Amy - Four ways with one light

Flashman

Flashman

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Keith
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Tried some lighting ideas with a friend, Amy, last week. All shot with just one light source to see what we could get without too complicated a setup.


1. Single gridded beauty dish at right angles to camera left.
Amy01.jpg



2. Large softbox overhead and behind (snooker table style), bounced off triflector on far side of model.
Amy02.jpg



3. Lupolux LED Fresnel spotlight bounced off of a sheet of a Lee 271 mirror filter sheet (A La Lovegrove 'Magic Water Reflector').
Amy03.jpg



4. Single Bowens SL855 Studiolight (extra softened with some white ripstop fabric), plus a little bounce from a reflector. Aiming for a fairly natural 'daylight' look in the studio.
Amy04.jpg


Be interested to hear if they work or what 'tweaks' anyone thinks would make the light better. :)
 
Gorgeous lighting for me Keith.

I would say the 4th does exactly what it says on the tin.
 
Wow, I'm trying to learn lighting with speedlites and if I could get anywhere close to these I would be over the moon
Big thumbs up from me
 
A fantastic set really love the lighting.
 
1+2+4 Are all excellent my only gripe with number 3 is how uneven the light is around her.

I think overall 2 is my favourite that tattoos look really good
Nice job!
 
chuck said:
1+2+4 Are all excellent my only gripe with number 3 is how uneven the light is around her.

I think overall 2 is my favourite that tattoos look really good
Nice job!
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That is the effect of the reflector, it is supposed to be like that. Have a look here...... LINKY
 
tiler65 said:
Gorgeous lighting for me Keith.

I would say the 4th does exactly what it says on the tin.
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step72 said:
Wow, I'm trying to learn lighting with speedlites and if I could get anywhere close to these I would be over the moon
Big thumbs up from me
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pepi1967 said:
A fantastic set really love the lighting.
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Thanks guys... really appreciate the kind words, nice to hear they don't just work for me! :)

chuck said:
1+2+4 Are all excellent my only gripe with number 3 is how uneven the light is around her.

I think overall 2 is my favourite that tattoos look really good
Nice job!
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Yeah... as Tom says, the uneven randomness of the lighting is really the point of it. I guess it's supposed to look like sunlight streaming through a netted window or bouncing off water. Useful to hear that it doesn't appeal to everyone though, that's why I asked... another opinion is always helpful. (y) Thanks for the nice comment about 2 also.
 
chuck said:
1+2+4 Are all excellent my only gripe with number 3 is how uneven the light is around her.

I think overall 2 is my favourite that tattoos look really good
Nice job!
Click to expand...

Unless my monitor needs calibrating again, I struggle to see the tats without pushing the levels up in PS. I have looked on an iPad and an android phone too and both display without seeing the tats.

Keith, are we supposed to see the tats?
 
tiler65 said:
Unless my monitor needs calibrating again, I struggle to see the tats without pushing the levels up in PS. I have looked on an iPad and an android phone too and both display without seeing the tats.

Keith, are we supposed to see the tats?
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No they weren't meant to be visible and I was wondering myself how Dayle saw them. I turned my monitor brightness up to full and could only just make out a hint of the edge of the one on her neck.

Are they obvious on your monitor Dayle or did you have to play around to see them?
 
They're obvious on mine (calibrated 5 days ago), but they aren't the focus of the shot or particularly legible without adjustment.

Gorgeous shots btw!
 
Not my area at all, but the first one is stunning, I really like the effect of how you have used the light on that one in particular.

The other three are very good,especially the last, but the first is just superb.
 
These are lovely!!!
 
Excellent work
 
For what it's worth i can see them too on my work monitor.

Nice set still!
 
DemiLion said:
They're obvious on mine (calibrated 5 days ago), but they aren't the focus of the shot or particularly legible without adjustment.

Gorgeous shots btw!
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fracster said:
Not my area at all, but the first one is stunning, I really like the effect of how you have used the light on that one in particular.

The other three are very good,especially the last, but the first is just superb.
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viv1969 said:
These are lovely!!!
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Swissy said:
Excellent work
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parhole4 said:
Love 4, really does look like natural window light
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Michaelk20 said:
For what it's worth i can see them too on my work monitor.

Nice set still!
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Thanks everyone, appreciate the feedback. :)
 
hayley.price said:
gorgeous shots, i can see the tattoos on my mac screen
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Sorry to derail the thread slightly but I am intrigued as to what is right and wrong viewing wise. If so many say they can see the tats and vice versa and all have calibrated screens...which is correct?
 
tiler65 said:
Sorry to derail the thread slightly but I am intrigued as to what is right and wrong viewing wise. If so many say they can see the tats and vice versa and all have calibrated screens...which is correct?
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I don't get it either... I can't see the ink on my new iMac screen which is supposedly calibrated at the factory with a very sophisticated spectroradiometer... and as it's only a month or so old I doubt it will have drifted much. I also can't see them on my second monitor (a Colormunki calibrated 30" Apple Cinema Display), or my mobile devices. I can't even see them if I turn the displays up to full brightness. The only way I can see them is to take them into PS and, as Tom said, tweak the levels or pull the shadows.

I don't doubt people CAN see them... I just don't get how supposedly calibrated displays can be so different, can black depth and luminance vary so much?
 
i love the shots, and like the tats, it look like two birds on either side and writing in the middle but yeah i can see them as clear as bell(y)
 
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Love them Keith, Number two is my favourite, very good use of light. I can't wait to buy some light modifiers for my speedlites
 
Love all four and even more so not you said a cheap light set up, I really need to read up on lighting
 
Dannhy said:
Love all four and even more so not you said a cheap light set up, I really need to read up on lighting
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He didn't say cheap, he said simple (and if you read what he used - even that's a stretch). It's only really simple, as in - one light.

My count:
1 studio head
1 softbox
a std reflector
a triflector
Lee 271 mirror sheet
Lupolux LED Fresnel spotlight

(i'm guessing not much change from a grand;))

IMO - the shots are worth the effort though - absolutely gorgeous, particularly the last one.
 
I can see that the lady has tattoos, but not enough to make out what they are.

Calibrated monitor last week.
 
First image really does it for me, lovely tones and the shadows work well.
 
fracster said:
I can see that the lady has tattoos, but not enough to make out what they are.

Calibrated monitor last week.
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^^ This. Although my monitor hasn't been calibrated.

#2 would be the winner for me if it wasn't for the tattoos! Which I feel a bit of a hypocrite saying - I have a good few myself - but they're awfully distracting because I can see them... but not enough to make out what they are. I suppose if I was seeing it how I'm supposed to - you say they're not visible to you - then it'd be perfect (y)
 
No 4 does look the best, I'm just wondering how a B&W conversion would look though as the colours are just too pale for my liking, and the eye make-up seems too strong for the rest of it, it detracts from a great image otherwise.

Monitor calibration isn't as important as the angle you are viewing it from - just move your head around (LCD monitors) and you're likely to see a difference.
 
Speedy136 said:
Gorgeous set, especially like the expression in the last.
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hayley.price said:
gorgeous shots, i can see the tattoos on my mac screen
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Nick_1981 said:
Cracking set, very nicely done!
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bobleeuk said:
i love the shots, and like the tats, it look like two birds on either side and writing in the middle but yeah i can see them as clear as bell(y)
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romper stomper said:
Love them Keith, Number two is my favourite, very good use of light. I can't wait to buy some light modifiers for my speedlites
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Dannhy said:
Love all four and even more so not you said a cheap light set up, I really need to read up on lighting
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Keebsuk said:
Fabulous images with #2 being my favorite.:clap:

I love the "softness" you have achieved and I would be proud if any of those were mine.

Andy
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fracster said:
I can see that the lady has tattoos, but not enough to make out what they are.

Calibrated monitor last week.
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Tom. said:
First image really does it for me, lovely tones and the shadows work well.
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toadstool said:
^^ This. Although my monitor hasn't been calibrated.

#2 would be the winner for me if it wasn't for the tattoos! Which I feel a bit of a hypocrite saying - I have a good few myself - but they're awfully distracting because I can see them... but not enough to make out what they are. I suppose if I was seeing it how I'm supposed to - you say they're not visible to you - then it'd be perfect (y)
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Thanks for all those kind comments, it's really appreciated!

Still puzzling how so many calibrated monitors are varying so much... unless some are only calibrating colour and aren't calibrating the black point properly... or something :shrug: Pay a visit to Tom's thread here if you're interested.
 
Phil V said:
He didn't say cheap, he said simple (and if you read what he used - even that's a stretch). It's only really simple, as in - one light.

My count:
1 studio head
1 softbox
a std reflector
a triflector
Lee 271 mirror sheet
Lupolux LED Fresnel spotlight

(i'm guessing not much change from a grand;))

IMO - the shots are worth the effort though - absolutely gorgeous, particularly the last one.
Click to expand...

You forgot the Bowens Streamlite! :LOL:

Thanks Phil, appreciate the reply.:)
 
uberdude said:
No 4 does look the best, I'm just wondering how a B&W conversion would look though as the colours are just too pale for my liking, and the eye make-up seems too strong for the rest of it, it detracts from a great image otherwise.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did a mono conversion... works quite well. Thanks! :)

Amy04b.jpg
 
Any chance you could explain how you used each lighting component in the shots. I'm learning a lot and some of the kit above I haven't come across yet and I like the way these are skilfully lit.

Thanks
 
Great set - as to the tats .... I could first see very faintly the neck one (RHS more nearer the light) ..... staring for ages I could make out the ones lower on the back but only because I'd highlighted the image and knew they were there .... I suspect in print they wouldn't show at all

Calibrated 30" Apple which matches my lab prints perfectly.

Again though I had to stare for ages to get my eyes accustomed to the shadows
 
I love them all!!! brilliantly lit, and no 2 is really beautiful!

thanks for showing what can be done with a single light :)
x
 
I'm starting to see a theme here (and tbh I was thinking about it last night).

Those that cant see the definition in the tatoos all appear to be running Apple devices (I can't see them on my iPad). :)
 
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