Light We Like: Gregory Crewdson

UPDATE: Adds a second video, with lots more detail, after the jump.



I find myself completely mesmerized by Gregory Crewdson's photos. The light, the narrative, the light, the tension, the light -- well, you get the idea.

When you look at his photos, bear in mind that he puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like you do. Only then he spends the whole day taking over entire city blocks, directing his technical folks, manipulating casts of "figures" and, well, never actually "holding the camera," as he notes.

Gregory does not work "in a studio". He works "on a sound stage. He has a set designer, an art director, a lighting tech and, um, a director of photography. Who is not named Gregory.

But he sure does make facilitate some amazing photographs. This stuff in this video is just about the polar opposite from the low-impact, minimal gear ethic that is embraced by photographers who do not happen have access to, say, an entire town and James Cameron's lighting truck.

But the results always makes me think about how I could adapt some of his techniques to my dinky little SB's. (Note that the video is briefly NSFW, but in an artsy way.)

Second video, after the jump.


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More Crewdson photos here. (Some also NSFW.)

Further reading:

:: Gregory Crewdson: Beneath the Roses ::
:: Twilight: The Photographs of Gregory Crewdson ::