Portrait Lighting -- Learning Thread

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

07/01/2006 01:00:30 PM · #51

I'm going to wait for a few more days for people to have time to practice shooting with available light and get some more conversation around that before we procede to studio light.

Hope to see some great outdoor shots from this weekend (and for you Americans, over the holiday).

wavelength

Nikon D300

07/01/2006 01:13:01 PM · #52

Originally posted by idnic:

I'll be contributing when I can get a chance, we're going through some home-life changes right now so that a friend of ours and her girls do not become homeless. I'll have to convince my wife that everything will be fine if we go out to take pictures for short stints, especially with the WPL. anyways, I digress.

Thanks for doing this Cindi, I love these threads.

margiemu

Canon EOS-20D

07/01/2006 03:08:56 PM · #53

This was my window light attempt. My question of the day is - are the catch lights distracting? The room I shot in has 20 foot high windows and skylights. The light is nice in there, but the skylights made a second set of catch lights. Plus I've got a lamp and plants in fron of the big windows, which make the reflection odd shaped. I may try reshooting this in front of a different window to see how it looks.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/01/2006 04:11:14 PM · #54

Originally posted by margiemu:

The lighting on this shot looks good, Margie. You are right, however about the catchlights. One of the challenges of shooting in available light is getting single catchlights that are clear and not distracting. You may find in some cases you have no choice but to "create" the catchlights yourself in post processing, but usually a change of location will do the trick.

alfresco

Nikon D700

07/01/2006 04:18:25 PM · #55

...walks in late...

Sorry teach, I just found this thread. Thanks for doing this cindi, I wants to learn. :)

...sits down and shuts up...

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/01/2006 04:19:28 PM · #56

Originally posted by alfresco:

...walks in late...

Sorry teach, I just found this thread. Thanks for doing this cindi, I wants to learn. :)

...sits down and shuts up...

Good man! *gets the dunce hat out, juuuuuuuuuust in case!* :D

alfresco

Nikon D700

07/01/2006 04:37:43 PM · #57

Originally posted by idnic:

Good man! *gets the dunce hat out, juuuuuuuuuust in case!* :D

I brought my own, history has spoken :(

margiemu

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/01/2006 04:53:26 PM · #58

so, could you do a lesson in creating catchlights in post processing? Can you do that (add them in pp)?

Nuzzer

Canon EOS-7D

07/01/2006 05:18:45 PM · #59

Originally posted by idnic:

Originally posted by margiemu:

This was my window light attempt. My question of the day is - are the catch lights distracting? The room I shot in has 20 foot high windows and skylights. The light is nice in there, but the skylights made a second set of catch lights. Plus I've got a lamp and plants in fron of the big windows, which make the reflection odd shaped. I may try reshooting this in front of a different window to see how it looks.

The lighting on this shot looks good, Margie. You are right, however about the catchlights. One of the challenges of shooting in available light is getting single catchlights that are clear and not distracting. You may find in some cases you have no choice but to "create" the catchlights yourself in post processing, but usually a change of location will do the trick.

Lighting is an area of extreme interest to me so firstly - thanks for this thread.

Now, can you expand on what you mean by catchlights in this image please?

wavelength

Nikon D300

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

07/01/2006 05:23:22 PM · #60

Originally posted by Nuzzer:

Lighting is an area of extreme interest to me so firstly - thanks for this thread.

Now, can you expand on what you mean by catchlights in this image please?

She means the reflections of the different lights as they play off of the subjects eyes. Getting catchlights wrong can cause distracting pattern on the eyes. Getting them really wrong means there are none, and you lose some of the normal defining features of the eyes. Preferrably for me, the catchlights would be somwhere crossig the line of the iris and the whites, and not intersecting the pupil. That is by no means a professional opinion on the subject.

Message edited by author 2006-07-01 17:23:43.

07/01/2006 05:28:10 PM · #61

K - catchlights are the reflections in the eyes. "Proper" catchlights (according to traditional portrait teaching) should be in the 10:00 or 2:00 position in the eyes for the best result and should only contain one catchlight per eye. Now we all know that isn't always possible - or even desirable depending on where your light source is.

But - catchlights that reflect a lot of detail about the space/light around them (plants, window frames, the photographer, etc), can be distracting on a close image - that is when you might want to clone out the catchlights and create your own.

As with anything in Photoshop, there are several ways of creating catchlights in the eyes. My favorite is to use a small round dodge tool and build the light up slowly, stopping before it looks freaky & unnatural. I also occasionally use a small white paintbrush followed by a touch of blur to soften the edges.

For this image, I created a round catchlight for one eye (my softbox is square, so the reflection was square) and then cloned that catchlight to the other eye.

Here is an interesting method from Popular Photography: See more clearly! The whites of the eyes are looking a little bloodshot? Zoom in, get a small brush and set its mode to Color. Sample the clearest part, and paint them clean. Leave a little redness in the corners of the eyes. If you have awkward or double catchlights, Clone them out and use the Dodge tool to create new ones.

Then emphasize the irises. Get a tiny brush and Burn the circle around the iris to bring it out. Then use the Sponge tool set to saturate to deepen the color, Edit > Fade if it looks too fake.

Try some google searches for other methods, or just start goofing and see what works for you. In all cases, step one will be to carefull clone out the reflection you don't want. That can be tedius, but a necessary step.

Edit to mention something important. DO let the original placement of the catchlights help to determine where your new ones should be. If you go against the fall of light it will look weird, and if you place them wrong your subject will look cross-eyed or wall-eyed or something freaky. In the example above, the catchlight in the left eye looks like it is out of place, but that is where the original was, when I tried to move it she looked ridiculous.

Message edited by author 2006-07-01 17:54:33.

07/01/2006 08:36:28 PM · #62

Here is a window light shot from this afternoon. My most cooperative little model :)

I did this shot as a little challenge for myself. I see alot of photographers say things like "there is no good light in my house" and "how do you get natural light portraits with such beautiful light? My house is a cave." (I don't mean that I saw that in this particular thread, I just mean I see it alot when talking about available light portraiture.) So I picked the darkest part of my house at this time of day and shot there. And, as you can see, I put her smack dab up against the window in order to do it.

I blew out her cheek a bit. I wish I had increased my shutter speed a stop (or, actually, bumped my ISO down to 400). I got about 6 frames before she decided to turn around crawl up the stairs. (This was shot on the landing on my front staircase.)

I would love any comments or critique. This is an excellent thread. I look forward to reading and participating in the discussion.

An aside about the catchlight discussion...IMHO I think you have to be very careful messing around with your catchlights in PS. It can easily look fake and silly. Cindi did a great job in her shot with the two girls (beautiful shot, by the way) but I think it is really best to look at the catchlights before you shoot and adjust your subject's position or the lights. Especially in the studio, catchlights are a great indicator of how good your light positioning is. If they are too low, raise your main up, too centered, move it more off the the side, etc.With available light, I think most anything goes, really. I am not as picky about natural light catchlights (expect that I definitely want to have them).

Liza

Message edited by author 2006-07-01 20:38:01.

letenele

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

07/01/2006 08:53:54 PM · #63

glad I found this. Will be following.

wavelength

Nikon D300

07/01/2006 09:04:18 PM · #64

Originally posted by letenele:

glad I found this. Will be following.

So you can show us what's what?? Nice site.

cfischl

Canon EOS-40D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

07/01/2006 09:05:38 PM · #65

Thanks for starting this Cindi. I'll be following closely.

07/02/2006 01:53:08 AM · #66

Originally posted by elru21:

Too cute! First I love the b/w one! You are right about the blown cheek, but it sounds like you have a clear understanding of how to fix that next time. The light looks great. Its directional, shows the sweet curves of her face and adds dimension. Her playful expression really grabs me. A nice job, Liza! :)

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

07/03/2006 10:23:39 AM · #67

Bumping for Monday. Anyone else take time to do some ambient / available light portraits over the weekend..... or was everyone overwhelmed by 2 Sunday night challenges?

acrotide

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

07/03/2006 10:27:45 AM · #68

Originally posted by idnic:

Bumping for Monday. Anyone else take time to do some ambient / available light portraits over the weekend..... or was everyone overwhelmed by 2 Sunday night challenges?

Weather's been pretty crappy here lately, so haven't had a chance to get any decent indoor/outdoor ambient light shots. Will see what I can do today as this topic is something I'm interested in learning more about. Thanks for taking the time, Cindi :)

07/03/2006 11:33:37 AM · #69

Well, I'll play again and bump this up for you. I shot this little guy at a 90th birthday party yesterday. Outdoor lighting is the thing I have been most trying to practice, so I would appreciate any cc.

He was playing peek-a-boo with me behind the post. Porch lighting is one of my favorites, because it is almost always pretty and a savior mid day. This was about 3:30 on a pretty sunny day. A reflector would probably have helped but with a peek-a-boo playing two year old, I am not sure it is going to happen. I "fixed" the lighting a bit with an overlay layer in PS to even it out a bit. How's it look?

Liza

mpeters

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

07/03/2006 11:57:42 AM · #70

Pic 1

Here is one from my garage with the door wide open. I used some white tablecloth for BG(although i had to spend a fair amount of time lightening it in PS). I took several with a flash bounced over her head to help light the BG but I believe this was natural light only.

She was facing the open door with a white wall to her LH providing some reflection/fill. I dont see much modeling on this one...likely too much reflection from white garage walls.

Sorry i couldn't link the thumb...

mpeters

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

07/03/2006 12:04:35 PM · #71

Originally posted by elru21:

Liza,

I really like the vibrancy of this portrait along with the wonderful lighting. He has a nice bit of shadow on his face and his eyes are perfect. The white door frame?? is a little distracting so i wonder if a tighter crop would look nice. Great shot!

mark

margiemu

Canon EOS-20D

07/03/2006 01:53:36 PM · #72

yesterday's attempts:

This one I got a green reflection on one side of his face, from his shirt, I assume? Is it a problem if you have mulitple windows in a room? Almost all the rooms in our house have windows on at least two sides, so I'm getting light from the side and the front in this, as he's sitting next to a window, with another window (actually french doors) in front of him.

This one I didn't get catch lights very well. Is there an optimal position relative to the window to get the catch lights? How far a way from the window do you usually place the subject?

This is just a funny shot that sums up how my kids feel about me constantly making them pose for pictures. Ü

07/03/2006 02:06:46 PM · #73

Originally posted by mpeters:

What a little doll baby! I love her cheeks.

Nice job getting the background even and true white using natural light. It can be tough. I agree that the light is a bit flat, without many modeling shadows. You mention that she is facing the open door? Maybe try turning your setup so that it is at more of an angle to the door. Also, as you say the white walls will bounce alot of light around and fill in the shadows.

I like the flat lit look here, though. It is a traditional way to light the little guys, especially for a 'high key' portrait like this. You got great eye contact. I like the horizontal crop. Although most portraits are vertical, I read a discussion once where a phtogorapher was saying that horizontal compositions are more restful (or something like that) and was advocating more horizontal portraits. Maybe that is why I am always drawn to them. I might crop a little bit more off the top of her head, closer to her hairline. It would bring her eyes up higher in the frame. I love head-chopping, but you have to do it with gusto and make sure it looks intentional.