My first group shot with studio lights...

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

11/26/2004 07:31:38 PM · #1

I bought some studio lights with soft boxes and also purchased a muslin background. Then, amazingly enough, I managed to convince my family that we haven't had a family portrait done for awhile and got them to sit still long enough to take a few shots. Here's what I got:

How's that for a rank amateur at studio lighting...?

The thing that benefited the most, I think, was the use of a flash meter. I had taken a few pictures a week ago without a flash meter and, even though I watched my histogram carefully, the shots were all wrong and I just wasn't happy.

This time, I used an 18% gray card to get the color right, and used a flash meter to get the light right. Then I took a few shots to try to get everyone to look decent and that was it!

Natator

Canon EOS-5D

11/26/2004 07:35:07 PM · #2

Great shot David, I love it :)

I completed setting my own studio up last weekend, hope to use it this weekend.

Continuous paper backgrounds for me, and one cloth one, but not muslin.

I have the light thing under control, I hope but ....

Can you explain how to use the grey card properly? (I usually just adjust if I need to in PS.

Message edited by author 2004-11-26 19:35:25.

11/26/2004 07:47:54 PM · #3

Originally posted by Natator:

I completed setting my own studio up last weekend, hope to use it this weekend.

I hope you'll post samples... I'm trying to learn from you guys! (and besides, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right???)

Originally posted by Natator:

Can you explain how to use the grey card properly? (I usually just adjust if I need to in PS.

I usually just use PS as well. I try to remember to set my white balance properly (sun, clouds, flash, etc) before taking the pictures ... but I still end up having to tweak things later.

I had just purchased a fair sized gray card (about the size of one's head). So after I set up the lights, I just had someone hold the gray card up to their face. Then I zoomed in on the gray card and took a picture.

I'm using the Canon 300D and so then all I did was go into the menus, tell to use *that* image for the white balance, then set my WB to "custom" and that was it.

This was my first time ever using the custom white balance, and I must say, the colors came out beautiful!

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

11/26/2004 07:56:19 PM · #4

Lighting looks good - the neat image or blurring is a bit heavy handed though.

11/26/2004 08:17:53 PM · #5

Originally posted by Gordon:

Lighting looks good - the neat image or blurring is a bit heavy handed though.

Thanks... it was a softening filter I created. I've turned down the opacity on it. What do you think now?

Oops, I just realized that I uploaded the same name, so the original is gone. Sorry, can't compare the two because I don't have the original either.