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01/04/2008 08:12:24 AM · #1 |
Looking towards doing environmental portraits, very much in the same vain as larus' and arnits images below. However, I was wondering whether this kind of image could be successfully replicated using a normal hotshoe flash on a tripod, or do I need to buy a lighting kit for this? I don't have either, hence the question if a a normal flash would suffice, and I don't particularly want to spend the dough on expensive equipment! Your views would be much appreciated!
Message edited by author 2008-01-04 08:16:27. |
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01/04/2008 08:19:17 AM · #2 |
yeah you could do something similar with just a single direct flash situated at a similar angle just above the model's head. Expose so the background is 2 stops underexposed then use the flash to fill the silhouette of your model.
Of course, Larus is a master at this, but for one flash it should be fairly straight forward. I use the Vivitar flashes and they're cheap and cheerful and always do the job. I'm not as skilled with Larus as controlling the light but you'd be suprised just how powerful a little flash can be. Just get the flash off the camera first :) |
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01/04/2008 08:22:11 AM · #3 |
I'm no expert, but from what I've read on Strobist, it looks like those are shot with at least one and maybe two strobes, off camera. I looks like hard light (straight from the flash, no diffusion). There's a photo in the Strobist Photo of the Year pool, I think it won 2nd place; it's a volleyball player and is similar to these.
To do this, the notes on Strobist said you need to keep the shutter speed at maximum-sync and close the aperture down until the sky takes on that dark, moody look. Then you crank up the power on your speedlight until it's able to light the model the way you want.
You could do it with a Speedlight, no need for a fancy studio gear set.
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01/04/2008 08:24:06 AM · #4 |
| I suppose its just a case of experimenting?! As long as this is possible with a normal flash, that will probably be the route I'll follow for now! Any other tips? |
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01/04/2008 08:25:36 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by Magno:
I suppose its just a case of experimenting?! As long as this is possible with a normal flash, that will probably be the route I'll follow for now! Any other tips? |
You can make it easier on yourself if you don't shoot at midday, but rather in the morning or evening. That way there's less ambient light that you need to overpower.
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01/04/2008 08:27:36 AM · #6 |
| many thanks for your help |
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01/04/2008 08:29:23 AM · #7 |
Brent is pretty much bang on, although I would be tempted to open the shutter a little more to get the correct exposure if it wasn't exposed properly- too short a shutter speed could just leave a black background in similar lighting conditions. Best times to shoot for these shots are dusk or morning when there are decent cloud formations.
Basically, shutter speed controls the ambient light, aperture controls the flash. You might find you'll need 1/30 of a second @ ISO 100 to expose the background properly, then use the flash to fill in the rest of it. I usually start at F/8 (remember, aperture controls the flash exposure) and either go down to F6.3 if it's too dark, or F10 if it's too bright and a bit blown out, but keeping the shutter speed the same so the ambient is always the same brightness.
Also, if you change the distance from flash to model you'll need to edit your settings again to compensate. The closer the flash, the brighter the light.
And one more tip i've picked up on my travels that I stumbled upon- set your WB to tungsten (or about 3000K) and use a warming gel on the flash to bring the skin tones back to normal. This works wonders for environmental shots.
And yes, looks like direct light to me.
Message edited by author 2008-01-04 08:30:20. |
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