Creativity with Light with Irina Jomir
“I’m forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical.” – Trent Parke
I remember myself as a child always trying to run away into solitude—whether it was into an empty room or a garden, laying on the ground in peace, enjoying feeling the sunbeams on my skin coming down from the window, squinting and watching it through my lashes. Watching light swooping down through the leaves of a tree, flickering on a driving road of a countryside, or peeking through my mother’s hair so heavenly beautiful… I remember how peaceful it made me feel.
Still now, whenever I find a place with tall ceilings and skylight windows like museums, libraries or art galleries tend to be, I stand there so mesmerized, feeling nothing else but quiet, seeing nothing else but light. Light to me has always been the most beautiful thing in the world.
In Norway where I reside now, daylight has a limited window during most of the year. It’s a cold and cloudy climate with quickly changing weather conditions. As I started my journey into photography, I stumbled with a problem all beginners have to face: how to control the artificial light in studio or on location. Naturally, I’d want to replicate light that doesn’t scream “studio.” After years of experimentation I think I found the kind that speaks to me. I found that the best way to use strobes is to either bounce it, diffuse it further, or even both. I would use that rule at any setup, with some adjustments depending on the concept itself. Here I will be talking about different ways of using Creativity With Light, which will keep your body of work looking consistent yet diverse.
Using low ceilings to your advantage
There is every type of light scenario for any mood. My “go-to,” my most favorite kind of light is the one that looks like skylight, as if it comes down from a big ceiling window. It’s the one that suits absolutely everyone regardless of age, sex, skin type or body shape. It suits every genre in photography. It’s magical and divine. One can make it look very soft or very dramatic where shadow from the subject forms a straight sharp line on the floor or table.
