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11/23/2005 05:33:12 PM · #1 |
I am going to try my hand at portraits in the studio (my basement). I will be using Novatron strobes with 32" umbella(s). I read all about different lighting for different effects and I understand all of that but nowhere does it say anything about how far away the lights should be.
My question is how much does distance matter and if so does anyone know what a good starting point (let's say for the main light) would be?
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11/23/2005 05:51:31 PM · #2 |
Well.... obviously the power of your lights, reflective surfaces in the space, size of the space, effect you want to achieve, etc. all play a part in determining how far/close to place your lights from your subject.... that said, a good starting point is about 4-5', then move closer or farther away as needed for the look you want.
Message edited by author 2005-11-23 17:52:18.
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11/24/2005 03:39:05 AM · #3 |
The basics? That's about all I can help you on so I'll give it a go. :D
I try to keep two things in mind when working with lighting (basic worklamp setup is what I have).
1: The further the light is from the subject, the more diffuse or spread out it will become -- and conversely, the closer the light is to the subject the harsher the light.
2: The power of the light falls in an inverse square ratio to the distance. That is, if you double the distance from the subject to the light, the power of the light becomes 1/4th of what it was (a 2 stop difference) -- and the opposite in when moving the light closer to the subject.
These two working against each other, along with the power of the lights and the aperture or shutter speed you want will usually choose the distance to place the lights.
David
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11/24/2005 03:50:52 AM · #4 |
I found this question a drama since I got my lights too. I really had to play around with them quite a bit. Sometimes the highlights were overpowering the main light etc. This one I took with the main light just under 2 meters away and a second strobe about 3 meters above and behind to the right of model.
EDIT: Oh, I used a smallish softbox on the main light and bounced the second strobe off the ceiling through a diffuser umbrella.
Message edited by author 2005-11-24 03:52:06. |
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