Week 2: Light and Character

The two photographs above are completely unedited. They were taken in the same location, with the same internal color settings and even similar exposures on my camera. Pretty much the ONLY different between the two frames is that they were taken about 20 minutes apart. 

A couple of weeks ago I had an evening shoot in Costa Mesa with the lovely young model pictured above. I was going for "edgy"urban shots- hence the dramatic makeup and her leather jacket. As we were shooting the sun began to set, and we were soon surprised by a stunning hot pink sky. As I reviewed the photographs later, I noticed a gradual but very prominent shift in the series of photographs. 

There are a few things happening here that I noticed as I began to compare them. 

In frame 1, the model is primarily front lit in very diffused, low light. The lighting is soft but cool toned, and the most saturated point is on her face. You can see her features quite clearly, and her face is brighter than the background. 
In frame 2, the model is washed with warm pink light. The entire scene is equally colorful and she is somewhat backlit from the bright sky behind her, causing her hair to glow a bit. Her cheek and brow bones are a bit washed over, as I'm loosing highlight and shadow but gaining this glow around the perimeter of the subject. 

Technical analysis aside- what amazed me about the comparison was HOW DIFFERENT the model seems in the two different lights. She's in the same place, same outfit, with nearly the same expression, and yet she seems like a completely different character. The first frame represents a knowing character, someone sharp and perhaps a bit jaded- a tough but appealing woman. The second frame to me displays a far softer character, a lovely and much more innocent girl, in some kind of romantic, ethereal context. 

Can a simple and quick shift in angle, saturation and hue really determine how we see a character? It would seem so. The 20 minute natural shift in light completely transformed what I assumed to be a stationary, pre-planned "look" for my shoot into something completely unexpected. This makes me contemplate the the importance of stage lighting in terms of the other design elements. If I put a character in an edgy setting, with edgy costumes and makeup- but put her in absolutely gorgeous, romantic, pink and dreamy lighting- which elements are going to dominate the reflection of her character and the tone of the scene?  Certainly they are all important, but these snap shots seem to suggest that lighting plays a crucial role in our impression of a character.