Selling Our Artistic Souls

Sometimes, we need to adapt our styles to a client's demands wishes. Leastwise, assuming we hope to maintain a good business relationship and keep the gig.

As photographers, we all know we know best-- We know what looks best, we know our individual aesthetics reign supreme, and we know our vision is sacred. But, occasionally, weakness prevails and we choose to sell our artistic souls to the devil client.

Fortunately, it might be easily accomplished, i.e., from an aesthetic and technical point-of-view. (Although it might not always be so easy to accomplish from an integrity point-of-view.)

Recently, a regular client of mine had been complaining about some of the images I'd been shooting for them. Specifically, they (they meaning someone in the art department) wanted the images more flatly lit, brighter, and pretty much void of shadows on the subject.) At once, I voiced my outrage! After all, I have plenty of clients who are more than satisfied with the images I provide and who seem very happy with my lighting style. I guess it's possible I might be deluding myself but they keep hiring me. In my opinion, doing so speaks loudly about their level of satisfaction with my work.

But this client wanted me to change, to adapt, to photograph the models differently. Since I'm a weak person, especially when employment cash is on the line, I quickly folded.

The image at the top is Max from the other day. Basically, I flipped my lighting around--still utilizing 3-point lighting--by employing two sources in front of the model and one from behind her. This, of course, flattened the light on her front-side, getting rid of most of those unsightly shadows the client complained about. The source from behind provides highlights and it does so in a seemingly natural way: The highlights almost seem to be caused by light coming in from the window behind her. The room had a fair amount of ambient daylight, mostly coming from some large, French doors behind me. (Yeah, the client also wanted the BG fairly well lit up.)

Canon 5D w/ 85mm prime. ISO 100, f/5.6 @ 100. Two, shoot-thru, umbrella-modified, lights in front, positioned 45 degrees either side of the model and metered equally plus another shoot-thru high and from behind and somewhat off to the side, camera-left. The model painted her own face. Hair--natural below and, leastwise for a chick, a bit unusual above--didn't require any coiffing. If some of you think her teeth look a little funny, Max is sporting (so-called) invisible braces.