Portrait lighting help
Vijay Velji
I have a Speedatron brown line package which consists of the following.
One 360 watt/second flash with 11" reflector and umbrella (Choice of
black and satin white).
One 360 watt/second flash with 7" reflector and umbrella(Choice of black
and satin white).
Two 90 watt/second flash with 5" reflectors.
I would like to photograph my two year old.
My questions:
What kind of a back ground should I use? Color texture etc.etc.
How should I position the four flash units, so as not to get shadows but
good skin tones?
What should the distance be between the subject and the background?
I will be using a 85mm F4.0 lens on a 35 mm camera. What should be my
exposure and shutter speed? I do not have a flash meter.
What kind of film and speed should I use?
Are there any books I could get at the library that will teach me the
basics?
Thanks in advance,
Vijay
Bill Wright
Vijay Velji posted:
>I would like to photograph my two year old. What kind of a back ground
>should I use? Color texture etc.etc.
Portraiture is an art form. What pleases you? Here are a few
guildelines for 'classic' formal portraiture, which you can modify to
suit your own pleasures.
In general, the background should support a mood without
distracting attention from your child -- whose eyes will be the
center of interest.
If you choose a solid background without props, try a darker
background if your child has dark hair, or a brighter background if
your child has blond hair. Notice that the amount of lighting on
the background controls the color as much as the type of material
does. Try brighter clothes with blond hair, darker clothes with
darker hair.
But ultimately it's an art form. What pleases you?
>How should I position the four flash units, so as not to get shadows but
>good skin tones?
One light is called the "key." Almost always it is placed
higher than the subject's face, and off to one side in order to
produce gentle (see "fill" below) form shadows that add a sense
of dimension to the portrait. Most commonly, the key light is at
45 degrees to the lens axis, but it can be 90 degrees or 135 degrees
for dramatic, moody effects. Lighting a face from below, or from the
same height as the face, is usually unattractive.
One light is called the "fill", and it is located as near as
possible to the lens axis. This means that it will illuminate
everything that the camera sees, and hence it won't produce any
shadows that the camera can see. Usually the fill light is not as
bright as the key. The goal is to soften the key's shadows without
eliminating them.
I could email you a simplified tutorial about light ratios
(relationship of key to fill), but I see below that you don't have a
flash meter. This is a problem!
One light is placed behind the subject and illuminates the
background. Generally you want the background to have a different
brightness from your subject -- so that the two remain separate from
each other.
One light shines on the subject's hair from above and usually
behind, thereby outlling the hair.
Keep at least six to eight feet of distance bettween the
subject and the background. Else you'll project ugly shadows onto
the background.
In addition to whatever power control your lights have, you can
control brightness by moving them closer to or farher from the
subject.
>What should the distance be between the subject and the background?
(see above)
>I will be using a 85mm F4.0 lens on a 35 mm camera.
This is OK, but you may be happier with the results if you use
105 mm.
>What should be my exposure and shutter speed? I do not have a flash meter.
With the amount of lighting equipment that you have already,
you *really* need a flash meter !!
If you were using a single flash, there are ways of calculating
the proper aperture from the flash's "guide number", but with
multiple flashes and different lighting angles for the keylight, you
are sort of lost without a meter.
Having all those lights without a flash meter is sort of like
having a can of paint without a paint brush. All you can do is throw
the paint towards the canvas and hope.
Your shutter speed must be set to your camera's "flash sync
speed." Usually the shutter control on your camera has a red dot
opposite the sync speed. The camera's manual will tell you the
sync speed also.
>What kind of film and speed should I use?
With all that light, you can use ISO 100. Slower film has
finer grain.
>Are there any books I could get at the library that will teach me the
>basics?
Yes. I think it would be worth your time to look one up.
But you _do_ need a flash meter if you're going to do serious
portraiture.
Good luck.
(posted and emailed)
____________________
If replying via email,
please delete .navu from my address
Mark
Bill Wright wrote:
>
<snip>
> With the amount of lighting equipment that you have already,
> you *really* need a flash meter !!
> If you were using a single flash, there are ways of calculating
> the proper aperture from the flash's "guide number", but with
> multiple flashes and different lighting angles for the keylight, you
> are sort of lost without a meter.
> Having all those lights without a flash meter is sort of like
> having a can of paint without a paint brush. All you can do is throw
> the paint towards the canvas and hope.
> Your shutter speed must be set to your camera's "flash sync
> speed." Usually the shutter control on your camera has a red dot
> opposite the sync speed. The camera's manual will tell you the
> sync speed also.
>
I am having one heck of a time getting a flash meter from my local
camera shops. Can anyone provide some advice on a good meter, where I
can get it, how much I can expect to pay, and how much bang for the buck
I can expect? Like I said, my local stores have been singularly
unhelpful.
Thanks in advance for the help.
Mark
md...@whc.net
Lisa Horton
Mark (And Vijay, you need a flash meter!),
At the low end, you could look at a Wein 500b that you could find for
around $35-$65 used, $75-$100 new Mail Order. It's simple and large,
but effective. At the high end, you could get a spot meter that
measures flash for over $500. Lots of choices in between. The Sekonic
308b offers a lot of functionality for a moderate amount of money.
Lisa Horton
John or Jenn
In article <339A87...@GatorGames.Com.NoSpam> Lisa Horton,
Ge...@GatorGames.Com.NoSpam writes:
>At the low end, you could look at a Wein 500b that you could find for
>around $35-$65 used, $75-$100 new Mail Order. It's simple and large,
Yeah, we started with a Wein 500, but it was a disappointment...it
sorta worked, kinda...
>but effective. At the high end, you could get a spot meter that
>measures flash for over $500. Lots of choices in between. The Sekonic
>308b offers a lot of functionality for a moderate amount of money.
Iıll second the Sekonic recommendation (though I donıt have personal
experience with the 308...think ours is a 328F?...we just call it
the flashmeter these days... :-)
SPECTRUM
The best meter running is the Gossen Luna Star F2 . It has the feature you
need and is pretty durable . I've been using mine everyday for 2 years and
haven't had any problem at all. It gives you reflected ambient, reflected
flash, incident flash, incident ambient,and spot metering with the spot
attachment. It comes with a lanyard and a very good cloth wiast pack.
--
Regards,
John S. Douglas
Spectrum Photographic Inc.
1- 908 - 505 - 8393
John or Jenn <las...@flash.net.removethis> wrote in article
<5nfuhi$4q4$1...@excalibur.flash.net>...
Lisa Horton
John or Jenn wrote:
>
> In article <339A87...@GatorGames.Com.NoSpam> Lisa Horton,
> Ge...@GatorGames.Com.NoSpam writes:
> >At the low end, you could look at a Wein 500b that you could find for
> >around $35-$65 used, $75-$100 new Mail Order. It's simple and large,
>
> Yeah, we started with a Wein 500, but it was a disappointment...it
> sorta worked, kinda...
>
Interesting. I have a Wein 1000, and it gives me spot on exposures.
But then, I also meter an 18% grey card and the subject, compare the
readings, and compensate an appropriate amount from the flashmeter
reading.
Lisa Horton
litespeed
Vijay Velji wrote:
> =
> I have a Speedatron brown line package which consists of the following.=
snip
> I would like to photograph my two year old.
> My questions:
> What kind of a back ground should I use? Color texture etc.etc.
> How should I position the four flash units, so as not to get shadows bu=
t
> good skin tones?
> What should the distance be between the subject and the background?
> I will be using a 85mm F4.0 lens on a 35 mm camera. What should be my
> exposure and shutter speed? I do not have a flash meter.
> What kind of film and speed should I use?
> Are there any books I could get at the library that will teach me the
> basics?
> Thanks in advance,
> Vijay
Vijay,
There is so much to tell and so little bandwidth. =
Re technical: KEEP IT SIMPLE! You don't need lots of lights. You just
need to know how to use one or two. If I can assume that your 7"
reflector is on an M11 head... Take the reflector off and use bare bulb
into your umbrella (I know I'll have to follow this one up in future
threads). Bring the umbrella in close and dial in the appropriate power
setting, according to the film you're using. I suggest starting with an
aperture of =838. Bring in a white *reflector* opposite the main light,
but be sure to keep the leading edge AHEAD of the subject (we'll have to
cover the "why" of this later too). I would use a second light to
illuminate the background (or omit it altogether, depending on how much
of the main light strikes the background). If I may suggest as starting
place, strive to have your background read one f stop below your main
light reading. You don't want to wash out your background (unless doing
high key). =
Re backgrounds: Now you're in the "art" area. Whatever is pleasing to
you will work. Keep in mind that the background merely "stops the eye".
If shooting an indoor environment, look for a CORNER to use as a
background. Stay away from walls unless there's no other choice. =
Corners have all these neat nooks and crannies that create interesting
visual "containers" for your subjects. The corners also add some depth
perspective (works like the shaded cube drawings). Go with what works.
WORK WITH YOUR *IMAGE*, not a formula.
Re film: Here's a personal thing too. A lot depends on the lab you use.
I've found that some labs print some emulsions better than others. Start
with a 100 speed film (what I'm saying is to avoid 200/400 spd films at
the beginning). You shouldn't need faster film for a single subject. As
far as exposure goes, err on the side of overexposure. I've found it
almost impossible to overexpose an image to the point of unprintability.
However, 1/2 stop of underexposure will yield a yucky, flat looking
print. =
Re books, etc: If you can find anything by Dean Collins, grab it. He's
professes a minimalist approach. He used to publish a "Finelight"
series, but I don't know if it's in print any longer. You can get quite
an education in this series if you can find it. =
Hope this was of help to you and others....
LS
VDBP
who ever you are that offered that gentleman to e-mail lighting
instruction, would you send to me? thank you for your help
Mark Eastman
>I am having one heck of a time getting a flash meter from
>my local camera shops. Can anyone provide some advice on a good >meter, where I can get it, how much I can expect to pay, and how >much bang for the buck I can expect? Like I said, my local stores >have been singularly unhelpful.
>Thanks in advance for the help.
>Mark
>md...@whc.net
I have also used the excellent Gossen Luna Star F meter that I have
been able to rent from a local professional photo supplier when I
for $10/day.
Mark Eastman
www.best.com/~meastman