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04/25/2008 03:21:02 PM · #1 |
I am really just a newbie with studio lighting. I've been reading whatever I can, but I'm looking for help!
I need to do some headshots tomorrow at a local theatre group for high school aged kids. (The headshots are for "A Chorus Line", to be used in the show and in the show brochure.) I have about 32 to take. They will be taken on site, against a white wall, and will be black and white.
I bought a couple of Nikon SB-600s, a translucent white umbrella, and a silver lined umbrella. The beauty of the SB-600's is that I can use them wirelessly and even adjust their settings right from my camera.
However, I've been doing a little experimenting with them, and have realized that my results vary widely when using the TTL settings. So I'm looking for lighting advice per below:
1) For the translucent umbrella, how close to put the strobe to the umbrella?
2) Should I use the wide angle diffuser built into the flash when using the umbrella
3) What about the built-in sensors in the flashes--which direction should the red base "lens" of the flash be facing?
...a) towards the subject always?
...b) The same way the flash head is facing?
...c) Always towards the umbrella, whether reflective or direct light.
4) How far away from the subject should a shoot through umbrella be (the main light)
5) How far away from the subject should a reflective umbrella be (the key light)
6) Should I use TTL, or manual mode?
(I realize that 4 and 5 sort of depend on where they are, but some general guidelines would be helpful!)
I also have a couple of reflectors now (but only one stand). Here are a couple of test shots using two lights and a reflector. The main light was from the photographers left, as hight as possible but close. The reflector was to the right of the camera's view, and the second strobe was above and slightly behind on the right as a fill for the reflector, the hair, and the BG (and was 1/16 power, manual, while the main light was TTL.)
Just RAW adjustments editing in LightRoom. The color ones are pretty much as shot, with some exposure adjustment as needed.
As shot, mostly unadjusted (cropped)
[thumb]672810[/thumb]
Lightroom BW conversion:
 [thumb]672807[/thumb]
As shot, mostly unadjusted (cropped)
[thumb]672813[/thumb]
Lightroom BW conversion:
[thumb]672814[/thumb]
Can you please critique the lighting? (I realize the BG is darker than we want here...tomorrow it shouldn't be as much of a problem I hope since I'll also have window light.)
Message edited by author 2008-04-25 15:23:32. |
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04/25/2008 03:31:49 PM · #2 |
Originally posted by nshapiro:
1) For the translucent umbrella, how close to put the strobe to the umbrella? |
Very helpful video about 1/4th way down the page: //strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html Get through the first two mintues and then you will understand
Originally posted by nshapiro:
2) Should I use the wide angle diffuser built into the flash when using the umbrella |
I would say there should be no need for it.
Originally posted by nshapiro:
3) What about the built-in sensors in the flashes--which direction should the red base "lens" of the flash be facing?
...a) towards the subject always?
...b) The same way the flash head is facing?
...c) Always towards the umbrella, whether reflective or direct light. |
I don't think this really matters but I always face that toward the umbrella.
Originally posted by nshapiro:
4) How far away from the subject should a shoot through umbrella be (the main light)
5) How far away from the subject should a reflective umbrella be (the key light) |
This question will depend on your flash exposure. I usually keep my flashes at "+0" and they are both about 3 - 4 feet away from my model with shoot through umbrellas. The Canon ST-E2 allows me to put more light one or the other or make it even. If you have this ability then I would put them both the same distance.
Originally posted by nshapiro:
6) Should I use TTL, or manual mode? |
Stick with TTL mode. It is very reliable
Edit to add: I think the lighting in all those are great. Very nice job getting those catchlights in there.
Message edited by author 2008-04-25 15:51:20.
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04/25/2008 04:56:25 PM · #3 |
| Thanks James! I'd been to the strobist site, and watched the video, but it was helpful to see it again (this time with my questions in mind. And thanks for your other detailed answers! |
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04/25/2008 06:10:18 PM · #4 |
I think if you are in a studio type environment I would go totally manual - What's the rush? Your camera can get fooled by many things but a few test shots will soon start giving you constant results and you can change many more factors. You can also see the results instantly on the back of the camera.
I use only manual when doing any type of flash photography. |
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04/25/2008 06:13:43 PM · #5 |
You want to put the strobe at a distance that fills the umbrella evenly from edge to edge. To close and you will get a hot spot in the center and less light at the edges. To far and you are going to lose light around the edges, reducing the effectiveness of the umbrella.
If you have enough power to diffuse twice, once through the diffuser panel and again through the umbrella, this is usually good at giving softer light. Most softboxes have two panels, one inside and the one on the end. The softbox loses less light though because very little light escapes or gets absorbed before it comes out the end. A umbrella is losing light because of the way it spreads it.
For placing of sensors... it doesn't really matter as long as they see the light. The key is to ALWAYS do it the same way. At least until you learn enough to know why and when to do it different. If you are consistant in the way you do it, you will learn to adjust your light, fstop or distances to get the light the way you want. By being consistant you will always be able to do the same thing and get the same results.
You want your umbrellas as close to the subject as is needed to produce the light you want. :D Usually you want them closer. Keep in mind that the closer the light source, the softer the shadows are (and hence the light). The futher your light source is, the harsher your shadows will be (more defined with sharp edges between shadow and light areas) and the harder your light will be. You also have to consider that the further away you are, the stronger your lights will need to be to compensate for lost light. I like to have my umbrellas within about 4 feet, sometimes even closer.
Again, the larger the reflective light source, the softer the light will be. So you want a umbrella that you are reflecting out of to be as close as you can.
You have more control and a better understanding of your settings if you use manual mode. Once you get use to shooting with flash in manual mode, you will be able to do some much more in controlling how and where it falls. This is where a flash meter will really help you. Take multiple readings of and around your subject. If you do this in the 1/10th of a stop setting (even if your camera only changes in 1/3 of a stop steps), you will be able to see where the light falls off or is producing a hot spot.
The key is to have lights that are not under powered for your umbrellas or reflectors. If they are, you are going to struggle getting your light right. With more light than you need, you can always turn the power down.
The above also assumes you want soft lighting for your portraits. There are times when what is wanted is harsher light, so you have to adjust your light sources to produce that.
Mike
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04/25/2008 11:12:40 PM · #6 |
| Thanks Mike and Jeff! Great advice. |
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04/26/2008 08:46:16 AM · #7 |
Jeff, Mike, and anyone else--did you have any critique on the lighting in the examples? Advice for headshot lighting arrangement of the two umbrellas and reflector?
Leaving in a couple hours for the shoot! |
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04/26/2008 01:29:18 PM · #8 |
It's probably to late now, but the main thing I see about the lighting on the two color shots is that it's too square on to her face. A little more angle and just a bit higher would have helped. But then I don't know what kind of look you are going to be trying for with the theater group. When I shot with a theater group years ago (with an RB67), we did want even lighting most of the time because it was better for the publications they were published in (cheap flyers and newsprint) so the shadows wouldn't block up and lose detail. I missed your mention of the silver lined umbrella. I don't care for them myself. Their light is too harsh unless you are shooting a shot where harsher light is desired.
On the black and white, I think you need a bit more contrast. To me they are a bit too gray. But they aren't that bad nor that far off. If you get a chance to practice a bit more, you will probably pick up what you need to know pretty quickly. I hope your shoot went well.
Mike
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04/26/2008 04:25:52 PM · #9 |
one thing about bagging TTL - and going with manual - is you'll start to get a handle on the power the flash needs and how far away it ought to be for a given aperture ( aperture being the most important variable in most cases if you ask me ).
then that info becomes a base point to work off in the future - more power, less distance - or vice-versa - based on a middle of the road set of settings you have burned into your head.
i haven't quite gotten there yet - but find i get better results quantatively than with the TTL.
IMO with TTL your results will/might be inconsistant - if nothing else harder to replicate - or at least more of a PITA to replicate.
ETA: working on the fly and moving around, TTL might be a better option. but that's not what i do on a regular basis.
Message edited by author 2008-04-26 16:27:44.
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04/26/2008 10:58:56 PM · #10 |
Thanks everyone!
I am back and had a great time, and got great results (well, I think so, and so did they). Perhaps not advanced pro level lighting, but good lighting for what they needed.
I did end up using manual settings. It worked great. From the D80, it's nice, I can change the settings on the two flashes right from the camera. So I changed them as needed.
I posted some of my raw (unedited) shots over in the Strobist thread. Here's a link, so I don't waste bandwidth posting twice. |
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04/26/2008 11:23:38 PM · #11 |
Hey dude, I got an easy fix for ya. Get a ringFlash. Man you just cant go wrong with them. Perfectly even light every time and no shadows. If you want to do headshots this is a must have. I picked mine up foir aroung $500 from alien bees.
Travis
Message edited by author 2008-04-26 23:23:53.
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04/27/2008 12:27:47 AM · #12 |
The problem with the ring light is, they don't produce shadows and they create a very odd shaped and un-appealing catch light right smack in the middle of the eyes. Sometimes no shadows are desirable but it's shadows that give the appearance of 3 dimensions in a 2 dimension media. To our mind, shadows are normal and the absence of shadows in most situations is not normal.
Ring lights are good for objects, but in my opinion, not all that great for people in most portrait situations. I know some people like them, but I think they like them because they are different, not because they are better.
Mike
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04/27/2008 01:20:55 AM · #13 |
Yes, I was wondering that too--if we are trying to put lights off to the side, to show depth and shape to objects, why would a light around the lens be better lighting?
Maybe the big ones I've seen used for modeling work are ok, but one that's 72mm or so? |
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04/27/2008 10:23:22 AM · #14 |
Yeah, I've seen a few photogs using ring lights. Everybody gushes over them. I still think shadows are important to defining the shape of the face.
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04/27/2008 11:44:20 AM · #15 |
i need to invent a graduated ring light ;}
Originally posted by dwterry:
Yeah, I've seen a few photogs using ring lights. Everybody gushes over them. I still think shadows are important to defining the shape of the face. |
Message edited by author 2008-04-27 11:44:36.
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04/27/2008 02:00:03 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by soup:
i need to invent a graduated ring light ;}
Originally posted by dwterry:
Yeah, I've seen a few photogs using ring lights. Everybody gushes over them. I still think shadows are important to defining the shape of the face. |
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There you go. Make it so it's controllable at any point around it's 360 degree circumferance and then the shadows can be put where ever the photographer wants. :D
Mike
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