Natural Light Series

PROCESS

Natural Light Series

PHOTOGRAPHY

INTRODUCTION

I photographed my last wedding job in 2016. When I packed up my gear that day, I never would have imagined that I wouldn’t pick up a camera again for another 7 years. No, it would stay tucked into a corner of my room, an invisible dust-collector most days and yet a looming presence on others - a reminder of a long-forgotten love. What I have come to realize recently is that burnout does not have to be a permanent condition. Passion can come in waves - we can take breaks, come back with a clear head, and pick up where we left off. “Natural Light Series” is my first foray back into photography. Though my camera still feels somewhat foreign in my hands, I am slowly regaining my confidence in the medium and am looking forward to showing the world what it looks like through my eyes.

Ussery

LAUREN USSERY PHOTOGRAPHER Lauren

BEHIND THE SERIES

Prompt: You are being commissioned to create a small series of portraits using natural light. Your client is a magazine that will publish your portraits. Pay attention to details. The series must include 3 shots with variety. They should have an aesthetic cohesiveness that makes it clear that they are a series and have a relationship to each other.

This process book includes three sections (pre-production, production, and post-production) that takes the viewer through a step-by-step process of how this series came together. It first takes a look at an in-class lighting study where we learned classic lighting patterns and how to achieve them with natural light and a reflector. It then moves into the art direction research phase where we took a look at current and past trends in photography and focused on works that would inspire our final series. Pre-production also included location scouting and a final in-class exercise as practice for portrait variation.

Production took place in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. I was drawn to the quiet surroundings and beautiful views from the higher elevation. I originally scouted the locations at 10AM, but production ultimately took place at 2PM which proved challenging due to the harsh sunlight. I was able to offset many of the deep shadows with a reflector, but I am especially grateful to my models for keeping their eyes open despite the bright ambiance.

For the post-production phase I chose to convert most of the selected images into grayscale, which I felt gave the photos a better visual cohesiveness and gave me greater flexibility to adjust the values of the shadows. The grayscale also gives the series a nostalgic aesthetic that works with the timeless nature of the model’s clothing. The end result is a series that I can imagine as an ad campaign for denim jeans and casual apparel.

In-class exercise as a study on lighting patterns.

FIGURE:

1. Full sun

2. Split

3. Split short

4. Split broad

5. Split with bounce

6. Rembrandt

7. Rembrandt short

8. Rembrandt broad

9. Rembrandt with bounce

10. Backlight

11. Backlight with bounce

12. Full shade

13. Butterfly

14. Full shade with bounce

PHOTOGRAPHER :

DESCRIPTION : Lauren Ussery

MODEL:

Santorine Alarja

ASSISTANT: Gary Palacious

LIGHT

STUDY

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10. 11. LIGHT STUDY

12. 13. 14.

DESCRIPTION :

Figure 1: I am drawn to the warmth of this photograph, as well as its simplicity and elegance. The colors of the background compliment the model and their outfit well, and the grainy texture adds a nostalgic quality to the image. Info: Photograph of Kai Newman for Harper’s Bazaar, 2023.

PHOTOGRAPHER :

Philip Daniel Ducasse

www.philipdanielducasse.com

DESCRIPTION :

Figure 2: A simple, beautiful, and deeply intimate photograph. The Rembrandt lighting makes this look almost like a painting. Info: Photograph of Emilia Clarke for The New Yorker, 2019.

PHOTOGRAPHER :

Carlota Guerrero

www.carlotaguerrero.com

DESCRIPTION :

Figure 3: I’m inspired by how the black and white and high contrast emphasizes the form of the clothing, creating an image that feels abstract.

Info: Photograph of a model wearing a piece from Issey Miyake Fashion, New York, 1990.

PHOTOGRAPHER :

Irving Penn

www.irvingpenn.org

1.

RESEARCHING PHOTO TRENDS INSPIRATION

2. 3.

Location scout for natural light series

FIGURE:

1. Glassell Park building, 3PM

2. Mount Washington path, 2PM

3. Mount Washington home, 10AM

4. Highland Park porch, 2PM

5. Highland Park home, 5PM

6. Moon Canyon park, 2PM

7. Mount Washington trail, 11AM

DESCRIPTION : Lauren Ussery

PHOTOGRAPHER :

LOCATIONS

1. 2.

3. 4.

5.

LOCATIONS

7.

6.

In-class exercise as practice for portrait variation. Two people plant their two feet in one spot, four feet apart, and create 5 distinct portraits out of at least 100 frames. Two of the five photographs are featured here.

PHOTOGRAPHER :