The many faces of a lighting class

During the summer, Anthony and I took a portrait lighting class at the Chicago Photography Center. Every Monday after work we'd hop on the train, down a lot of coffee, and attend a lesson. Then we would come back later in the week on our own and reproduce what we had learned using each other as subjects.

We quickly learned that there is a method to photographing the person you spend most of your time with and that method involves sarcasm and a lot of patience. Every independent session would go a little something like this:

Me: Okay, I think everything is plugg- oh wait. Crap! Hang on while I....okaySMILE!

A: Okay, look over my left shoulder...no, MY left....no...the other left...the opposite of what you are doing. Stop smiling!

Me: Okay, look like you are pontificating something. No, more pontification. Okay! Now hold that while I adjust (mumble mumble mumble while adjusting something) hey, you moved! Go back to how you were...no that's not it...no, smile a little more...now a little less...now a little...clickclicklclick!

Me: Look what I found! It's a hat! Will you put this on pleasepleaseplease?

A: No.

Me: What if I do this? (bats eyelashes)


A: You look like you have something in your eye. (thinking: that hat has probably been worn by fifty people. At least one of those people had lice).

Me: I promise this will look cool!

(bargaining continues for another ten minutes and after I have promised to do all sorts of household chores from now until eternity...)

A: (exhausted) okay. fine. give me the *^*&% hat.

Me: clicketyclicketyclickclickclick!

A: put the hat on

Me: (thinking: that hat has probably been worn by fifty people. At least one of those people had lice). grumblemumblegrumblemumble...okay fine.

Me: Pleeeease smile?!

A: I'm hot. I don't want to smile

Me: But you look so nice when you smile

A: NOOOOOOO (thinking: I have reached my maximum number of smiles today. It is freaking hot in this non air conditioned studio. My soul is sad. Also I am hungry.)

Me: (starvation and heat stroke have set in. I am no longer in my right mind) Look at this weird face I can make!

A: clickclickclickclickclick!


Me: Wait...did you seriously just take a picture of that? For real?

A: Duh.

Me: You need to delete that. LIKE RIGHT NOW.

A: Um, yeah. Not a chance. This is definitely going on the Monday assignment presentation.

Me: (inner velociraptor cries out in pain and sadness)

Me: Act like you're laughing

A: (defeated) ha. ha............. ha. *sigh*

All in all, we did learn a lot. I wanted to feel more comfortable around studio lighting and the homework sessions definitely helped. Now I'd like to get started with a few lights of my own so that I'm not in danger of forgetting what I learned.

It was a fun summer :)