Help for novice flash photographer

Phil V said:
A modelling light is a continuous light on a studio head that comes in handy in a studio environment for light placement, it allows you to see the 'modelling' created by your light.

Unfortunately in your intended environments, the modelling light would be so weak as to be useless. However, if you spend some time practicing in the dark, you'll be able to learn how your lights work.
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Cheers Phil
so does the modeling light stay on during the actual taking of the picture or is it more of a way to see how the shadows fall on whatever you are shooting. I would be using this set up for both indoors and outside and we have some nice old building near to where I live that would be great for an outside shoot
 
Just to throw a spanner in the works:

There's a load if gear that's proven it's worth in a similar environment here.
 
I have been watching a bunch of YouTube videos on various studio set ups and out door shoots using the B1 kit so gradually getting my head around it all. I will be much easier to take it all in once I have the lights and start practicing with it. I have taken a lot out of this thread and really appreciate all the help that you guys have given me...............................Merry Christmas to everyone and safe travels over the holidays.
 
Okay I just got an email from the shop in KL that I am buying the B1 lights from and he says that he has the B1 kit which includes the 2 lights trigger batteries charger and backpack but he says that he will need to order the accessories so my question is what should I ask him to order to get me started, I am thinking this stuff from Profoto;
1 x 4' x 1' soft box and grid
1 x 5' Octa softbox
1 x Beauty Dish
Off the shelf stuff; Stands, backdrops and reflectors
What do you think????
 
ndwgolf said:
Okay I just got an email from the shop in KL that I am buying the B1 lights from and he says that he has the B1 kit which includes the 2 lights trigger batteries charger and backpack but he says that he will need to order the accessories so my question is what should I ask him to order to get me started, I am thinking this stuff from Profoto;
1 x 4' x 1' soft box and grid
1 x 5' Octa softbox
1 x Beauty Dish
Off the shelf stuff; Stands, backdrops and reflectors
What do you think????
Click to expand...
I'm not sure about the stripbox, they're a bit specialised, I'd add a couple of brollies, just because they're cheap, don't forget a reflector holder, a boom stand would be handy (particularly with the BD), I know nothing about background stands.
 
ndwgolf said:
Okay I just got an email from the shop in KL that I am buying the B1 lights from and he says that he has the B1 kit which includes the 2 lights trigger batteries charger and backpack but he says that he will need to order the accessories so my question is what should I ask him to order to get me started, I am thinking this stuff from Profoto;
1 x 4' x 1' soft box and grid
1 x 5' Octa softbox
1 x Beauty Dish
Off the shelf stuff; Stands, backdrops and reflectors
What do you think????
Click to expand...

Not sure about the 4x1 strips either, and a 5ft octa is huge.

Suggest 3x4 rectangular, or 2x3 rectangular - both good and versatile shapes and sizes. From the Profoto range, my go-to portrait light would probably be the 3ft octa. As Phil says, brollies are cheap, easy and versatile - suggest white, silver and shoot-through. Plus white/silver folding reflector and stand/holder.

Don't rush it. At Profoto prices you can spend a heck of a lot on light modifiers - and so you should, but only when you know exactly what you want.
 
HoppyUK said:
Not sure about the 4x1 strips either, and a 5ft octa is huge.

Suggest 3x4 rectangular, or 2x3 rectangular - both good and versatile shapes and sizes. From the Profoto range, my go-to portrait light would probably be the 3ft octa. As Phil says, brollies are cheap, easy and versatile - suggest white, silver and shoot-through. Plus white/silver folding reflector and stand/holder.

Don't rush it. At Profoto prices you can spend a heck of a lot on light modifiers - and so you should, but only when you know exactly what you want.
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Thanks Richard and Phil..............I will take your advice and go with the smaller softbox and build on that
 
Getting excited this time next week I will be back home............................quick question should I get a selection of grids for the reflector now or wait a while. (They don't have stock in Malaysia so I will need to order them from the states) Everything else that I wanted is in stock :)
 
ndwgolf said:
Getting excited this time next week I will be back home............................quick question should I get a selection of grids for the reflector now or wait a while. (They don't have stock in Malaysia so I will need to order them from the states) Everything else that I wanted is in stock :)
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IMO, wait - you have plenty to be getting on with ;) Get new stuff on a 'needs' basis, as your style develops. A lot of very able photographers never grids at all.
 
HoppyUK said:
IMO, wait - you have plenty to be getting on with ;) Get new stuff on a 'needs' basis, as your style develops. A lot of very able photographers never grids at all.
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Fully endorse Richard here. Grids can hinder new users when used for "everything", believing tight control of the light is key to success. Actually, it's accurately re-creating the concept you have in mind that will start the ball rolling. Once you get to a point where you have a good idea as to where lights need to be, and roughly what setting would be required to produce the image you want, then would be the time to start looking at the more specialised modifiers.
Bear in mind, we all have different learning styles and we all tend to learn at different speeds. You will likely know how quick you will get the basics under your belt and therefore when you may want to move on to more dramatic lighting or complex setups.
 
Sorry guys another quick question that I have googled and cant find a clear answer. If I want to use my SB910 speedlight as a hair light or back light in conjunction with the B1's.................... how do I trigger the SB910??
Can anyone help me with that??
 
View attachment 28740
Guys how would you light this with the model relaxing on the sofa ambient light coming in on the left.
I am thinking just using a 4 x 3 Softbox pretty much in the middle and shooting with a 24 mm 1.4
What do you think??
 
I suspect Michael S would eat that for an engagement shoot or similar, loads of potential that could be tackled a dozen different ways at least, but you should really nail some basics first.

Suggest model, head and shoulders portrait, plain background (wall?) a couple of feet behind, single softbox above eye level and to one side. Position the softbox close like 1m, then move it further round, then back to the centre, then move it back to say 3m and do the same thing. Note how the shadows change, how exposure changes, check the background shadow. Then move the model away from the background, see how the shadows move and the relative exposures change on foreground and background. Then do the same kind of routine using a simple reflector to fill-in the shadow side. You have white/silver? Try both ways, using the modelling light to guide positioning.

You need to do this lots of times to understand what's going on. Keep it simple for starters ;)
 
HoppyUK said:
I suspect Michael S would eat that for an engagement shoot or similar, loads of potential that could be tackled a dozen different ways at least
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Just a bit :)
That's a lovely setting.

Richard has hit it on the nail, and it's worth building up in stages, as it adds to experience and stands you in good stead. It also teaches far more when things don't actually go the way you expect, as you then figure out why, and can avoid the pitfalls next time. Doing something very complicated straight off can not only cause frustration if it doesn't go to plan, but can often de-motivate you, as the only step back from a large step is to start again. With Richard's method, you learn as you go, and if it doesn't work, it's a small setback.

If you really, really fancy trying something quite evocative, but quite simple try the following:
Ask your wife to sit on the left side of the seat, turned 45 degrees towards camera right (her left), which would put her right cheek towards you. Ensure she looks relaxed and have her lean into the corner of the seat to support her.
Set a single softbox camera left at slightly above your wife's head height, and angled slightly downward towards her.
Start with your light source on about 1/32nd output, with your camera settings pretty much identical to the above image.
What you are attempting to do is recreate the same image with your wife in place, but with the added Profoto head filling in some of the shadow on your wife. Not enough to kill the shadow, as that is what gives the image its atmosphere, but just enough so the shadows on her are no longer pitch black, but a few stops less than the lit areas on her face.
You will then turn your profoto light source up or down to get the effect I have alluded to.

You know what, it's a hell of a lot easier to do it, than to try and explain via the written word :(
 
Just talked with the shop will have everything on Tuesday so plan to shoot all day Wednesday and hopefully have some nice shots to post Thursday.
Thanks again for all the help
 
Guy's
I am now getting everything set up but I don't understand the below statement ........I am using a D800e
Could someone please help me understand this............is it something to do with the HSS?

Sync selection

The selected sync setting (cameras sync setting) is shown in the SYNC section on the Display [2].

  • 1st: The flashes fire when the first shutter curtain is fully open.

  • 2nd: The flashes fire just before the second curtain starts traveling.

    NoTe:

    The sync setting is selected in the camera menu. Refer to the camera’s user guide.
 
I think that refers to front or rear curtain sync, I always use rear curtain sync, which means the flash fires at the end of the shutter cycle. This means if you freeze a moving subject, the sharp 'flashed' image appears with motion behind it instead of in front
 
Yes, that refers to first and second curtain sync - nothing to do with HSS. Good explanation of that by Neil van N here http://neilvn.com/tangents/first-curtain-sync-vs-rear-curtain-sync/

First curtain sync is the normal default, and is better for most subjects. Second curtain sync can be good in some situations where a) there is subject movement that is important, and b) you can control or predict it. Otherwise there can be downsides, though I think it's true to say a lot of people don't fully understand what's happening and believe second curtain sync is some kind of secret trick or magic bullet. It's not; use it when you need it, otherwise don't.
 
There's a reason that 1st curtain is the default, it'll rarely be the wrong setting. 2nd curtain sync is only necessary on very rare occasions, although many believe that whenever moving subjects and flash are mixed it's appropriate (which is wrong).
 
Thanks again everyone..................Oh by the way I read through the book "light science and Magic" what a great learning curve that was
 
Ok well here are the best of my day shooting with my wife yesterday. The first thing I noticed about using the Profoto lighting equipment is how user friendly it is and how well all the modifiers fit onto the B1 heads, saying that I lost so many shots yesterday due to trying to shoot at f1.4 as I would get one side of my wife face sharp but the other blur. Why was I trying to shoot at 1.4? "I have no idea" I guess I thought it would be okay. I have rented a model for Thursday afternoon and plan to try my hand at some nude photography......................only joking (I think if I asked my old lady to try my hand at that it would cost me a lot more that a lobster dinner that I had to buy when she saw the cost of the B1 Kit :) :) (I have hired a model though and look forward to seeing what she can bring to the table)
Anyway my favourite of the day is number 2 I just wish I had got a tiny wee bitty lower so that her hat didn't clash with her left eye but at the end of the day is was a getting used to shooting with lights that yesterday was all about...........enjoy
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A very good first effort.
There are lighting issues with all of them, which I'll get back to.
IMO, No. 1 doesn't work because there is just too much going on in the shot - this of course is a personal choice and I do know from experience that 'busy' portraits are very popular in Malaysia, but too much in the way of props can be distracting.

No. 2 works really well for me in terms of pose, but it would have been even better if she was looking straight at the camera.

No. 3, again she needed to be looking straight at the camera, also the camera is too low IMO.

No. 4, the camera is again too low, and to close - you needed to be further away to get better perspective.

Back to the lighting - living in Malaysia means that you have outstanding models to photograph - perfect skin, perfect bone structure and high cheekbones - a photographer's dream:) But, to get the best from this shape of face, the key light needs to be dead square to where the model is pointing her head (not off to one side) and high, where it can create the right shadows in the right places. Obviously, that doesn't work with a hat, which will cast an enormous shadow with the light in the right place, unless of course it's done deliberately and you don't want to show the face as in this shot, taken in KL - so lose the hat:)
wayang.jpg
 
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