Huntington Photographers Explore Gobo Lighting

Huntington High School photography students spent time exploring gobo lighting during a recent lesson. The term is short for “go between optics” and the teenagers in the class quickly grasped the concept and went about experimenting with it.

“A gobo is something that goes before or between your light source and your subject,” said Pamela Piffard, the art teacher who leads the high school’s photography program. “It’s a stencil or device that creates patterns using light. People have used it since the early days of theatre. But it also has found its way as one of the most creative tools in photography. Photographers often use gobos to recreate window scenes even when there aren’t any in the room.”

Ms. Piffard went on to explain how to set up a gobo photo shoot and provided examples of the lighting that results and its effect on the photos themselves. Some of the photos shown were for “inspiration.”

Students also learned about related “shadow photography.” The teenagers ate it all up. Many of them are already advanced, if not outright gifted.

The teacher issued her students a multi part assignment that would clearly demonstrate if the young photographers had sufficiently understood the lesson and techniques associated with it.

“Take and submit at least 20 photos using a gobo in class to create patterns of shadow and light on your subject,” Ms. Piffard said. “You are required to bring in at least one item to use as a gobo. Get creative. What objects can you find to use for your photoshoot? This will count in your grade. Yes, you may bring items in and store them here. Yes, you many borrow or share, but each person is responsible for bringing in at least one thing.”

The final segment of the assignment involves students importing their images and editing their four favorites in Photoshop; two in color and two in black and white.

Did the Huntington students learn their lesson well? Review a sampling of their photos and decide for yourself.