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minus 2/3: The Invisable Flash: Crafting Light for Photographers in the Field by Gerd Ludwig

Obregon Obregon

Is from: Southold, US
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Tue 17-Jan-17 03:37 AM | edited Tue 17-Jan-17 03:43 AM by Obregon
This is a lovely portfolio of the images of a great National Geographic photographer tied together by use of a common tool, small electronic flashes. It can also serve as a supplementary instruction manual for photographers interested in exploiting such flashes.

The common theme in these photographs is the use of through-the-lens flash at a reduced power to fill in the dark spots in a photograph. I suspect that most of these images were originally organized in National Geographic to tell single stories, like the aftermath of the meltdown of the Chernobyl reactor or the operation of food trucks in Los Angeles. Yet the photographs seem to be deliberately presented in random order with minimal commentary as to the subject matter to force us to confront the individual image.

The layout of the book presents a full page photograph on the left side of the gutter with a brief caption on the right, followed by an equally brief discussion of the use of the flash in the photograph (like "my assistant pointed a dialed down flash toward...the subject's...face, which opened up his features..."). At the bottom of the page are a series of symbols that tell the reader if the flash was aimed directly or bounced, the color of a gel used, the power setting and so forth.

Ludwig grabbed my attention with the very first photograph, an image of Vladimir Putin, in the midst of a crowd of guests and bodyguards at a reception. Putin's face has a slightly brighter tonality then others, and unlike the others stares directly at the camera with a look of disdain. Even though he appears to be shorter than any of the other people in the frame, it is obvious that this is the center of power in the room.

Selecting another image at random, there is the picture of the backs of a male and female-tattooed swimmer couple in bathing suits at Wannsee, a beach on the river in Berlin. The man's right arm is casually draped around the back of the woman with his hand on her right hip. The two figures have been illuminated with a flash on a low setting, yet they are brighter than the beach we see beyond them. I'm not certain what story is told here, but the photograph is arresting.

In other scenes, Ludwig photographs a distant illuminated building at night, but has painted the foreground with just enough light so that we can distinguish, say, bushes, but not really see the individual leaves. This illumination by flash (or strobe, as the photographer often calls it) is so subtle that we barely notice the foreground, and yet it contributes to the sense of wildness of the place.

One might think that a documentary photographer would try to illuminate a subject evenly so that the light would appear something like the way our eyes see, although, because the extended range of the eye is greater than any photographic image, that is extremely difficult. However, Ludwig carries things a step further by shining a spotlight where he wants to direct attention, although a barely noticeable one. A similar effect can be achieved in post processing, but never one that blends so neatly with the rest of the image.

Those looking for instruction in the use of flash had better understand how such equipment works and how it can be used, to derive benefit from Ludwig's technique. Then they will be able to understand how to shine a spotlight to reveal their vision, without really seeming to do so.

G