Sometimes simple is best

_VPP5784,
originally uploaded by victorpanlilio.

I recently was asked to photograph a family, friends of mine. As I went over in my mind the logistics of executing this assignment, I fell into the usual pattern of thinking about what lighting to use, how to arrange my subjects, etc. On the appointed day, it was cloudy bright, and because the living room in which I was photographing had large windows, I went back to the most basic lighting setup of all — the same one used by the Dutch masters (e.g. Vermeer) — window light. Vermeer is one of my faourite painters. I didn't even need to use a bounce card or fill reflector, let alone a fill flash. That's it. I think I'm going to use this light as much as possible. It just seems so right.