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11/12/2006 10:15:50 AM · #1 |
I wanna shoot portraits indoors, but don't have the necessary studio equipments for excellent portraitures. What i have are two incandescent, bell-shaped lampshades (the bodies are somewhat malleable, you can always point the light in any direction).
What can i do to make the most out of these to capture nice looking portraits indoors?
How can make my improvised "studio"?
Thank you.. |
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11/12/2006 10:17:44 AM · #2 |
You only need 2 things to make great portraits indoors. A window and a reflector. Have a read through the portrait lighting thread, the first half is all about natural light portraits.
Portrait Lighting -- Learning Thread
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11/12/2006 10:52:50 AM · #3 |
if you take pices of regualr white printer paper of the lamps you can get diffused lighting... they way the shadows wont be as harsh...
if i were you i would go pick up a flash for your camera.. with the two light coming in from the side youde be able to get some nice even lighting and minimal bad shadows...
however i do also agree with idnic here, reflectors are your friend, you can make one with tin foil and a cookie sheet (pan). Just smooth out the tin foils then put it on the cookie sheet and you have a homemade reflector :)
-Dan
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11/12/2006 11:19:03 AM · #4 |
I am fond of shooting in macro mode, about 10 cm to 80cm from the subject.
can i just use the two lamps rather than using a reflector? I plan to diffuse the main light by a sheet of tissue (which works better, tissue or paper?), and cover the other light source by two or more tissue papers to reduce the light from it.
thanks. . . |
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11/12/2006 01:03:38 PM · #5 |
how powerfull are the lights?
another thingi forgot to mention, is that you can get work lights a any hardware stor that are perfect for portraiture..
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11/12/2006 01:06:45 PM · #6 |
Lamps don't put off a lot of light... so, you're going to need to shoot at fairly slow shutter speeds. You're going to want to be on a tripod and have your model be very still.
Even with 500 watt halogens you're still looking at slow shutter speeds, but hand-holdable.
The better option for a "cheap studio" IMO is an on-camera flash and the Lightsphere II. This is what I use for 90% of my portraits as I shoot on location most of the time. Ofcourse some reflectors help too.
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11/12/2006 01:15:50 PM · #7 |
You'll still want a reflector, but it can be something like a car shade, a piece of white poster board, etc., nothing fancy needed. Most of the time, my indoor lighting involves turning on every light available to me and then using a directional halogen desk lamp if necessary. Wax paper work better (and is less likely to burn) than tissue paper for light diffusion.
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11/13/2006 08:38:04 AM · #8 |
I have 15 watts daylight bulbs, which i read is equivalent to 75 watts of incandescent bulb. i plan to use them on my two lampshades.
which is better to use the daylight bulb producing white light, or the normal bulbs producing soft yellow lights?
What shutter speed, aperture, iso, and other camera settings can you suggest so i can make the best of my camera, applicable for portraiture?
Thank you.. |
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11/13/2006 11:44:07 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by idnic:
You only need 2 things to make great portraits indoors. A window and a reflector. Have a read through the portrait lighting thread, the first half is all about natural light portraits.
Portrait Lighting -- Learning Thread |
Yup. A big window that faces a unblocked sky, without the sun in it, is your friend. North facing in the Northern hemisphere is the best bet, but a window facing in any other direction can be used at the right time of day. The thing that many people get confused about is you don't want a window with the sun shining in. You want a window that has bright, even and diffuse light, from the open sky. Blue sky or clouds, but try to avoid lots of overhanging trees.
You'll want to get your subjects quite close to the window - couple of feet away - to get good light and reasonable speeds. A diffuser can be used, but currently I prefer just the window to get more interesting light fall off and shaping. The key things to look for are a good, bright catchlight in the eyes and some shaping from the light - a 45 degree face mask angle to the window is a good starting point - straight on with the light ends up being flat.
Room lights can help provide some fill for the background but I'd go for a big, bright window every time instead of using room lights as the main light. They are too small, too close and throw much harsher shadows compared to a window.
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