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01/27/2005 07:16:14 PM · #1 |
| I cant think of a delicate way to ask this question - I have been asked to do some portraits of the Lost Boys (and one girl) of Sudan who live in our neighborhood. I know these kids well have taken lots of snapshots of them as they are good friends with my son. The problem for me is they are REALLY black. Any tips? |
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01/27/2005 07:21:24 PM · #2 |
Diffuse light is the only way to go, gently molding the highlights. We had this problem many times. If in studio, studio softlight setup. If natural light, overcast daylight. It's really hard to do it well.
Robt.
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01/27/2005 07:22:35 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by emorgan49:
I cant think of a delicate way to ask this question - I have been asked to do some portraits of the Lost Boys (and one girl) of Sudan who live in our neighborhood. I know these kids well have taken lots of snapshots of them as they are good friends with my son. The problem for me is they are REALLY black. Any tips? |
make sure you have some powder to cut down on skin glare.. also, it helps to turn your lights up just a little bit.. It will not look over exposed as long as you don't over do it. Avoid using dark backgrounds. White doesn't do that well either.. for contrasting reasons. Use an off white, or black with alot of white splotches. background lights will help seperate it from the subject.
if you use a light meter, turn the lights up 'one bar'... if you are using say f/11 make sure your lights are at f/11 with 2 or 3 extra bars (on a light meter)
edit: try to use even main/fill because the shadows of unevenness (is that a word?) will be brutal
If it's natural light, you can try to block out the sun using cardboard or a reflector if you have one (i have one that also diffuses or blocks out the suns rays)
Message edited by author 2005-01-27 19:25:11.
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01/27/2005 07:22:41 PM · #4 |
Doesn't seem awkward- all sorts of people need to be lit differently to shoot them the best. Dark black skin needs a certain kind of makeup, and it needs a certain kind of light. I found this: //www.cinematography.com/forum2004/lofiversion/index.php?t3235.html
Hope it helps!
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01/27/2005 07:24:26 PM · #5 |
In addition to what was already said, use a light meter. Not the one built into your camera ... an incident light meter. Get a reading of the light so that your exposure is based on available light, not off of the reflection of the boys' skin.
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01/27/2005 07:34:42 PM · #6 |
| What dwterry said; and overexpose a stop. Dark skin aborbs light and reflects less. This is the biggest error even 'professional' portrait photographers make. |
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