TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE
The Light Touch of
Peter
Leverman
PHOTOGRAPHER TAKES SHOOTING IN AVAILABLE LIGHT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
BY JACK NEUBART
“I
USUALLY TRY TO
make the scene look
and feel as natural
as possible while
still augmenting the available light,”
Canadian-born photographer Peter
Leverman observes. “I want the viewer
to see the image and get what I’m trying
to put across without the technique
getting in the way.” By extension,
Leverman knows when to leave well
enough alone and simply use the
existing lighting, in contrast to some
photographers who prefer to noticeably
overwhelm the scene with their lights.
CLIENT: ENBRIDGE
“I had an extraordinary level of creative freedom in
this advertising campaign. Here we’re promoting the
client’s support for an international piano
competition, featuring one of the talented
contestants. Shooting in a space we’d rented, we
brought in the Steinway and chandelier, and shot at
dusk against the Montreal skyline.” Leverman
fashioned a Fresnel hot light and large Octabank
(both at camera right) so they transparently
augmented the existing light. In post, he moved a
couple of the buildings around in the background to
make the arrangement more pleasing to the eye and
extended the windows higher than they were.
(Creative Director: Joe Hospodarec; Art Director:
Monique Gamache; Agency: Wax.)
This is part of the same campaign, although here the
focus is on the client’s support for a professional
theater school. For this stage rehearsal, Leverman
employed a combination of real students and hired
talent. He lit the scene with a large Fresnel with barn
doors and a Mole-Richardson bank, both rented and
also serving as stage props, augmenting that with a
house spotlight. Unseen, an additional Fresnel is
skimming the talent from camera left, at a low level,
as a subtle fill. A hazer (an environmentally friendly
fog machine) added atmosphere. (Creative Director:
Joe Hospodarec; Art Director: Monique Gamache;
Agency: Wax.)
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Photos © Peter Leverman
CLIENT: ENBRIDGE
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE
While a Kodak Instamatic first
ignited his passion for photography, the
road leading to this point for Leverman
took firm root with a 35mm Edixa
that his father gave him. The Edixa
had a nonfunctioning light meter,
which forced Leverman to gain a fuller
understanding of light and exposure
on his own. “I became very good at
observing and reading light levels.” Now
equipped with Nikon gear, Leverman
joined a camera club in his native
Nova Scotia, where more experienced
photographers continued to influence
his appreciation of shooting in natural
light settings.
GROWING HIS CRAFT
As his love of photography grew,
Leverman decided to attend Brooks
Institute in Santa Barbara, at which
point he bought a 4x5 Linhof, followed
by a Hasselblad 500C, which became
his go-to camera. He was also doing
his own darkroom work at the time.
After one year, Leverman realized that
Brooks wasn’t cutting it for him, so he
transferred to the Art Center College of
Design in Pasadena.
Leverman assisted other
photographers while at school and after
graduating, but soon returned to Canada
to open his own studio in Toronto. He
worked there for 12 years, primarily
shooting advertising. “It got to the point
where I was shooting a variety of US and
international jobs, more and more on
location, and felt I could move back to
Halifax and still do the quality of work I
strive to achieve for my clients.”
CLIENT: RBC (ROYAL BANK OF CANADA),
PRIVATE WEALTH MANAGEMENT DIVISION
The ad is aimed at well-to-do individuals nearing retirement age, and is suggestive of ways to slow down and
sustain a nice lifestyle without worrying about their financial future. While both the setting (a rented home) and
lighting appear natural, practically every element was added (rented furnishings, props, including some vintage
cameras) to give the hired talent a sense of belonging. The late afternoon sunlight came from a large Fresnel
outside the window. Additional lights were bounced into the ceiling, with key lighting from a beauty dish on a
Profoto head at camera left. Foamcore flats added fill. (Creative Director: Clay James; Design Director: Jason
Skinner; Agency: The Buntin Group.)
THE MOVE TO DIGITAL
“I was reluctant to switch to digital,”
Leverman admits. “I liked the tonality,
warmth, and feel of film, but the market
preferred digital. I would still shoot film
when I could, but that was becoming
less and less frequent.” The transition
to digital, back in the mid-2000s, was
slow, beginning with drum scans of film.
“As the technology moved along and as I
became more familiar with it, I grew to
embrace digital fully.”
These days, Leverman prefers
working with his Nikon D800 digital
SLR system, calling on an arsenal of
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CLIENT: NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR TOURISM
“In rural Newfoundland it’s very common to see people hanging clothes on the line along the coast. And we felt
this idyllic, innocent scene is what Newfoundland is all about.” Working with available light and locals, Leverman
photographed the little girls running with a little bit of motion blur (each in a separate frame that was later
composited) so that the focus would be on the grandmother hanging clothes. (Art Director: Tom Murphy;
Agency: Target Marketing.)
TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE
Nikon glass that primarily includes
the 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8, and
16-35mm f/4. “But if the job calls for it,
and depending on where I’m working,
I’ll shoot Hasselblad, which I rent.”
Leverman mostly works with the
camera mounted to a tripod. That’s
usually a Gitzo carbon fiber with an
Acratech ball head.
LIGHTING AND LOCATION
“When I can plug in, I use Dynalites,”
Leverman remarks, “but I also have a
Hensel Porty battery-powered system
that I often use on location.” Profoto
rentals may also enter the picture.
“Generally, when shooting locally, I use
my own gear, although I’ll also turn to
HMI and hot lights that I rent at shops
catering to our growing film industry.
“We use just about everything:
umbrellas, softboxes, Octabanks. Just
CLIENT: PEOPLE
MAGAZINE
“This elderly couple had been
living a quiet, homespun
lifestyle—and then, one day,
they won millions in a lottery,
all of which they gave to
various charities. The wife
had had cancer, and their
entire lives were spent caring
for each other. And that
appealed to me as a genuine
love story. But they were very
reluctant to be photographed.
I wanted the image to reflect
what they were about and
what they meant to one
another. And I felt that the
Polaroid treatment gave the
viewer a gauzy detachment,
so it doesn’t feel as if you’re
intruding on their space and
their moment.” Leverman
produced this image on Type
59 Polaroid 4x5, peeling the
film apart so as to retain
some of the adhesive around
the edges, which served as a
frame. He shot this on their
property, in rural Nova Scotia,
by available light. (Photo
Editor: Florence Nash.)
depends on what I’m doing, where I’m
doing it. I don’t tend to repeat myself
much with lighting. I want the client to
feel the image and not think about the
lighting or any other aspect of producing
it. I find myself having a stronger
connection and reaction to images that
feel more authentic, that appear more
believable and natural.”
To handle the complexity of location
jobs, “I’ll hire a producer and we’ll
put a whole crew together,” Leverman
notes. “I work with producers who are
very familiar with the area where we
plan to shoot. We almost always use
location scouts, but if at all possible I
scout locations myself. There’s nothing
like being on the ground, framing things
with your eye, being at the location at
the right time of day.”
CLIENT: STANFIELD’S
The client wanted to use iconic images reflecting
endurance, integrity, and authenticity in an ad
campaign for winter underwear. “For this shot, we
flew up to Baffin Island, after scouting located this
embedded iceberg that we used as the backdrop.” The
scene would involve a native Inuit (not actually)
harpooning seals in a hole in the ice. They went to
great lengths to acquire a traditional Inuit harpoon to
replace the modern ones in use. As they were
shooting, fog and mist were rising from the
mountains, while the sun dipped in and out of the
clouds, resulting in wild temperatures swings. “And it
all made for a moody light.” (Art Director: Neil
McCulloch; Agency: SGCI.)
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TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE
CLIENT: ATLANTIC LOTTERY
The client has a support program for sports, in this
case to fund potential Olympic athletes. Leverman
photographed this young female wrestler ascending a
huge boulder, confronting the smaller boulder, which
represents the many obstacles a young female
athlete faces in that sport. In this instance, because
he was shooting after sunset, Leverman expected the
lighting to look engineered. He blasted an Octabank
(with a Hensel Porty inside) at the scene, first
shooting her, then relocating all of his gear for the
small boulder, which stood 200 yards away, shooting
that separately and compositing it into the final shot.
He shot the sky separately on the same night, but a
little earlier, adding that final element into the
finished composite. (Creative Director: Matthew Allan;
Agency: Revolve.)
CONNECTING WITH THE
TALENT
“My preference is to shoot untethered.
I give the client plenty of opportunity
for feedback, but at intervals, so as not
to interrupt the flow of the shoot. I need
to be able to connect directly with the
talent and have that person focused on
what I want him to do.”
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TECHNIQUES
PRO’S CHOICE
CLIENT: PERSONAL
You never know where you’ll find inspiration or talent for your next project.
Leverman happened to meet this gentleman working at a hardware store in Halifax,
Nova Scotia. “He’s not a real fisherman, but he had a great presence and look for a
personal project I had in mind.” The lobster traps, oars, salmon he’s holding are all
props, although the fish are real, purchased locally. Leverman used a Hensel Porty
with a grid (upper right) to emphasize the strength and grit of our fisherman
against a setting sun at camera left. “I like the idea of celebrating hard-working,
unsung, regular people. Even though he may not be a salmon fisherman, he’s the
real deal.”
How does Leverman develop rapport with his subjects?
“I don’t put talent or celebrities on a pedestal. I like to have
a conversation with them privately and explain what I’m
trying to do and how I work. I’m not the fastest shooter and
I don’t shoot a lot of images, instead taking my cues from the
talent when the moment—facial expression, body attitude,
movement—aligns with my vision for the shot. I try not
to overshoot to the point where the talent becomes either
detached or bored.”
ON DIGITAL RETOUCHING AND COMPOSITING
“It used to be that the agency would often take the image and
do the finishing work,” Leverman points out. “These days I
almost always handle the retouching. Art directors want my
vision all the way through to the end.
“Mark Tyler is my go-to retoucher for the majority of
assignments. We work on the images back and forth, but
ultimately I’m responsible for the overall direction, treatment,
and look of the shot.”
In closing, Leverman notes: “The technical side of things is
important, but it’s nowhere near as important as the image. If
you look back at great images from 40, 60, or 80 years ago, they
were not necessarily technically impressive—but they made
for wonderful pictures!” n
To see more of Peter Leverman’s work, visit www.peterleverman.com.