Rangefinder magazine around flash tube and directing it onto her face. Fill light kept shadows from going black.

A lot has been said about new trends in photography. I’m not quite certain, however, that these are much more than trends. I wonder where the future lies for today’s photographers who ignore good photographic principles. It seems to me that with a little more knowledge in classic portraiture today’s photographers could be creating much greater and more lasting results.

I’m not suggesting that photographers go back to “formal” portraiture. What I’m hoping is that today’s photographers will learn better technique that will take them beyond the trends. With proven technique behind their creativity, their images can take on a character of their own and would have a tremendous lasting value for their clients.

	Harley bike rider was posed inside barn, split lighting his face with light through the open barn doors. I positioned a reflector (camera-right) as the main light, wrapping light around to the right side of his face.

So much can be gained by learning how to do a proper facial analysis, how to position the body to the lens, where to place the eyes in a close-up picture, how to make the subject the most important part of the picture, and how to make light work for you. Rules have been formulated to help photographers be creative—not to hold them back. Knowing the formal rules can only make you a better photographer, whether you choose to employ them or not.

Facial Analysis
The facial analysis can change the way you look at people when you’re about to photograph them. The first thing I look at is the shape of the face. Most faces look best when the camera sees the 2/3 view of the face—that is, when the face is turned to the point where the lens sees both eyes, the far eye going almost to the edge of the face. The tip of the nose does not cross out into the background or even get close to the edge of the face. This angle slims wide faces and shows bone structure at its best.

Bride with flower girls lit completely by window light. Translucent panels softened the strong light coming through a bank of windows to camera left.

The next thing I look at is the styling of the person’s hair. I usually try to photograph into the fuller, prettier side of the hair. The eyes are sometimes a consideration. Often, a person has one eye that is smaller than the other. Believe it or not, you can often make them look more even when you turn the smaller eye away from the camera. When you do that you’re looking into the wider part of the eye. With the larger eye towards the camera, you’re looking into the more narrow side of that eye.

	Couple posed to get late afternoon sun lighting the left side of her face. Quantum flash equal to ambient light positioned at a 45° angle to the camera wrapped the light around. Notice exact full face and profile. Both bodies were positioned at a 45° angle to the camera. When flash was added to the picture, the sky darkened down for greater detail in background.

When a nose has a bump or curve, if you light that side of the nose and keep the straighter side of the nose against the shadow you’ll tend to make the nose appear straighter. All of these great ideas take only seconds to process in your mind when you’re posing someone.

Fundamental Training
In every profession people who are truly successful at “breaking away” are those who have previously gained a full spectrum of knowledge of related disciplines. A great jazz musician, for example, more than likely practiced scales ad infinitum before attaining success.

I studied classic posing and lighting from Joe Zeltsman, an acknowledged top portrait teacher of our time. I spent over 10 years learning the principles upon which he based his photography. Yet, my style of portraiture does not look at all like his. His work and mine are both a reflection of our characters and lifestyles. Look at his work, and look at mine. You know who and what we are by the images we produce.

Simple 2/3 angle of her face: She’s leaning forward onto the back of a chair, head tilted perpendicularly to the slant of her shoulders. This is just an ordinary basic pose—equally good for both men and women!

Zeltsman’s portraits are more formal. Mine are more casual. Zeltsman did almost all of his portraits in the studio, where he had total control of everything. I love the excitement of going on location and shooting wherever the backgrounds are best. Zeltsman often posed his family portraits with the parents on both ends of the group, their children between them. My family portraits begin with the parents, leaning in towards each other, and the children sort of attaching themselves to their parents. Neither way is right or wrong; it’s merely a matter of the visual statement you’re making. Being an emotionally open person, I try to create a similar feeling with my subjects.

Your Personal Signature
Good photographic technique is not always apparent. Poor technique is! Consistency is the name of the game. Those who constantly create winning images have probably developed a technique based on proven principles that work all the time. Ask the top photographers how they developed their styles. It may surprise you. You might also ask those same photographers how successful they are in business. The truly successful photographers will tell you which images sell best, how they sell them, and where and how they found their market.

	Cross-lighting was necessary to bring out the detail in the faces of this family. See how ambient light from both sides comes across their faces to create smooth elegant highlights. Notice too how everyone is leaning in towards the center—they

If you’re in the business of photography for the long haul, my advice is to produce a product that has your unique signature built into it. When a prospective client is looking for a photographer, they’re usually looking for something more than just price. They’re looking for value.

Right: Posing hands is almost a lost art. In this vintage portrait from 20+ years ago, I had the man roll his hand slightly so that it is at an angle. Lighting shows form and dimension and the cuff should be visible to provide normal perspective.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Wouldn’t you agree… sometimes you’re better off spending a little more than you had planned, instead of a little less than you should!” Then, after a pause, you have to back it up with what makes your work stand out from the competition’s. An educated client is your competition’s worst enemy.

The greatest photographic adventure of your life awaits you when you begin to discover how principles of the past can apply to what you’re doing today.

All in all my principle rule applies: If you like the way it looks, take the picture. You don’t have to be a portrait judge to know when something looks good. You simply have to develop good taste through learning the basic principles of good composition and lighting.

Internationally renowned photographer Monte Zucker will be teaching a class at WPPI 2005 called “Adventure in Classics” on Tuesday, March 22, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. He will also doing the second annual print critique along with Patrick Rice on Sunday, March 20, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.