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02/07/2006 01:17:32 AM · #1 |
Im using the clamp lights, 2 have the sylvania 75W indoor "daylight" bulbs. Then one with a 100W spot with an unbrella on the floor bouncing up. I still seem to have bad lighting it seems missing in spots and bad reflections. Would covering the 75W with a section of sheet cout out over the front of the 2 75w help? they seem to be the ones casting the reflections.
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02/07/2006 01:18:44 AM · #2 |
| Buy a piece of foam core board (white)... now use this as a reflector :) it works like a charm ;) |
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02/07/2006 02:48:26 AM · #3 |
| Thats what the stand is sitting on. Maybe i need another one to use as a reflector. Thanks! |
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02/07/2006 07:39:26 AM · #4 |
Just for reference, the image below was taken with 2 100w daylight bulbs in reflective clamp lights and the exposure was still 20 seconds (oops - thats at 29 ap). The flower is the size of my fist. Any larger and I would add lights in multiples of 2 and I would up wattage to 200 if I could (my clamp lights won't take that).
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02/07/2006 02:42:36 PM · #5 |
| How do i reflect the light? up or bounce the light at the object? Like point the light away from the light but bounce it at the object? |
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02/07/2006 03:00:39 PM · #6 |
My strategy is to use very weak direct lighting (10-30W) on my photo subject and I use strong lights (100-500W) not direct, but lighting a white cardboard and letting it bounce to the object. I put white cardboards all around to have them as a lighting parabola. It also depends on the nature and surface of your subject. The more it reflects lights, the more diffused lights I need, but, diffused lights work me well only if it's a strong indirect light. If I were you I would try as many strategies as possible.
A few examples:
Heritage - direct lighting from the left, table lamp covered with a thin white napkin. White cardboard on the right, it reflects back on the right side of this marmor. Works well with reflecting objects.
Mundane - strong natural lights (sunshine) from above, white cardboard under the object. Natural light is a miracle! Works well with mild reflexing and non reflexing objects.
Queen of Hearts - direct harsh lighting from above, without diffusing. Works well with non reflecting objects which are difficult to blow out with the overexposion.
Message edited by author 2006-02-07 15:07:07. |
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02/07/2006 03:03:20 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by BowerR64:
Im using the clamp lights, 2 have the sylvania 75W indoor "daylight" bulbs. Then one with a 100W spot with an unbrella on the floor bouncing up. I still seem to have bad lighting it seems missing in spots and bad reflections. Would covering the 75W with a section of sheet cout out over the front of the 2 75w help? they seem to be the ones casting the reflections. |
You know, the lighting on the guitar isn't that bad. A little darker on the bottom but not terrible.
The main problem in this image could be fixed by moving the subject away from the background more and shooting with a longer focal length lens. This would accomplish two things, first it would eliminate the shadow and second would increase your DOF to blur the curtains and remove some wrinkles.
The reflecting is simple to remedy, imagine a mirror as your subject and place it where your subject is, if you can see the lights in the mirror then move them out to the sides more, if the reflection is still there twist your subject slightly to the right or left to defuse that reflection angle. A cardboard reflector would work to fill in the bottom of the guitar a little more and could eliminate the needs for two lights.
If you have a light meter I would suggest checking the lights one at a time at different spots of you subject. Measure it on the neck and bottom and try to get the highest light right on the center of the guitar. Do this one at a time with each light to be sure you are aiming the lights at the center of the image. Unless there is a reason to light the floor I don’t think you have to bounce the light off the floor. The two 75w lights should be more then enough if they are the same height as the subject and placed at the right angles to the subject.
Hope this helps.
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02/07/2006 07:01:34 PM · #8 |
Is this any better? i used some sheets over the clamp lights, it seem to soften the light. Its not so much a spot light but more soft i think.
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02/07/2006 07:08:50 PM · #9 |
I think your light is way better in that last photo. One thing that is distracting is the big rimple in the right side that goes all way to the back of the guitar. I would use the white sheet straight, probably also over the bottom. this might create a more subtil and less distracting background. But I would love to see this photo in a black background. I'm shure it would pop up the wood of the guitar body. I would use some black card board if you are in low budget. I use it for portraits sometimes.
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02/07/2006 09:14:50 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by BowerR64:
Is this any better? i used some sheets over the clamp lights, it seem to soften the light. Its not so much a spot light but more soft i think.
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I like it more then the last but look at how the white background is overpowering the guitar.
Are you setting the aperture and shutter speed manually or letting the camera set these for you? It seems like the light is an average of the entire frame and as a result the guitar looks dark instead of popping out like Nuno said.
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02/08/2006 01:56:36 AM · #11 |
How about these 2? See this is the problem i have, i dont have an eye for what looks right. Are there any websites that kinda of explain what not to do? When you guys start to point out the things you mention then i can see it but its not till its pointed out that i see the problem because i dont know what im looking at. This is really great though im learning what is good.
I moved the BG and then i moved the guitar more forward, but now you can see my umbrealla reflecting on the guitar at the bottom. Thats why i slid it back out of the way of the reflecting umbrealla. Guitars are hard because they are so shinny but this is what i like to take pictures of. Guitars and cameras are like my 2 favorite things.
Thanks for all the input its really helping out. |
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02/08/2006 10:43:46 PM · #12 |
I have yet to figure out how to blur the BG and keep the supject in focus. How far away does teh BG need to be? does this one look like the BG is stealing the focus away from the subject?
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02/15/2006 04:48:23 PM · #13 |
| Your camera has a lot of DOPF, shoot at telephoto and open up the apperture all you can. And also get the bg further from the subject. Maybe you should also raise the bg exposure at least 1 stop to make it whiter. I think that should imporve your picture. |
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02/18/2006 07:45:46 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by gutocardoso2003:
Your camera has a lot of DOPF, shoot at telephoto and open up the apperture all you can. And also get the bg further from the subject. Maybe you should also raise the bg exposure at least 1 stop to make it whiter. I think that should imporve your picture. |
This is an excellent suggestion; also get down on the floor looking up a little on the Guitar. Like have the lens even with the bridge. This you want to remove the section where the background meets the floor. I am sure it will look much better then.
Michael
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02/18/2006 08:09:14 AM · #15 |
at least 4 ft or more in front of the background and zooming in on your subject should blur the background.
Also if you're using a large white sheet, remove the foamcore base and just use the sheet as the base and background. This will eliminate a break between the "floor" and background, just remember to scoot the guitar way up.
Message edited by author 2006-02-18 08:11:27. |
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02/18/2006 10:12:46 AM · #16 |
get the BG 4 or 5 feet back from the subject. you should be as close to the subject as you can be, and as zoomed in as you can be, and still have the guitar in the viewfinder.
was taken with a 50 1.8 lens at 1.8. The wider (smaller number) the aperture hte less DOF you have. The crayon is sharp, the person quite blurred and belive me, his arm is only 16" long or so. and 50mm is not a big telephoto type lens either.
this is a different lens - it can focus as close as 10" or so, so I just got close and adjusted the zoom to frame the subject, F stop was proabbly 5.6 to 9 range, not all that wide (lots of strobe use here). The xmas tree is nicely blurred and in this case it is 4 or 5 feet behind the subject.
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02/18/2006 04:37:33 PM · #17 |
What is DOPF? I dont have that much room. I am about 4-5 feet away and the BG is about 1-2 feet away at the most i can move it forward. Im not zoomed in at all. I cant or the guitar wont fit in the image.
Ive tried to close the apature most i can go is F8 its just a P&S camera.
So if i want a blurred BG i need a BG about 4-5 feet from the subject? So ill need about 8-10 feet of space to get this effect? 4-5 from camera to subject, then 4-5 from subject to bg?
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