reflecting light - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus 12-50mm MZuiko Digital ED F:3.5-6.3 EZ

07/13/2012 09:23:55 AM · #1

i did my first corporate head shots last night. overall they turned out well, but i spent way too much time setting up getting the lighting right.

we shot indoors at the clients office, so the first thing i did was turnoff the fluorescents. i had an flash on a radio trigger shooting through a white umbrella camera right shooting down 45degrees then a large reflector camera left to reflect some light back onto the clients face to fill in the shadow. i could not get that side to light up properly. i had the main flash set at or almost full power since there was little to no ambient, shooting at f4 and 5.6, my shutter was, i believe, 1/60 or so.

if i moved the umbrella in too close the reflector worked but too hot on the face and if i turned it down or moved it away it the reflector wasn't pushing enough light back. i tried silver and white. ultimately i put a second flash back away and used the bounce card to fill the shadows, this however left a nasty nose shadow on the cheek that I am able to clone out, but still...

we did a few different rooms indoors and ultimately i was able to nail the main light but i kept have problem with reflecting the light.

here is a sample image from one of the rooms, i need to lighten it up more, and remove that highlight on her right cheek, but can you see the shadow on her left check, that little hook right next to her nose? i couldnt see that on the rear lcd and its driving me nuts.

do you think i would have been better gelling the flash green and leaving the overhead lights on?

Message edited by author 2012-07-13 09:26:26.

ThingFish

Olympus OM-D E-M1

07/13/2012 11:11:38 AM · #2

You have had 38 views so far.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II

07/13/2012 11:28:17 AM · #3

Originally posted by JustFred:

You have had 38 views so far.

how do you know? i dont see it?

Venser

Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO M.Zuiko

07/13/2012 11:30:45 AM · #4

Originally posted by mike_311:

how do you know? i dont see it?

Think he's referencing the the views column here.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

07/13/2012 11:31:49 AM · #5

ahhh...

giantmike

Canon EOS R6

07/13/2012 12:25:45 PM · #6

Actually, you can see image views in the box below the image. It currently says 43 views, 0 comments, 0 favorites.

Anyway, I don't think this looks bad at all. I like the way the light rakes across the face to great depth. If you eliminate all of those shadows, it would look way to flat.

Also, leaving on the fluorescents probably wouldn't do a thing at 1/60. That's not enough time for that low level of light output to really make a different (in my experience).

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/13/2012 12:34:17 PM · #7

Originally posted by giantmike:

i figured with plain flash it would be easier to control WB, unless i gelled the flash. i liked the way the shadows turned out too except that little hook shadow which somehow is coming from my other flash. it prevalent in other poses i did. the office was full of reflective glass and her office has mirrors too, so maybe it was coming from that somehow. there is no way it should have overpowered my main flash to leave that shadow.

Message edited by author 2012-07-13 12:34:56.

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

07/13/2012 01:09:40 PM · #8

If you reverse the umbrella to reflective instead of shoot thru in a situation like this, it will wrap around the subject more (making it easier to get the opposite side of the subject lit, and it will also throw more light toward the back and sides of the room. It is also a stop or two (depending on umbrella) so you might end up with your speedlight at 1/2 instead of full.

If you have a willing volunteer, duplicate your set up as you did it, then switch the umbrella around and see what you get as a result. It might work well for certain scenarios, not so well for others. But you will get a feel for which set up will do what, and you'll know which one to start with when you arrive and assess the location at your next gig!

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

07/13/2012 01:50:18 PM · #9

thanks. i have a reflective umbrella too, and that's what i usually use. i figured the shoot through would be best since i can get it closer in a tight space, without poking someones eye out.

chromeydome

Nikon D7000

07/13/2012 01:58:42 PM · #10

Originally posted by mike_311:

thanks. i have a reflective umbrella too, and that's what i usually use. i figured the shoot through would be best since i can get it closer in a tight space, without poking someones eye out.

Yep, it is always highly dependent on the subject, the space, and a host of other variables. Which means it ain't never dull :-)

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

07/13/2012 02:23:21 PM · #11

Originally posted by mike_311:

I think you just need more power. The main light, I'd use a reflecting umbrella on the main and for the fill, you can shoot through a diffuser or use a large soft box to get a soft fill. A keylight or hairlight would have been nice to bring out some detail in her hair on the fill side.

Gelling the flash and trying to match the room lights should be the absolute last resort right after exploring the possibility of climbing up a ladder and unscrewing the bulbs...

Message edited by author 2012-07-13 14:29:10.

MarkB

Canon EOS-60D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

07/13/2012 04:59:36 PM · #12

You can always crank up your shutter speed to your sync speed to knock out any ambient light as well so you don't need to worry about matching it. At 1/250 you may not even need to turn them off.

Spork99

Canon EOS M6 Mk II

Canon EF-M 22mm STM Lens

07/13/2012 05:36:21 PM · #13

Originally posted by MarkB:

You can always crank up your shutter speed to your sync speed to knock out any ambient light as well so you don't need to worry about matching it. At 1/250 you may not even need to turn them off.

I understood the intent behind the OP's suggestion about gelling the flash in this case to match the color of the fluorescent lights was to use them as fill.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

07/14/2012 08:38:56 AM · #14

if this is something you really want to do, i would suggest the following.

1) collect excellent examples of one light setups, two light setups, three light setups, and four light setups.

2) study them from both technical and aesthetic standpoints so that you can understand what type of setup is required for a particular result.

3) using the gear you have, practice-practice-practice. if you have space available, great; otherwise, rent some studio time. set yourself up for some serious practice.

the keys to corporate headshots are getting in, getting it done, and getting the hell out.

if you do not have the equipment you need to get the results you want, buy the equipment and learn how to use it before you need it. while you can learn a lot of great tricks and techniques at the strobist website, you should also know that guy has almost every piece of lighting gear known to man. even though he could go out and light something with a flashlight if he had to, he also can make midnight look like high noon. the point is, don't kid yourself into thinking you have to do this on a shoestring just because it might be possible. your clients aren't paying you to see how much you can do with very little. all they want is...for you to show up and get the job done correctly as quickly as possible, with the least interruption to their business.

case in point. i have a new client because the photographer they used for headshots last year came in with a backdrop, a single light, and a reflector. at first blush, the results were ok, a little underexposed. with nothing to compare them to, this photog would probably be doing the work this year. however, compared to what they had before, they were terrible. his predecessor used a four-light setup (main light left, softbox right, hair light, and a light on the backdrop) and delivered excellent results. i imagine the reason they tried someone else was budgetary - and they realized after the fact that they were probably getting what they were paying for. but, rather than go back to the first guy, they're giving me their headshot business because of how i've handled other work for their organization.

you're only as good as your last job. if the results are outstanding, then at least you have that in your favor. but, if they also remember that it took forever, then you had better hope the results were over-the-top-outstandingly-spectacular ;-)

good luck!

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/14/2012 09:27:11 AM · #15

i studied a few one and two light setups before going in and i thought i replicated them, maybe i did and like was pointed out the light just weer strong enough.

thanks for all the tips, this shot was mainly practice, the woman knew that going in. She didn't mind the time i spent, she needed head shots and i needed practice. I'm going to pick up a second stand and try the main light reflector with the shoot through for fill and see how that works. I'll also pick up a third for hair light.

Devinder

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

07/15/2012 12:46:30 AM · #16

With umbrellas, i had issues with shadows/sheen at times. Placing umbrella closer to subject at lower powers or just amped up the power and a scrim both worked at times along with adjusting the angle a bit (key slightly more towards camera center and higher up). Eventually i gave in and bought the softbox for its ease. kind of hated myself for giving up trying to figure out how to get it right straight out of umbrella, but results went well and that's what i needed.

Lighting the background i think is better done with a flag on a separate light. if not possible - then maybe compromise with a touch higher iso. A certain Neil van niekirk (wedding photog) uses on camera + bounce or single softbox and bounce quite a bit as well. If you're going the gel route, i think his method works quite well. He wrote a couple books "one camera flash" and "off camera flash" that i think are good for small setups. The idea is to bring ambient at a point where its about a stop or so underexposed and then fill the final stop with your gelled flash. (the room here isn't exactly close to neutral walls so it'd be a tad tougher but i think the umbrella oughta do the trick. One limit you may face here is that in my experience, the 60d is kind of rough at an iso beyond 640 and may need more post work.

I m sure you know the last bit but one of the easier tricks i use for a sheen is sample and paint nearby stuff using a darken blend. Works very quickly and preserves textures. In-case you're spending more than a minute on sheen, its useful. I know i was taking a longer route before i learnt that. A towel also helps with sheen a lot. Lights can get warm especially in extended sessions. Just a towel or a wipe can make a difference.

I m relatively a newb compared to all the excellent talent here so please take what i say with a grain of salt. If i misunderstood your question lemme know.

Message edited by author 2012-07-15 00:54:41.

Kelli

Canon EOS-D60

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/15/2012 09:21:51 AM · #17

Left a comment Mike.