Portrait Lighting Techniques - DPChallenge Forums

06/25/2007 11:51:47 PM · #26

Originally posted by KiwiChris:

I saw a setup shot done like this a while ago, might have even been on here, and it was one of those 'Why didn't I think of that' moments... Quick to set up, and there is so much light about that you can do it anywhere the stands and boxes fit.

Great idea! THANKS! :-)

06/26/2007 06:31:51 AM · #27

You're welcome. :-).

Here's another one from the same day, a tighter head-shot:

And the basic setup with a smaller Octobox in the lounge when I was trying out the idea a few days before my Daughters birthday party I took the other two shots at.

I found the octobox wasn't big enough to get a waist up shot with the daughter, she moved around too much, and it has quite a bad hot-spot despite having a double-layer internal baffle. Lovely catch lights though, I love my octabox, in a purely platonic way you understand! ;-)

My 'Studio' which is a spare room had a bed it in as we had friends staying with us when I was trying this out, hence the lounge photo. :-).

And the other thing you can do is turn off the 'backdrop' light and sling a bit of velvet over it for an instant black background. Turn the softbox on the stand so that the key light is effectively off to the left or right and you can very quickly switch to short/broad moody head shot lighting.

Replace the heavy red velvet curtain in this shot with the background stands with a generic blue/gray background, and sling the large box around to point and it and with the same light settings you've got a sitting family portrait setting, large box for key, brolly for fill, white reflector on the ground in front for eye and chin fill.

One thing I've done a bit of is 'traveling' portrait work for club fundraisers etc. I've got the 'many scenario quick change' lighting thing down pat, although I need another light to make it really work... Mr Visa might have to talk to a certain Mr Multiblitz about that sometime later in the year!

I think I've got some wide shots of the setup from an event last year somewhere, with all the lights firing, I'll see if I can dig it out.

Cheers, Chris H.

06/26/2007 06:41:42 AM · #28

Originally posted by renefunk:

well actually this have 3 lights. the background is an other image.
this was in studio with a black background

That's cheating! :-)

Nice PP, It looks like you've lit the alleyway..

06/26/2007 07:25:18 AM · #29

Hmmmm,

Only set up shot I could find is this one, that isn't that flash. This was before I got my 5ft softbox, which I would use now instead of the octabox for this type of setup.

This must have been while I was setting up, as I've not pulled out the wrinkles from the rather well-worn blue backdrop! The brolly you can see in the shadow in the background would have been sitting round in front, just off the corner of the backdrop. The grid also isn't on the hair light yet, and it's about 2ft too low.

Shooting like it is for kids on the bean bag, wagon, rocking horse etc at F/8.0. Small Sitting groups of mother/child parents/child. I could squeeze groups of 5 in this setup. I use the heavy canvas backdrop for this as it's kid proof! Also some people bring pets to this type of thing.. Not good on seamless paper!

Swing the octabox around and shoot into it with the brolly out front for the white background head shots at F/11

Child standing right under the octabox in this position at F/16 shooting towards the black velvet you can just see the bottom corner of, clamped to the right hand backdrop stand under the edge of the octabox. Gives the nice 'soft' broad lit black background shot. Ask the kids to look up into the light for that 'dreamy' on black look. Get them to hold a favourite soft toy etc... You know the routine.

Turn off the octabox, sling a black velvet over it and turn it around so that the brolly (Sitting at the front left corner of the backdrop remember) is lighting 'across' the velvet for harder lit on black effect at F/9 or so. Better for the boys, make them look 'staunch' the girls look better under the softer light shooting into the distant black backdrop under the box.

The reflector leaning against the chairs is a gold/silver job. I use the gold side to warm up the skin on younger kids/babies, as some of them look quite sickly under strobes, and the silver side for fill on the broad/short lit shots in front of the box when it's got the velvet hanging on it.

For scale, the backdrop is 10ft wide, the stands are about 14ft apart. Backdrop to key light about 15ft.. There is bit of wide angle distortion going on here. The shadowy person will be Phoebe, she's 3.5 years old here, not a dwarf!

This is in a school hall BTW, I typically would set this up in 10-15 minutes, and do 20 family sittings in an afternoon, then be out of there in time for the indoor bowls club at 5pm. :-). My assistant would lugs all the toys etc, and diligently cleans all the drool off them after each shoot as required as well.

I set up the lights, and then create a written 'map' of the F-stops for each scenario and positions which I keep handy during the day.

The assistant shows the images, and takes orders if possible, if not contact details so i can do online proofing. The square glow on the right is the 20" LCD monitor used for viewing. The school/club takes the sitting fee, and I make money on the prints.

It's not high art, but it serves a purpose, and it really teaches you to get it right the first time, in camera. You can't chimp on the full sized monitor and go back, as there are three other families waiting in the hall for their turn!

As a foot note to this, I've not done one of this type of events for about 6 months, and I turned down the last two inquires. It's a lot of pain and effort for little return, and the risk to your gear is huge in a big open space with up to 10 kids running around at times. I'd say at a guess I take along $40k worth of gear to one of these things, half a day to prep, two odays in post and arranging prints, all for $300-400 profit. Too hard.

It is very much learning by fire though, so don't let me discourage anyone who is thinking of doing fundraisers! :-).

Cheers, Me.

Makka

06/26/2007 07:36:42 AM · #30

Originally posted by dwterry:

On yours... Hmmm, I only see one light in her eyes, so there can only be one in the front (left of camera).

Ahhh....what if one of the catchlights is removed during post? I do this quite often! ;)

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

06/26/2007 10:13:13 AM · #31

Wow Chris! Thanks for sharing. That's quite a comprehensive setup you have there, it sounds so useful in so many different ways.

Just one request... you describe so many shooting scenarios, it'd be fun to see some sample shots from the various scenarios you described.

06/26/2007 09:55:36 PM · #32

'Urro,

I generally don't get permission from the parents to put the images on the net, but I should have at least one e.g. of each scenario. I'll dig some out tonight when I get home..

Cheers, Me.

06/26/2007 10:09:44 PM · #33

Thank you Chris for that incredibly thorough explanation. I'm new to the DPC, and although I've taken 40,000 shots in the last 3 years, they have all been Nature images. Now and then, people have asked me to do portraits, and I've always declined. Now I know why. This is a whole nother universe! Two questions:
1) I have a Nikor 60mm prime lens for my D80. Would that be a good choice for portraits?
2) What would the minimum setup have to be to get some decent head shots?

06/26/2007 11:33:26 PM · #34

Originally posted by JohnLampkin:

Two questions:
1) I have a Nikor 60mm prime lens for my D80. Would that be a good choice for portraits?
2) What would the minimum setup have to be to get some decent head shots?

1) Yup, it'd be fine for portraits.. Depending on the max. apeture you might be limited to what lighting and effects you can get, but outside that any lens can be used for portraits, although fisheye's for portraits are an aquired taste!

2) A person, and a camera!

I use a lot of gear for those fundraisers, as I need a consistent product in any location, so the only option is to bring the entire world with me. If you don't have that pressure there are lots of options.

Most of my own personal favourite portraits are taken by window light, what makes them great is the expression, and the connection with the viewer/photographer the person has.

I'm tempted to type a whole tutorial right here in the thread, but I should be working. :-). Google for 'portrait lighting tutorial' and you're bound to find some good info, there is lots of the web, and some very good books around if you have a good library near you.

Unless you're dead-set on creating a studio, start out using window light, reflectors (bits of paper/card), and diffusers (Also bits of paper, or sheets). You'll learn a lot more 'making do' than you will by chucking money in a hole for lights etc.

Cheers, Me.

06/27/2007 07:00:39 AM · #35

Originally posted by KiwiChris:

Most of my own personal favourite portraits are taken by window light, what makes them great is the expression, and the connection with the viewer/photographer the person has.

Unless you're dead-set on creating a studio, start out using window light, reflectors (bits of paper/card), and diffusers (Also bits of paper, or sheets). You'll learn a lot more 'making do' than you will by chucking money in a hole for lights etc.

Thanks again. Window light sounds great. Hey, it worked for Vermeer.
I have no room for a studio, and have enough camera clutter already, so "making do" sounds great. Yet, at the same time, I know the power of reflectors and diffusers. I ALWAYS carry my fold-up Illuminator by Westcott out in the field. It's impossible to do macros in mid-day sun without it, and I can see from everyone's posts here how necessary they must be.

06/28/2007 08:10:00 AM · #36

Some samples of stuff from my 'portrait trial by fire' setup...

Under the softbox in the blue:

Did I mention some people bring pets?

This one was shot in front of the octobox, with a black velvet hanging on it. The box was facing in the same direction it is in the setup pic, and the light was from the single brolly. I started out trying to get a moody shot of the Dad with the dredlocks, and his daughter wanted up. Note the quite sharp dropoff of the light, compared to the box shot below.

This one shot with the girl standing with her head about 2ft from the box, diagonally across the 'stage' towards the hanging black velvet. Note softer shadows, and you can see a tiny bit of light on her hair which is spill from the hairlight and grid, about 4 stops down, ish.

And, I may be doing 'production line' portraits, but occasionally I get a gem. Brolly across the face of the black covered box again. I won a local (real world, print) photo comp with this one, titled 'Mother and child' The detail in the full image is wonderful, and I did a bit of dodge&burn to bring down the girls shoulder a little.

All these are just scaled and light USM, (Appart from the B&W on the mother and child). As I said, it's not high art, but given the circumstances I've always been pretty happy, and the parents like them, which is what counts!

Oh, and the other setup option is shooting into the softbox, as per the previous two posts..

Message edited by author 2007-06-28 08:12:55.

06/28/2007 08:10:10 AM · #37

edit: dddd double post. :-)

Message edited by author 2007-06-28 08:10:28.

06/28/2007 10:04:31 AM · #38

Thank you Chris. I continue to learn here.
I wanted to post a pic, but since I am new here, I don't see a tutorial about building the thumbnail, or the protocol for storing the original on a URL. Can someone steer me to the info on the DPC site, or give me the info here, or via email at JohnLampkin@JohnLampkin.com

Thanks!

06/29/2007 07:26:55 AM · #39

OK, I'll give this a try.
I realized after Chris suggested window light that I have done some of that already. Here is my Dad playing dominoes at age 100. I adjusted temp settings to get a quasi-sepia.

06/30/2007 05:58:58 AM · #40

Originally posted by JohnLampkin:

Posted as a comment to the photo, and here for other folks reading the thread..

Firstly, congrats to your Dad for making the three digits!

This portrait fits squarely into the category of 'environmental' portrait, you're showing more than just the person, and they are in their own environment, interacting with it...

If this were strictly a portrait of him, I'd say to get closer to the window. The closer you are to the window, the higher contrast you get between the side near the window, and the side near the room. This enhances the 'modeling' and character of the shot.

Importantly, it also increases the surface area of the 'light' relative to your subject, and reduces the 'hot spots' you can see here in his forehead.

Play around this this window/light to subject spacing.. If you haven't got a crash-test model, use a basketball, orange, pillow... Whatever. Get a feeling for what difference the distance of the window to subject makes.

As an environmental portrait, and a record of your father it's a neat shot, showing his left hand with the wedding band is a very subtle touch you might not have noticed, but it tells us something about the man...

I'd have loved to see him looking at the camera, although he may not have been keen on that, I dunno. If you get someone involved with an activity, and distract them so they flick you a look, or maybe a grin it's magical, it gives you the context of the moment, and a solid connection through the eyes...

Also you need to think about what's behind your subject... There's a flower and something else black growing out of his left year, and a sofa in line with his eyes on his right.

When you want to take someone's photo like this, spend some time talking to them, and observe their environment. If you want the person to be the center of attention, check mentally what is behind them, and in front before you lift the camera to your eye. This is sometimes important, as you only get two or three shots before the person becomes aware of the camera, and either annoyed, or poses for you, which ruins the candid and relaxed nature of the shot.

As I said a way back in this thread, you can improve your portrait taking without spending any money on lights. One of the best things you can do with this type of shot is observe, and that is definitely free!

Thanks for sharing, and keep up taking photos of your Dad!

Message edited by author 2007-06-30 06:01:44.

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

06/30/2007 09:38:41 AM · #41

Speaking of window light and environmental portraiture... here's one I took of my wife's grandma doing genealogy (more details attached to the image):