Jill Greenberg

You may or may not know that I am rather fond of photography. I'm not that great at it, but then again I can't afford a decent lens or the time off to use such a lens. Until then, I'll have to sit around and jealously look at prominent photographers' work.

One such prominent photographer is Jill "The Manipulator" Greenberg. You may have heard her name (probably not) mentioned during the last election for her rather sneaky, successful attempts at capturing unflattering photographs of John McCain in an attempt to make him appear evil, and then altering those photos prior to uploading them to her website. I find this to be rather childish of her, but regardless find her work and technique to be very interesting.

Her technique, called the "Greenberg Effect", isn't really anything you can just go out and do. It involves an extensive array of flashes, umbrellas, a ring flash, background lighting, and a very healthy dose of post-processing. Definitely not for amateurs. The effect generally creates an almost painting-like look to her subjects. On others, with less post-processing, it creates a very sharp, well lit, flattering look that brings out defining qualities in the subject's face without, unless you're John McCain, too much shadow.

This effect has earned her commission from a lot of advertisers, celebrities, and other important people. Jill Greenberg is hot shit, and if you were as good as she is, you'd be driving a bank truck around.

A few examples of her work:

There's a lot more to be seen and admired here.