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Simon and I spent a few hours today trying to understand studio lighting.

Here are a couple of my shots of Simon for critique.

I think they are great for a start. My honest critiques would be:

In photo 1:

1. I like the choice of background - what did you use?
2. The right eye could possibly use with a bit more light - I think you had the main light a little too high.
3. There are a couple of hot spots on Simon's face, especially forehead and nose. Did you modify your light source at all?

In photo 2:

1. Not sure if available for you, but a second light source (even a white reflector of sorts) on your right side (Simon's left) would have filled in the shadow on that side, particularly near his nose - very hard shadows.
2. I like the idea of the camera prop, however, it is almost obscured by shadow - I actually didn't notice it the first time I looked at the pic. Again, some fill light could have helped there.
3. As in the first, there are a couple of hot-spots on Simon's forehead.

The choice of pose and clothing really suit the images you have captured. Well done.

Cheers

Some good points there Patrick - thanks. Here's one of Steve that I shot with more traditional light positions:



Here is my take on one of Steve's shots of me - the key light was high as we were trying to duplicate the effect we'd seen in a book (Grey's "Master Lighting Guide fro Portrait Photographers, page 44 if anyone has the book) In PP, I paid particular attention to eliminating the hot spots and lifting some detail from the shadow areas:

Simon,

I think your take on Steves shot of you is very good. It brings out the shadow detail a lot more and you can see a bit of a reflection from the reflector/bounce card down to your left in your left eye.

In the full size image of you that Steve originally posted, you can pick out the reflector in your eye again, but the shadow detail just isn't there for me.

Not bad for some experimenting though. Good effort.

Cheers

In the shots of Simon, I feel that the primary light source is too high, and too far to the side of Simon. It should be moved closer to the shooting position, to aid the spread of light around the front of the subject, and thus reduce the shadows and contrast range that its current position is introducing.

I'd also like to see the exposure reduced slightly; I think that they're currently a tad overexposed.

Thanks for all of the comments. I should have paid a bit more attention to those highlights.

We were actually trying to reproduce "Rembrandt" style lighting. Most of his portraiture has a single high window as the light source with deep shadows. We had a reflector on camera right which filled in the shadows considerably but from most comments not quite enough.

Steve, to achieve traditional "Rembrandt" lighting, as I understand it, you want to get the triangle of light on the side of the face opposite the light source to have it's top at about eyebrow level or just below. As Gary said, your primary light is too high, which means Simon's left eye is in shadow.

Different people will require different light positions - I have noticed with most babies, their eyes haven't sunken in to their heads as much as adults (sounds great, doesn't it), and therefore you can (and probably want to) get away with a much higher light source.

For someone with deeper set eyes, you need to lower the light source to avoid the shadows.

Anyway, the experimenting and learning is a lot of fun, and I am sure Simon was a better behaved subject than my 5 month old boy!

SteveGriffin wrote:Most of his portraiture has a single high window as the light source with deep shadows.

Note, though, that this light source will be softer, diffused light. It'll actually be a typical northlight, really, whereas what I'm seeing here is quite direct.

Looks like you boys were having fun!

And using live models is a great way to learn.

cricketfan wrote:And using live models is a great way to learn.

As opposed to dead ones?

Hey you both did really well! The lighting to my inexperienced eye's looks good... and I also like the poses.. the models are a bit naf though... *grins*..

Sorry I couldnt be there... life beckons unfortunately..