For my third and last picture from the Matrix shoot at Precision Camera University (PCU), I feature a very different kind of portrait using a completely different technique.

The Matrix shoot class, like all the other PCU classes, was about portraiture using strobes. This picture used available light but in an extreme way. The instructor noticed that the green light cast by the exit sign in our conference room worked perfectly with our green Matrix theme. She challenged us to make a portrait from just the green exit sign.

Challenge accepted.

The instructor turned off the room light, and we took our best shot. I photographed from several angles but found this one the most compelling. The slight gap between the double doors into the room created the light beam. The rest of the green comes from a single exit sign above the door.

Luckily, that 50mm f1.4 lens I shot with, which was overkill for strobe shooting, worked perfectly here. I was at ISO 6400, f1.4 at 1/25s — very acceptable exposure parameters for the Sony A7C. Of course, I post-processed, brightening the shadows, but surprisingly, I didn’t increase the color saturation.

After two and a half months, with the PCU, Rodeo Austin, Fujifilm/Luminar photo Walk, and SXSW coverages completed, I’m ready to resume the third and last portion of my 2022 European coverage. I finished part two of that trip in Switzerland on my way back to Paris. The third chapter will revolve around Paris and a surrounding city.

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