The Eyes are Much More Than a Just a Window into the Soul

Learning about studio lighting the easy way

Somewhere early in my learning about studio portraits and how to set up the lighting, I learned that you could discern a lot from looking at other portraits, specifically by looking at the eyes. The saying “that eyes are the window to the soul” helped me to seek out insightful expressions, however the eyes provided a simplistic tool for learning about lighting - they are a mirror to the room, and the type of lighting the photographer used.

One of my earliest portraits using studio lighting, shot in the basement of the Chambers Building at Davidson College. Circa 1978-1979.

Look closely, and you will see the lighting for this image is a round umbrella slightly above and off to the models left. This image was shot while I was at Davidson College, in a studio in the basement of the Chambers Building, sometime in the 1978-1979 timeframe.

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The model was Andrea Murphy, Davdison College, Class of 1978. Andrea went on to become an actress, appearing in “All My Children” and numerous plays and television commercials.