Portrait Lighting Setup

[EDGY01]

I've been cornered into shooting about 60 portraits (not my area of expertise
at all) and plan to use the two flashes that I have to light the subject. I
have a Nikon SB-28DX, and an SB-105 (underwater strobe with a slave mode). I
plan to use a fairly large piece of styrofoam sort of like a soft box to bounce
one or both of those flashes with to soften the effects. I'll be using a Nikon
F5 with my AF-S 80-200 lens. My desired effect is something like a
semi-silhouette light with the two units.

I'm thinking of doing it sort of like this. Primary strobe offset from the
camera to the left and up a bit, with the slaved unit slightly off camera to
the right and rear of the subject to light the rear and backdrop a bit. These
will be inside, with no other lighting placed to contribute to the overall
effect. Any placement tips that you can provide to get this right would be
appreciated. Ideas on where to place a reflector?

Dan Lindsay
SB

[StillMan]

Photoflex makes a multi clamp that will let you use an umbrella with shoe
mount flashes. It is about $20, and you can get umbrellas for $20-$35. You
will not be in too deep for gear you will not use much this way.

Another low cost, but pretty good option is a small softbox. Photoflex makes
one that is 16 inches across for $45 plus a shoe adapter for around $20.

I would avoid TTL flash. Trying to print 60 portraits, each with different
lighting is a difficult job. You can do it without a flash meter by shooting
a test roll, noting the distance from light to subject with the flash set at
a constant power - not over 1/2 so you can get two pops.

I wouldn't worry about lighting the background. In many cases it isn't
needed. Just make sure to position your lights and subject to avoid harsh
shadows on the background.

Use the SB-28 as your main, as you mentioned, higher than the camera and to
the side of the camera. Either put the SB-105 higher and closer to the
camera, set a stop or two lower than the main, or ditch it altogether and
use the styrofoam as a reflector to fill the shadows on the side away from
the main light.

--
"EDGY01" <edg...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030610020723...@mb-m15.aol.com...

[Joseph Meehan]

While trial and error testing would be the first thing I would
recommend, I would suggest on flash at the camera on low power just enough
to fill in the shadows a little with the power coming from either side and
high softened. I would also tend to reduce the fill for most men and
increase it slightly for most women, like wise more fill for young subjects
and less for older subjects, especially men.

Try a few with different setups and see what works. Try it with the
three basic groups of subjects, women men and children.

If these are ID shoots, then two soft light sources on either side and a
little high works well.

Arranging a background and arranging lighting for it should also be a
concern.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

"EDGY01" <edg...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030610020723...@mb-m15.aol.com...

[Yung Mah]

Check out
http://www.webphotoschool.com/newschool/Default.asp

They have some free lesson on line
Yung

--
Personal Website
http://clubweb.interbaun.com/yhmah/

"EDGY01" <edg...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030610020723...@mb-m15.aol.com...

[EDGY01]

thanks for all the advice!

I hope not to screw it up. I plan to do a lighting check first with my digital
camera to make sure the lighting is well balanced.

dan

[StillMan]

Just know that you can really hurt yourself with something like this if you
don't pull it off. When I was just getting started in the photo business
most of my work was inanimate objects like buildings and vehicles and some
casual portraits. This work impressed a friend enough that he asked me to do
portraits at an event he chaired. I had people lined up around this big
banquet hall, moving through my pieced together set. What a mess. Even with
my bargain basement prices I only sold 3 or 4 prints. People that would have
been my clients otherwise saw that I didn't know what I was doing and it
took quite some time to prove to them that I could do this once I learned
how.

--

"EDGY01" <edg...@aol.com> wrote in message

news:20030610131715...@mb-m05.aol.com...

[EDGY01]

Actually, I HOPE it doesn't come off well. I'm not in the business and I
really don't WANT to be doing this. I'm retired,0-but jusst don't say no
enough.

I avoided being in the photography business because people are cheap and don't
spend money on this stuff. I made my money elsewhere...considerably elsewhere.

:-)

dan

[Lewis Lang]

>Subject: Re: Portrait Lighting Setup
>From: edg...@aol.com (EDGY01)
>Date: Tue, Jun 10, 2003 8:56 PM
>Message-id: <20030610165631...@mb-m05.aol.com>

Hi Dan:

Care to share where this "elsewhere" might be in, Dan, even in genral terms?
:-)

TIA

Regards,

Lewis

Check out my photos at "LEWISVISION":

http://members.aol.com/Lewisvisn/home.htm

Remove "nospam" to reply

[EDGY01]

<< Care to share where this "elsewhere" might be in, Dan, even in genral terms?

>><BR><BR>

Not a chance!

Dan Lindsay
Santa Barbara

P.S. thanks to all for the lighting tips. I've decided to shoot it digitally
to avoid trial and error, and am going with a styrofoam reflector (large) to
the right of the model, and another large one to the rear and left of the
camera, with the SB-28DX directed toward it,--with its power output reduced to
about 1/16th. Perfect, even, lighting,--with a wee bit of modeling in there.
DL