Paolo Roversi’s portraits have inspired for my project ‘The Body’ with the lighting he uses for his images. In an interview called ‘Paolo Roversi On The Mysteries of Light’ Roversi talks about how he uses window light as his main light source and then adds other lights if he needs them. Paolo Roversi’s lighting preference is soft and indirect diffused light this is shown in his portraits as they have very soft lighting. His images have a very tender and ethereal feel because of the lighting and because of the long exposures Roversi uses. By using a long exposure makes you feel more connected to the model as the images feel more deeper as it feels your having a longer time to get to know the model. The slight blur caused by the long exposures adds a softness to the photo and gives the photo a very intimate and beautiful feel. In the interview Roversi also said that ‘the eyes are very important in every portrait’ this is something I believe in and want to represent in my portrait for the body, I decided to analyse some of Roversi’s work to see how he highlights the eyes in his images.
These two images (above and below) show the model in a very vulnerable way because of the lighting and the models pose. In one of the images the model is photographed peering over her shoulder which makes her look as if she is scared especially because of her wide eyes and they way they are staring into the camera. The second image shows the model hugging herself this pose also makes her look vulnerable especially as Roversi has chosen an high camera angle so you are looking down at her. The models eyes pierce through the image this is because of the lighting used, the highlights in the photo contrast against the shadowed areas.
I found this image to be very inspiring for my own portraits because of the lighting Roversi has used. His lighting technique has made the images look really soft because of how equal the lighting is on the photo. The background also gives a soft feel to the image with how its a similar colour to the models skin this makes the model blend in with the background and makes her look very vulnerable. The pose the model is in makes her look very timid as she’s facing away from the camera and hiding behind her hands.
Paolo Roversi’s use of lighting give these images a very soft feel. The lighting is very diffused and equal throughout the image, this gives them a very intimate and fragile feel. The way the model is looking into the camera adds to the intimate feel of the images as it makes you feel as if you know her by the way she is staring straight into the camera. By revealing parts of the models body such as her arms also adds to the intimate feel to the image, however her pose’s indicate that she is hiding something as she is crossing her arms and is pointed away from the camera which makes her look as if she is shielding herself from us.
The first two images has inspired me for poses I could have my model in as the main focal point of them is the subjects eyes. To get the same effect in my own images I’m going to have the model look slightly over her shoulder and straight into the camera. By doing this I feel will add a intimate feel to my portraits as it will feel as if the model is staring straight at you. The second set of images, where the lighting is vey soft and diffused, inspired me on lighting I should use in my own pictures. The lighting looks very equal throughout the image and is very low in contrast which adds a soft feel to the image. I also like how diffused the lighting is as it gives the image a very fragile and intimate feel. The poses in all of the images add to the intimate atmosphere because of the way the models are staring straight into the lens, to get this effect in my own images I'm going to have the models do the same pose.
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