Article: Today’s Look at Photography
Guillaume Boynard
OPENEYE : Hello, Guillaume Boynard. You run a photography studio specialized in still life. You compare yourself in your field with an haute couture workshop; this suggests that you work with very great precision.
Guillaume Boynard : Hello. Precision is indeed the motto of still life. Repeatability of results is crucial for my studio clients, and it is important to be able to help them to maintain coherence among their images, regardless of the production period. For this reason I use specialized equipment, for both image capture and lighting. Even more than the equipment, it is a really rigorous procedure. A clear open space helps to identify the different technical problems which can occur while shooting.
I carefully archive the lighting plans and technical information of every client. This may seem a little off-putting, but it is in fact a matter of organizing the whole of the technical part of the production quickly and reliably so that I can devote my energy and attention to the creation of the image itself.
OPENEYE : When one photographs small objects in materials such as glass, mirrors or precious metals, it is necessary to be an expert in light quality and colour rendering …
Guillaume Boynard : It is a little difficult for me to see myself as an expert. Photographic technique certainly plays an important part, but a lot of things are empirical. I configure my sets on the basis of a certain number of proven schemes. On my sets the surfaces to be lit are restricted and the distances are short, and so the quantity of light is never a problem. However, the choice and positioning of the sources and the modelers which determine the light quality are essential. I then make the settings by sight by moving a source, a mirror or a reflector in order to obtain the desired rendering. I use the Fresnel a lot, I appreciate the formation and the brilliance which it obtains. It often accounts for my main light.
Light control and the qualities of digital backs greatly facilitate colour management. But this remains a delicate issue as regards both shooting and retouching. I regularly invite my clients to the studio to make the final colour adjustments, and it is not uncommon for their wishes to be a little removed from reality.
OPENEYE : What does your partnership with a brand such as broncolor give you in this field?
Guillaume Boynard : My job is first and foremost to illuminate. Shooting in the studio is a bit like drawing in negative : I start with black and progressively add light to make the subject emerge. Therefore I am very attentive to light and lighting equipment. For practical and qualitative reasons I only work with flash. The brevity of flash guarantees that I can correctly freeze movement, and yes, sometimes still life moves and I am led to photograph falling objects, liquids or cosmetic powders.
After several not always happy experiences mixing different types of source, the choice of flash as a unique type of source gives me a real feeling of security with colour. All reasons which justify my collaboration with broncolor. This understanding makes it possible for me to access a wide variety of quality sources, as well as the latest technological advances of the brand such as generators and WiFi torches which allow me to more quickly model and memorize my sets using an easy-to-understand software. It is also quite reassuring for me to know that the brand is sensitive to user feedback.
OPENEYE : How do you stay up to date with the permanent and rapid evolution of photographic practices, trends and techniques?
Guillaume Boynard : I keep a regular watch to discover tools aimed at photographers and those which can be turned to photographic use. But going beyond just simple hardware developments, about which it is not difficult for me to inform myself, I try to be attentive to new practices and uses of images. For this reason I stay as open as possible to the input of my trainees or students at the schools in which I regularly work.
Website: www.boynard.fr
