learning lighting

[zeddy]

well its been a long time since i have been on the forum.
The last couple of weeks i have decided that 2013 i am going to learn all about lighting so don't hold back be brutally honest
first of all on camera flash
second of camera flash
third multiple lighting 2,3 or more
i am hoping to practice weekly or at least fornightly so there should be lots of posts in the next 12 months.
i am starting of with my first three photos they all have minimal pp pretty much straight out of the camera.
all these are on camera flash canon 580 EXII and 40D
here goes



this photo was taken iso 400 shutter speed 1/250sec and at f4.5 with the flash flagged at the front pointedcat cameras left wall and 45deg foreward flash in manual at 1/2 power and the next photo was at the same settings



the third photo was done slightly different
first on all i took a pic with out flash and under exposed by one stop then i justed added flash. setting on this photo was iso400 shutter 1/125sec at f3.5 and again bounced of the camera left and 45deg up to the roof and flagged at the front



thanks Zsolt

[surenj]

The overall light looks ok for these headshots. I reckon you can take it to the next level. Start thinking about why you have used a particular type of light for each of these subjects. For example, broad light is probably not very flattering for the lady in #2; Short light would probably be more slimming. etc

i am hoping to practice weekly or at least fornightly so there should be lots of posts in the next 12 months.

You can practice constantly by being very observant during your normal life as to how light falls and various objects and subjects...

[Wink]

Good luck Zeddy. I have a similar mission for 2013.

I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

[gstark]

Hi Zsolt,

A very good first effort.

A few questions, and then some suggestions.

Were you shooting these on manual or auto exposure? I note that you say for the first couple you were shooting at 1/250 and f/4.5, but you also say that for each image, you started with no flash but under exposed by one stop, and then added flash.

And I'm understanding that you had the flash pointed at 45 degrees ... up towards the ceiling?

And also pointed towards the wall that was a camera left?

Let's look at the second of these images, where the young lady is facing a little towards her left. Or in other words, towards camera right. Her whole body appears to be facing towards camera right, but I'm understanding the the light was pointed towards the wall on camera left .... Let's look at the young lady's face, her left cheek, and we can see quite some shadow there. Look at her neck, and we see more of this.

While none of these shadows are a major problem, consider how these may have been rendered had she been facing a little towards camera left instead. Just a little. The light coming of the wall is very well rounded, but as this image is set, she is placing herself within her own shadow. I think that by facing her very slightly towards the wall, you would have an even nicer outcome than you've already attained.

The same critiques apply to the first image, but to a lesser extent: his face is pointing towards camera right, but his body is pretty much straight on, with slightly heavy shadows on the lh side of his face.

As an aside, your camera's shutter speed will generally have very little bearing on the exposure of these images, whilstever you remain within the camera's flash sync speed. Adjust the power of the flash, it's proximity to your subject, and your aperture, to gain the best exposure and effects.

[zeddy]

all these shots were taken in manual
the first two were set to max flash sync speed 1/250sec and i used a light meter to give me the f stop setting
the third image i tried something different trying to balance ambient and flash hence the 1/125sec shutter speed, should i just keep the shutter at max sync speed and play with f stops?

And I'm understanding that you had the flash pointed at 45 degrees ... up towards the ceiling? yes

And also pointed towards the wall that was a camera left? yes pointing to the joint between the roof and wall ( get what i mean ? )

next time i will face the subject towards the side i am bouncing the falsh from
thanks Gary for your imput gives me something to work on

[gstark]

the third image i tried something different trying to balance ambient and flash hence the 1/125sec shutter speed, should i just keep the shutter at max sync speed and play with f stops?

Basically, yes.

What's happening is that the exposure time is actually being controlled by the duration of the flash burst, which might be as little as 1/20000 or 1/40000. This is determined by the power setting that you're imposing on the flash head. As long as your shutter is fully open for the whole duration of the flash burst - which will be your sync speed or slower - then your shutter speed mostly becomes a passenger in your exposure calculations.

The rules do change when you're outside and shooting with flash, but we're not (yet) there.

And also pointed towards the wall that was a camera left? yes pointing to the joint between the roof and wall ( get what i mean ? )

Yes I do; excellent. This will be giving you maximum spread of the light from the flash head. You're maximising the apparent size of the light source, which is very desirable here.

There are a couple of things that you need to be aware of when doing this, but this is a very sound technique.

First of all, be aware of the colours of the walls and ceilings. What might look to be white may have a slight blue, pink, or yellow tint, and this can have an effect on the overall colour cast that you might see in your images. not especially difficult to deal with, but something to be aware of.

Second is the distance from the light source to the subject of your images, and the affect that moving the light source closer or further from the subjects can have on your images. You will already be aware that the inverse square law applies here, but what might not be immediately apparent is that this law applies based upon the path that your light, from the flash head, travels.

Consider that you and the camera might be two metres away from the subject. Thus, if you're shooting with direct flash, then your light source to subject distance would also be two metres.

But in these cases, you're pointing the camera directly at the subjects (2 metres is still your focus distance) but the flash head is pointing towards the ceiling so that the light travels upwards as well as forwards, and then bounces down as well as forwards. The light-source-to-subject distance might well be something closer to six metres rather than two, and thus the actual power available to you from the flash head is significantly reduced.

Again, this is rarely an issue, but it is an important point to bear in mind when you're using this technique, and especially so in unfamiliar rooms. Consider what might happen when you're using this sort of technique in, say, an older colonial style building, where the ceiling height might be four or five metres?

And just for shits and giggles, think about using exactly this sort of technique in, say, a concert being held in a large indoor arena .... or outside. Absent a small reflector on the flash head ....

[Mj]

Looks like Gary has covered most of it...
Whilst it's probably not key yet to what you are trying to work on, an improvement on all of these images can be achieved by the addition of some reflector to the right of the camera and below the subjects.
I often use a simple sheet of white foam to just soften those shadows whilst retaining the dimensional aspects.

Anyway... seems your off to a good start.

[zeddy]

Well I had to read that several times just to soak up all the info
Now I have all these new things to try I can't wait to get my camera out again.
Since there's no work on Tuesday I'll have to convince my kids to pose for me again


Thanks zsolt

[Mj]

I'll have to convince my kids to pose for me again

And that's by far the hardest part of all...

[zeddy]

Both my boys love having the photo taken but they want to see every photo on the back of the camera

[surenj]

Both my boys love having the photo taken but they want to see every photo on the back of the camera

Perhaps try and tape your LCD (or switch off) and teach them that you can sit with them to review the pics once the shoot is complete.

The other thought I had came directly from this brilliant article by Sara Lando which appeared on the strobist which is both relevant to you as a lighting photogapher and a portrait person. highly recommended.
http://www.strobist.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/on-photographing-people-pt-1.html

[zeddy]

Excellent read thanks have booked mark it for future reference

[Wink]

Both my boys love having the photo taken but they want to see every photo on the back of the camera

I feel your pain!
My solution was to get an Eye-Fi card for the second card slot on my camera. Small JPG's are sent direct to my iPad while the RAW files go to the CF card.
Only got it at Xmas, but it seems to keep the kids amused.

[zeddy]

ok so i have puta little more thought into this shoot.





both photos were taken like the first lot max sync speed and flash bounced to the left of camera.
what do you think?

thanks zsolt

[surenj]

Zsolt,

Try the second type of light on the first picture. I reckon it will suit better. For example, she needed to turn head to her left which will also take the mild reflection away from the glasses.

If you need the background to be totally black, I'd suggest about 3-4 stops underexposure (regardless of color). I am not sure whether you intended that in #2 but I can still see a little bit of detail.

[gstark]

I think you're through part 1.

These are much better, with great shaping, and very little in the way of too heavy shadowing through the images.

For the one of the young man, next time have him look into the camera lens, or over your left or right shoulder. That will help establish some eye contact, and will complete the image.

[zeddy]

Try the second type of light on the first picture. I reckon it will suit better. For example, she needed to turn head to her left which will also take the mild reflection away from the glasses.

Are you talking about the pose or the actual lighting ?

I think you're through part 1.

Okay I have better understanding of lighting a person inside.still need lots more practice.
So were would you suggest I go from here?

Thanks zsolt

[Mj]

So were would you suggest I go from here?

For indoor lighting you can build up an understanding of two and three light setups etc. and play around with gels for some artificial creativity.
Also work on mixing ambient with flash....
...which is also what you would head into with many outdoor scenarios...
...up to you.

[chrisk]

Also work on mixing ambient with flash....
...which is also what you would head into with many outdoor scenarios...
...up to you.

X2. I'd suggest this will become the most used lighting for you in the long run. Sure here are studio type times but much of the time you will likely try and balance the light and dry the shutter.

Btw, is it just me or are these photos coming up as tiny thumbnails for everyone ?