Lastolite HiLite Help

Fulhair said:
Was reading this thread finally and if finaly got me motivated to pull out my hilite out for the first time tonight to experiment and see if I need a 3rd flash. Pulled in the only available subject around (the Mrs) and tried a few shots. Here is probably the best one.

hilite.JPG


I've use only one light in the 6x7 hilite and one small softbox next to the camera. Apart from cropping the edges it's unprocessed and I specifically put some of the white vinyl train in to see how that turns out. My light meter was reading f11 so that's what I ended up shooting but think I need to get it to f8, but didn't have the time.

So do you think I can get away with a 3rd light?
Would welcome any comments... but be gentle as it was my first rushed attempt.
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I would say your light in the Hi-Lite is just a fraction low in power. It only needs upping slightly and you would get rid of that yellow shadow. Light position is also important, where did you have your lights positioned?
 
boyfalldown said:
From Jeremy's explanation the black side is on the floor and she's lit from above through the white side. Remember the black side is white on the inside
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Gotcha, cheers!

Not something I would have thought of, clever use. Would like to see examples S.O.O.C.
 
The Noir Dude said:
I am capable of some photography without black backgrounds!! :D

Again it is important with 2 lights not to put them at the same height and pointing towards each other as you will get a strong bright band of light at their epicentre.

Here's another good one. Gel your lights and do silhouettes!! Great for kids!!

Only one light used on this shot (the one inside the Hi-Lite)
Pellier_Blanc_.jpg
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Jerm said:
Lol.. I know that Paul and I'm only jesting.

This is a test shot from a pregnancy shoot inside the Hilite.

As you can see I've over cooked it with the rear light as I've blown out her rear leg and the top of her bump.

Two lights were used, both from above (outside) the Hilite. The rear light was moved back about a foot after this shot, but thereafter the shots were topless.


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I must be having some sort of mental block, lol, as i'm just not getting this, when you say taking a photo of a subject inside the Hi-lite, i'm imagining someone standing inside the Hi-lite whilst it is standing up, with the lights pointing in the ends/sides of the Hi-lite, but obviously this cannot be the case, as it's not big enough, someone is going to be very specific here, and preferably show pictures of the setup :bonk: :D
 
You're not the only person struggling with this, so I take the blame for not explaining it properly.

I'll post some out takes that may make it clearer, but cant do that until Thursday morning as I'm at a clients til then.

I'll repost the images via a web link as some people seem to be having problems with the embedded images.
 
TG. said:
I must be having some sort of mental block, lol, as i'm just not getting this, when you say taking a photo of a subject inside the Hi-lite, i'm imagining someone standing inside the Hi-lite whilst it is standing up, with the lights pointing in the ends/sides of the Hi-lite, but obviously this cannot be the case, as it's not big enough, someone is going to be very specific here, and preferably show pictures of the setup :bonk: :D
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Lay the hilite down so the black material is touching the floor. Lay a person down inside the hilite (the opposite side of the black back is white)

This means the material above the subject is the usual white front of the hilite. Have your lights above the hilite firing down through the hilite material and therefore softening the light.
 
From memory Paul it was a Nikon 28-70, but I'll check the EXIF when I get back.

I can't take credit for the originality of using the Hilite this way.

Mark Cleghorn has shot models inside the Hilite standing up (mostly nudes pressing themselves against the material as silhouettes) at his workshops, and I've seen him shoot a nude inside the Hilite as per my pregnancy image.
 
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An interesting way of using the hilite but there seems to be a lot of distortion on the face which I suppose is to be expected when trying to shoot a full length portrait from only a few feet away, tho the distortion maybe correctable in photoshop or DXO optics.
 
Jerm said:
I'll post some out takes that may make it clearer, but cant do that until Thursday morning as I'm at a clients til then.

I'll repost the images via a web link as some people seem to be having problems with the embedded images.
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Thanks Jeremy, look forward to seeing your tutorial.

dan_yorkshire said:
Lay the hilite down so the black material is touching the floor. Lay a person down inside the hilite (the opposite side of the black back is white)

This means the material above the subject is the usual white front of the hilite. Have your lights above the hilite firing down through the hilite material and therefore softening the light.
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I see it now, but surely their is some distortion, as the Hi-lite isn't that transparent, or is it ?
 
TG. said:
I see it now, but surely their is some distortion, as the Hi-lite isn't that transparent, or is it ?
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Shoot though the zip on the side, where you'd put the lights in normal use (I think)
 
I'm shooting a similar sequence nude in a few weeks time so I'll take a load of BTS shoots to illustrate fully.
 
The Noir Dude said:
I would say your light in the Hi-Lite is just a fraction low in power. It only needs upping slightly and you would get rid of that yellow shadow. Light position is also important, where did you have your lights positioned?
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Inside the hilite the strobe is to the right on the image at waist height.
There is a 60x60 softbox infront and above the subject. Camera was next to it.
Can't remember if I''d maxed out either of the strobes but I need to find a good set up video on how to set and measure the light intensity/apperture.

Didn't blow out the details (e.g. hair) so I though I wasn't too far out on the difference.
 
apollo said:
1 min in Photoshop fixes the train, hope you don't mind

hilite1.JPG
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Don't remove all of the shadow on the floor...... She looks like she's floating now.
 
EOS_JD said:
Don't remove all of the shadow on the floor...... She looks like she's floating now.
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There wasn't really much of a shadow to start with all I removed was the creases in the train, there is still the original shadow, all be it quite small. To help prevent creases in the train try putting a bit of 6mm ply under it or use on top of a hard floor
 
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Jerm said:
I'm shooting a similar sequence nude in a few weeks time so I'll take a load of BTS shoots to illustrate fully.
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What are the benefits of using the Hi-lite in this way, as opposed to using it in the normal way ? i just can't imagine clients wanting to lay down inside it.
 
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TG. said:
What are the benefits of using the Hi-lite in this way, as opposed to using it in the normal way ? i just can't imagine clients wanting to lay down inside it.
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LOL.. that's true. I use it this way for pregnancy shoots and the occasional model or boudoir shoot.

The benefit for me is that I can get shots of the person laying down on a totally white background quite easily. Setting up a white floor and background separately is more work, especially as I'd have the Hilite there already.

It's for occasional use this way, but I probably get more use out of it than most, given the subject matter.
 
As promised here's an outtake shot that shows the setup a little better.

As I mentioned I have a similar shoot in a few weeks time so I'll post a more in-depth BTS series of shots if anyone is interested.

And in answer to Pauls question, it was shot on the Nikon 28-70, at 28.


J%20in%20Hilite%202.jpg
 
Hi Jeremy, How do the subjects feel about getting inside the HiLite ? How much PP is required to get to the end product, do you mind sharing the workflow ?
 
It really depends on the person.

With the preggy shoots most are very keen to get something different. I suggest the setup and show them some photos on the iPad of previous shoots, and they go for it. Not all are nude of course, and I dont ask everyone.

I've only ever had one that didnt want to do it, but she was a large lady almost at full term so she didnt fancy it.

Model-type shoots never seem to have a problem.

In terms of PP, the creases on the side walls and back are generally blown out by the lights.. maybe a small tidy up with a dodge brush. There's usually a small levels adjustment for the floor between the camera and the subject.

The joint in the floor rarely gets blown out, so that's a clone job, but with a white background it's a 2 min job.
 
Jerm said:
For those who are having trouble seeing the embedded images, here are direct links to the pages :

http://www.directtracking.com/Jamie in HL.jpg
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Thanks for taking the time to post, and it's a nice capture, although parts look a little blown, however i have to admit, i don't see anything done here which can't be done using the Hi-lite in it's normal state, by the time you have gone through the PP process that is, so i still don't see the point of getting someone to crouch down and get inside the Hi-lite, still, whatever floats your boat i suppose :)
 
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If you read the original post then you'll see that it's a test shot, not the finished article.

I'm not selling this to anyone.. it's just something that I do, but I'm intrigued to see how you'd get a image of someone laying down flat if the Hilite was upright ? :~)

Am I missing something, or have you misunderstood..? It's probably me...
 
Fulhair said:
Was reading this thread finally and if finaly got me motivated to pull out my hilite out for the first time tonight to experiment and see if I need a 3rd flash. Pulled in the only available subject around (the Mrs) and tried a few shots. Here is probably the best one.

I've use only one light in the 6x7 hilite and one small softbox next to the camera. Apart from cropping the edges it's unprocessed and I specifically put some of the white vinyl train in to see how that turns out. My light meter was reading f11 so that's what I ended up shooting but think I need to get it to f8, but didn't have the time.

So do you think I can get away with a 3rd light?
Would welcome any comments... but be gentle as it was my first rushed attempt.
Click to expand...

Not sure if I've missed the boat on this one, but there is a great fix for the train using Lightroom and the adjustment brush... It's mentioned in this thread:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-299972.html ...

Ideally, you really should be lighting the train if you want to avoid this problem. Mark Cleghorn did a great vid here:
http://www.lastoliteschoolofphotography.com/using-the-hilite-vinyl-floor

Just my two cents...
 
I posted the fix
Use the Adj brush set to +2 (doesn't matter initially). With a decent sized brush and a large feather and importantly AUTO MASK ticked, just paint over the white floor with the centre of the brush staying only on the white (it shouldn't affect your subject so long as they are not wearing white - more care needs to be taken if they are).

So just paint and once done adjust the exposure of the affected area to fine tune.

I have the lights but have never lit the floor - I should try it!
 
sunnyside_up said:
Not sure if I've missed the boat on this one, but there is a great fix for the train using Lightroom and the adjustment brush... It's mentioned in this thread:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-299972.html ...

Ideally, you really should be lighting the train if you want to avoid this problem. Mark Cleghorn did a great vid here:
http://www.lastoliteschoolofphotography.com/using-the-hilite-vinyl-floor

Just my two cents...
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Thanks for the links. Budget won't stretch to another light for the moment but may experiment with my speedlite to fill in the train.

Think I need to get some good software as well. See that elements 11 is out. Doubt I coud afford photoshop but not sure if lightroom or elements is the way to go.
 
Lightroom is amazing and both Lightroom and Elements together would see you have everything you need.
 
Jerm said:
If you read the original post then you'll see that it's a test shot, not the finished article.

Apologies i thought the photo i linked to in post 61, was the finished article, as i can't see anything more you would do to that particular photo

I'm intrigued to see how you'd get a image of someone laying down flat if the Hilite was upright.

Well i would just use the Hi-lite in the normal way, as in the image i have posted here, ok admitedly she is not laying down flat, but i can't see a problem taking a photo of a person laying down flat, using the Hi-lite in the normal way, it would be just a matter of adjusting the lighting to suit the subject, ie lowering the light above the subject, and then no doubt doing a bit of PP on the floor, which isn't a problem, as you would have to do PP if you were putting her inside the Hi-lite anyway :)
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L3Resized-1.jpg
 
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EOS_JD said:
Lightroom is amazing and both Lightroom and Elements together would see you have everything you need.
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Aye, agreed. I have found I tend to use Lightroom more now than photoshop, only dipping in when I'm adding textures or just having a play. LR has surpassed all my expectations. Worth the investment.
 
sunnyside_up said:
Aye, agreed. I have found I tend to use Lightroom more now than photoshop, only dipping in when I'm adding textures or just having a play. LR has surpassed all my expectations. Worth the investment.
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I do 99% of any PPin LR4 now ...Great bit of software.
 
Jerm said:
It really depends on the person.

With the preggy shoots most are very keen to get something different. I suggest the setup and show them some photos on the iPad of previous shoots, and they go for it. Not all are nude of course, and I dont ask everyone.

I've only ever had one that didnt want to do it, but she was a large lady almost at full term so she didnt fancy it.

Model-type shoots never seem to have a problem.

In terms of PP, the creases on the side walls and back are generally blown out by the lights.. maybe a small tidy up with a dodge brush. There's usually a small levels adjustment for the floor between the camera and the subject.

The joint in the floor rarely gets blown out, so that's a clone job, but with a white background it's a 2 min job.
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Thank you for taking the time to explain..
 
I've be racking my brains trying to work out how you'd do this, and then it dawned on me.. You've used the vinyl train, not just the HiLite !

There are of course many ways to skin a cat.

As I've said, ill post some BTS shots of the next shoot I do which will include some more unusual / artistic uses as well.
 
sunnyside_up said:
I tend to use Lightroom more now than photoshop
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Lightroom is definatley the way to go for white background stuff, very quick and easy, thats all i use for white background, i then export into CS6 for any extra PP work :)
 
Its interesting to see the yellow cast the hi-lites here are giving. Mine is exactly the same... I've had to put light blue gels on the lights inside teh hilite to get teh same colour temp as my other lights !

See http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=415659 for more details.

Looks like Lastolite have an issue here !
 
Hodders said:
Its interesting to see the yellow cast the hi-lites here are giving. Mine is exactly the same... I've had to put light blue gels on the lights inside teh hilite to get teh same colour temp as my other lights !

See http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=415659 for more details.

Looks like Lastolite have an issue here !
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Not sure I see a yellow cast, though I am a bit colour blind and this monitor isn't set up well. I would say that room I took the shot in was beige and so that could be contributing wwith the lighting not being 100% set up right.

And will put lightroom on my Christmas list as it is getting a few thumbs up here(y)
 
Rico said:
I'm not sure if one light would be enough to light a 6x7 evenly but I'm not very experienced with it yet. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will be able to say.
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I have witnessed the noir dude using just one light in an 8x7 version no problems :)


Sorry, missed the other two pages of the thread, please ignore ...
 
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The Noir Dude said:
Ever tried putting someone inside and using 2 lights either side? :D

Both of these shots are as taken and were on the 8'x7' not the 7'x6'

First shot is only one light in it, and it shows no discernible drop off in light evenness.

The second image shows the top left and right corners of the Hi-Lite to prove this is full width, again this is taken on the large 8'x7' with only on light inside.

In Lightroom the bottom right hand corner is 0.3% off-white compared to 100% top right. Also top right and left are both 100%

I should say that these are delegates from a recent training day, and not models, or taken at a real event. Thank you Kevin and the Gang :)

One mistake people make is firing the light directly into the Hi-Lite, when the light should really have a reflector on and be pointing onto the the back of the inside of the Hi-Lite thus bouncing off the rear inside surface.

_Q7W1942.jpg
_Q7W1947.jpg
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OMG Paul, no need for that !!!
 
The Noir Dude said:
_Q7W1947.jpg
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Could you share what lighting setup/positioning you used to so nicely illuminate the people so well?

I am just starting dabbling and want to get a Hilite, but I'm struggling to get that lgihtness of skintone without starting to burn the subjects face.. In the end I found some slight fill light in PP got the brighter skintones, but I'd love to know how to do that without need much PP..

:)
 
Hodders said:
There does seem to be a yellow cast at the bottom where the light falls off.
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Yes i can see that now, however it can normally happen where the train is meeting the bottom of the Hi-lite, you can obviously adjust the power of the lights, or put right in PP in Lightroom, takes a couple of minutes. To be honest, most of the time you have to lighten the floor in Lightroom anyway, so it doesn't really take anymore time just to run the brush over the bottom of the Hi-lite.
 
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