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08/24/2004 08:21:53 PM · #26 |
| ^someone has WAYYYYyyyyy too much time.... |
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08/24/2004 08:33:14 PM · #27 |
| Wow! I think that's gotta be the most well-thought out post I've ever seen here -- kudos Kevin! |
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08/25/2004 12:39:11 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by micknewton:
Yesterday I bought two 9' rolls of seamless paper for background material--one black and one white. Is that what you used for your background? Should I be looking for something else to use? |
That seamless should be perfect! I actually have solid black and solid white muslins, but getting them perfectly smooth is a royal PITA... I had to edit all of my photos to get the backgrounds as clean as they are because of wrinkles, creases, folds, etc. -- all things that shouldn't be an issue when using paper!
Originally posted by micknewton:
If it isn̢۪t too much trouble, would you share your lighting setup? I have two AlienBees B400 strobes, two 13̢۪ boom stands, and two medium Octaboxes. Do you think I can get by with these, or should I consider buying another light or two? |
I think that setup should be quite adequate! My lighting setup for those shots was as follows (warning: crappy but quick hand drawing below!):
Some of this stuff I bought recently, some I've had for a while (such as the Photek Softlighter II Umrella). Most of the stuff should be pretty obvious. The shovel reflector on the background light is here.
I bought a bunch of stuff (including all of my muslins) on eBay from a company called amvona.com:
Back light stand
Backdrop stand
Large soft box
10'x16' black muslin
10'x16' white muslin
(When bidding on their stuff, just be aware of their shipping charges and the cost that you can buy newly-listed items using "Buy It Now" or directly from their web site. They re-list stuff continuously. If you're not in a hurry to get anything, you can just keep using a service like BidNapper to bid your maximum at the last minute. It helps to look to see what the item has recently sold at to get an idea of where it will end.)
If I had two lights, I would use one as the key, and when shooting on the white seamless, one as the background light. I would then setup something as a reflector for the fill (such as a 4x8 sheet of white foamcore) that can be used to reflect light from the key back on to the model from the other side. When shooting on the black seamless, you don't need a background light, so you could use that as a hair light, above and behind the model, to give some separation from the background.
I'm certainly no lighting expert; this was first shoot using all this stuff, and I was basically flying by the seat of my pants. But if you have more questions about my setup, let me know and I'll be happy to answer.
Message edited by author 2004-08-25 12:43:56. |
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08/25/2004 01:07:10 PM · #29 |
| Eddy, I think you did an AWESOME job with these portraits. I'm sure both Gina and her Mom will be extremely pleased with the results! Thanks for sharing the proofs and your lighting set-up (very helpful). |
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08/25/2004 02:11:36 PM · #30 |
Good stuff. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Kevin.
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08/25/2004 02:29:05 PM · #31 |
Eddy & Kevin-
I know several people have already said thanks, but I want to add to the list. Although alot of what has been said in this thread is over my head, I plan on adding to favorites and refering back to it from time to time as my knowledge increases.
THANKS for taking the time, you are both awesome photographers!!!!! |
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08/25/2004 07:28:59 PM · #32 |
Eddy --
the only thing i don't like about these photos is that the light ratio remains, for the most part, CONSTANT on her face (other than the hair light ratio). You may want to try a KEY light + a BOOK end on the side as the fill, this way, the fill will automatically be LESS than the key light. Having two lights is trickier and I think the reason why it looks flat is because the softbox + the umbrella are set to be the same power.
Instead, use the umbrella light as the key light, set it to X power, then use the softbox as the fill and set it to 2 stops below. You may also want to try a different setup (switch the key and fill) because your model is facing to the right on the diagram, therefore, her face is pointing at the softbox (45 degrees). I'd aim the keylight at 90 degrees to the left of her face for that Rembrandt look :) but that's just me. Probably a 1:2 to 1:3 fill ratio works really well on these senior shoots. (up to 1 1/2 stops in between the lights) Just becareful of the "nose" shadows :-), wrongly positioned, they can look bad.
If she wants something different, another setup would be to use the softbox BEHIND the model, use two bookends 45 degrees close to the model as fill, this creates a very "glamour" like effect, though exposure is very tricky with digital cams because of the lack of highlight sampling on these cameras.
You may also want try some "soft focus" effects on the facial closeups, i think you'll find a lot of people like them (just don't overdo it everywhere....)
Tony
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08/25/2004 10:35:32 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by EddyG:
That seamless should be perfect! I actually have solid black and solid white muslins, but getting them perfectly smooth is a royal PITA... I had to edit all of my photos to get the backgrounds as clean as they are because of wrinkles, creases, folds, etc. -- all things that shouldn't be an issue when using paper! |
Yup. I̢۪ve been using a piece of black muslin lately, and I found that it̢۪s near impossible to keep it clean and lint free. To smooth out the wrinkles I stretched it out on my roll-up garage door with a few spring clamps. The only problem is that there is no way to get a smoothly curving transition from vertical to horizontal when using the clamps.
Anyway, I stopped by Pro-Photo Supply on the way home from work the other day and bought $100 worth of seamless. The 9̢۪ boxes of paper wouldn̢۪t fit inside the cab of my truck, so I put them in back and started driving home. If you know anything at all about Murphy̢۪s Law then you know what had to happen next. Yes, of course it started to rain. Just a sprinkle at first (so I wouldn̢۪t turn around and go back to the store), but the farther I drove the harder it rained. By the time I got home I was looking around for Noah̢۪s ark. When I got the boxes indoors the cardboard was mush. I opened them up expecting to see $100 worth of wood pulp, and found the rolls of paper safely sealed in plastic. Wahoo! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Murphy! :)
So, now all I need is a backdrop stand to hold the paper and I̢۪ll be all set. That setup you found on Ebay looks like a pretty good deal.
While looking around at photo web sites that do senior pictures (like houseofphotography.com) I started thinking that I might need some more elaborate backgrounds. But, after seeing how great your photos look with the white and black backgrounds, I̢۪ve changed my mind.
Thanks a bunch for the help Eddy!
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05/19/2005 05:53:52 PM · #34 |
While searching the forums I found this thread and I'd really like to see the shots, so that I can get the value from all the comments! Eddy, any chance of making them public again?
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05/19/2005 06:34:57 PM · #35 |
| I am unable to view the photos....???? anyone else? |
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05/19/2005 06:44:51 PM · #36 |
| i couldn't see them either....it kept coming up with a box for a password... |
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05/19/2005 06:49:23 PM · #37 |
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05/19/2005 06:49:57 PM · #38 |
Y'all... this thread is way old and EddyG hasn't posted but two times since January. Calm down. ;o)
Message edited by author 2005-05-19 18:50:35.
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05/19/2005 06:52:26 PM · #39 |
Originally posted by laurielblack:
Y'all... this thread is way old and EddyG hasn't posted but two times since January. Calm down. ;o) |
Hm, I'm guessing that's gonna be a "no" to my question about seeing the pics ;)
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05/19/2005 06:54:13 PM · #40 |
| whoops, didn't even notice how old this is |
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05/19/2005 07:47:02 PM · #41 |
wow I was trying to view them too lol..was just about to ask the password.
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05/24/2005 11:40:04 PM · #42 |
Originally posted by ahaze:
While searching the forums I found this thread and I'd really like to see the shots, so that I can get the value from all the comments! Eddy, any chance of making them public again? |
Hi Andi! I was made aware of your request in this thread... and given the effort that KevinRiggs expended in critiquing this session, I thought it was important to make the photos available. And since we now have more portfolio space on DPC, I've uploaded all of the shots referenced in this thread... and Langdon was kind enough to edit the posts to refer to them directly.
FWIW, if any of the pics still have the "PROOF" text on them, it means the client didn't order any of that pose. If they are "clean", then they did order from that pose, and the title (which defaults to the filename, which I left because I'm short of time these days) indicates the size of the print ordered.
I've also uploaded these other shots from the session that were ordered but not directly referenced in the thread:
        
Actually, it is kind of funny looking back at my "lighting setup drawing" from back then. It would be very rare for me to use that setup today! |
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05/24/2005 11:43:01 PM · #43 |
Thanks Eddy! those are some great photos and now i have something to put the comments to.
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05/24/2005 11:50:35 PM · #44 |
Wow, Eddy and Langdon, thank you SO much for that. I just got my wireless transmitter/receiver and my new flash meter in the mail today- haven't even had a chance to test them with my new Hensels yet. Ooh, now I'm all impatient!
Looking forward to studying what you did.
And hey, if you get a chance, I'd love to hear how you'd set things up nowadays!!
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05/25/2005 06:34:54 PM · #45 |
Originally posted by ahaze:
And hey, if you get a chance, I'd love to hear how you'd set things up nowadays!! |
For most portraits, I now just use a big softbox for the main, a reflector for fill and a hairlight.
Have fun with your new gear! |
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05/25/2005 07:11:20 PM · #46 |
Yo EddyG, it's good to see you posting here again. Don't be such a stranger.
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05/25/2005 07:32:28 PM · #47 |
Originally posted by EddyG:
Originally posted by ahaze:
And hey, if you get a chance, I'd love to hear how you'd set things up nowadays!! |
For most portraits, I now just use a big softbox for the main, a reflector for fill and a hairlight.
Have fun with your new gear! |
about how much would this stuff cost? i saw some softbox kits on andorama that were like 300ish. |
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05/25/2005 07:39:20 PM · #48 |
Originally posted by EddyG:
Originally posted by ahaze:
And hey, if you get a chance, I'd love to hear how you'd set things up nowadays!! |
For most portraits, I now just use a big softbox for the main, a reflector for fill and a hairlight.
Have fun with your new gear! |
Eddy, welcome back! It's been far too long... I hope everything is well?
-Terry
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05/25/2005 07:45:54 PM · #49 |
| These shots are amazing, I bet she was please with every single one of them, I know I would have been. Fantastic, thanks for sharing. |
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