been a while since the last time I had the chance to talk to a dead artist, Edward Hopper and has held some headlines this month. So I met with him last week in a bar (where else?) In Fell's Point in Baltimore to discuss the use of light in his most famous work. ____________________________
Strobist: First, Mr. Hopper, I have to confess I am a great fan of his. You have long been a major influence on my style of lighting. And apparently so has many other photographers.
Hopper: Ni I remember it. Seriously. One thing is to have influence, but some "tributes" are quite another thing. And please, call me Edward.
Strobist: Thank you. I do not want beating around the bush, so we're going straight to the table which has garnered more fame: "Nighthawks" (1942). It has become a cultural icon.
Hopper: Well, it's a way of saying ...
Strobist: So here's the picture. And I think that is almost perfect, if you do not mind saying so. Did you use only available light?
Hopper: at all, was illuminated.
Strobist: So, that was staged?
Hopper: Yes. The redhead is Fotopunto. € 150 (and a CD) for three-hour session.
Strobist: What about men?
Hopper: Clients. Cost me a couple of beers. We did this after hours bar. We pay something to the waiter for having open later and pose. Actually came out pretty cheap. Luckily we did before the entry into force of the new rate of $ 300 in NYC to get a permit for the session. Ridiculous.
Strobist: And therefore. So we stayed in was lit. Do you mind if I tried to guess how?
Hopper: Please yourself at home.
Strobist: Everyone has a front light, and that can only be illuminated from a site. Any direct light from above, on the roof?
Hopper: Almost. It's really bounced light. Direct light would have been better, but it would be quite difficult to hide the mirror reflection in the coffee. With a bounce flash at close range in the roof, we lower the intensity of the reflection in the top of the coffeemaker. Actually, I was tempted to remove one of the coffee and use the vertical divider between the windows to block the specular reflection.
Strobist: Ah, and so would have been easier to use a bare flash right?
Hopper: Yes, but what bar is open all night is normal and decaffeinated coffee?
Strobist: Yeah, so what a bounce flash?
Hopper: Yes And that's all the light we use indoors. By the way, we use an Elinchrom Ranger Quadra. It is capable of emitting 400 w / sec, but is small enough so that it sujetásemos gaffer tape in one of the panels. With Skyport trigger could control his power from the camera. In the end, I shoot at full power. Rebounding has been a bright flash.
Strobist: You just said it was the only light in the interior. "There were more lights?
Hopper: Yes, there was another flash - another Ranger Quadra.
Strobist: Where?
Hopper: tell me.
Strobist: Well, the shadows on the right side of the window at the bottom point to the light, so I guess it was somewhere around that corner.
Hopper: Try again ...
Strobist: Any trick with Photoshop?
Hopper: Not at all
Strobist: So you should be behind the wall of the right foot in a very high ... "With a giraffe?
Hopper: Yes, hence another small utilizásemos Quadra. The head alone weighs a quarter of a kilo. The can put anywhere. The foot was behind the right wall, the giraffe out and left hanging over the street flash hidden behind the wall that is on the window. That helped me illuminate the redhead's hair and some separation at the guy sitting next to him.
Strobist: Really it was the tail light so important?
Hopper: course. Watch the other guy. See how it blends with the background on the left?
Strobist. Yes
Hopper: Do not put any light apart. That makes it seem like a minor character on the main characters. This light illuminates step back a little waiter's face. But we put a gobo to keep illuminate the sidewalk that looks out the window. The wanted dark.
Strobist: Perfect. And everything else is the environment?
Hopper: Yes, about 3 or 4 stops underexposure. It's a long shot, about 8 seconds - long is helpful to keep a good tripod when you go to light at night. We turn off all lights on the bar, to avoid the formation of ghosts during prolonged exposure. From the point of view of the ambient light inside the bar is much darker than the street. But the flash reverses the situation in the final shot.
Strobist: How can you think of these things? Is it mere improvisation?
Hopper: Oh no. What I plan everything. I even made some diagrams a few nights before.
Strobist: Really? So what did some scribbles on a paper napkin McNally style?
Hopper: Well before he did so. But now I use charcoal on acid-free paper.
Strobist: But you're telling me!
Hopper: Let me explain. Look at this example - you see this diagram?
Strobist: Yes Nice, I guess ...
Hopper: Beautiful?, This baby was just sold for $ 352,000 in Chistie's.
Strobist: Does the draft? Am I kidding?
Hopper: No, I'm not lying. Seriously.
Strobist: Wow. I use my iPhone to draw diagrams of lighting
Hopper: Look than good. Are not you so cool?
Strobist: Well, after seeing this, it seems not. Okay, back to the subject of tributes.
Hopper: mean rough copies right?
Strobist: Well, as you want to call. So here is the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams II" (1984) by Gottfried Helnwein. Actually pretty cool - James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis. I like it because they all died too soon and here they are all together in the bar at night.
Hopper: Come on, man. Are watercolors on cardboard, for God's sake.
Strobist: Yeah, but ...
Hopper: Do you really like? Really?
Strobist: Well, I have something to confess - I have long believed that Broken Dreams was the original box.
Hopper: Are you getting horny from me? Look, seriously, I have to go right?
Strobist: But ...
Hopper: Bye.
Strobist: Well, in this case ...
______________________
Apart from this end so abruptly, this picture has been in the news this month. After thorough investigation, it was concluded that the bar Nighthawks - which Hopper painted - probably never existed.
can read more details of this story at this link
And if you've enjoyed this beer with dead authors, you can see our previous conversations with Rembrandt and Vermeer .
