Deciding I wanted a negative fill, dramatic image ahead of time, I scoped out the room for potential subjects. I was instantly drawn to our new friend Rob Leigh. He reminded me of Hemingway, the famous writer.
Then I paused for a moment and thought, how would I light him to give a dramatic effect? I realized what I needed to do. I just needed to modify my lesson plans in front of a live audience. Forget for the past few weeks I rehearsed how to add light to a portrait and do the opposite; remove light to get a dramatic effect. No pressure.
A simple set up to create a negative fill image
Westcott’s Rapid Box attached to a speedlight gave me a tight, controlled light source to work with. By feathering the light away from the subject, we kept the light from exposing the background.
Speaking of the background, it was nothing special — just a blank wall. To make the background darker, we moved the subject about 15 feet away from a wall.
![](https://static.artisshare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230107140011803.jpeg)
Using a light meter, I set the shutter speed to 1/125s with an ISO of 200. Holding the light meter in front of the subject’s left eye, closer to the light, I triggered the flash to get a meter reading. The meter calculated the scene and came back with an aperture of f/5.6.
Next, I positioned the meter near the subject’s right eye which was farther away from the light. I triggered the flash again. This time the light meter calculated the scene with an aperture of f/4, a one-stop difference. By setting the camera’s aperture to f/5.6, the meter reading for the left eye, the left side of the subject face will be properly exposed. The right side of the subject’s face will be darker.
![](https://static.artisshare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230107140012899.jpeg)
After reviewing the image, I wanted to see how the image would look if I balanced the light. Using a silver reflector on the right side of the subject, parallel with the light, I bounced light onto the subject. The photo looked good but it wasn’t the dramatic look I was going for.
![](https://static.artisshare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230107140012731.jpeg)
What is negative fill?
Silver and white add light to a scene whereas black absorbs light, giving an illusion of taking light away. This is known as negative fill. Using a black reflector on the subject’s right side gave the dramatic effect I was looking for.
![](https://static.artisshare.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230107140012466.jpeg)
Final image
From there, I used Topaz Studio to convert my image to a timeless black and white. I started with one of the default presets and tweaked the settings until I felt it was the dramatic effect I was looking for. Then I saved the settings as a new preset for future use.
.mgl-tiles { display: none; } #mgl-gallery-634ee47f9d6fa { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ee47f9d6fa .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #mgl-gallery-634ee47f9d6fa { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ee47f9d6fa .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } } @media screen and (max-width: 460px) { #mgl-gallery-634ee47f9d6fa { margin: -5px; width: calc(100% + 10px); } #mgl-gallery-634ee47f9d6fa .mgl-box { padding: 5px; } }
Here’s what to remember …
- To make a wall appear darker, move the subject about 15 feet away from the background.
- Feathering the light keeps light from spilling onto the background.
- A Rapid Box modifier controls where the light falls.
- A black reflector is negative fill, meaning it takes away light.
- The hat stylized the scene plus added dramatic shadows on the subject’s face.
- Use a long telephoto lens to compress the shot.
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