Lighting tutorials

Garry Edwards

Garry Edwards

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Garry Edwards
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I could do with some help here...

For a while now, I've been posting lighting tutorials in the tutorial section of the Lencarta lighting blog, and I like to think that they're useful.

Until my health gets back to normal I'm pretty well stuck in the studio so the next few weeks are probably a good time to get some more done. But I would appreciate some help on the subject matter.

The actual subjects will all be still life/products, partly because, on a technical level, still life subjects are both more demanding and easier to learn from, and partly because I don't have a ready supply of people to photograph, short of paying for models.

The question is, what sort of lighting problems would you like me to cover?
So far we've done things like creating diffused specular highlights, lighting detail, underlighting bottles, creating graduated specular highlights on lenses etc.

If you want to read them at all, do you want simple solutions to simple problems, or more complex solutions to difficult subjects that need multi-light setups?
What sort of items would you like me to photograph?
What sort of problems do you want to learn how to overcome?
Which subject do you find difficult to light well?
Which sort of lighting effects do you find difficult to create?

My very next tutorial, which will be a long one split into different parts, will be complex, building up the lighting as we go, but I've pretty well run out of ideas for the way forward once that one's been completed, which is why I'm asking for a bit of help...
 
Hi Garry,

I'd like to see a tutorial showing the easiest way to light clear glass vases using dark-field lighting and bright-filed lighting. I've read about, but don't seem to have too much success doing it myself, so a step-by-step would be great (y)

Cheers!
Darren
 
domino1999 said:
Hi Garry,

I'd like to see a tutorial showing the easiest way to light clear glass vases using dark-field lighting and bright-filed lighting. I've read about, but don't seem to have too much success doing it myself, so a step-by-step would be great (y)

Cheers!
Darren
Click to expand...
OK, that's easy enough to do. Now where can I find a b***** vase;)
 
Hey Garry
How about some specific advice on lighting in a confined space, ie our spare room studios
It all seems a bit easier when we have plenty room in a proper studio, but in a 4mx5m room, new challenges arise
 
domino1999 said:
Think yourself lucky, I've only got a 3mx2.5m area available to me :(
Click to expand...

I never actually measured, rough guess, but I take it you could do with a few pointers too :LOL:
And for the record, I do count myself lucky having a wee studio, or I will once my grand daughter arrives and I get shot of the pram, carry cots, beds etc etc :D
 
domino1999 said:
Think yourself lucky, I've only got a 3mx2.5m area available to me :(
Click to expand...
Small spaces will always limit the range of work you can carry out, and will also make it more difficult to do a good job (because when you are forced to work with low ceilings and nearby walls you have to work harder to stop light reflecting from them and ruining your shot) but it's really only the range of work you can carry out and the extra work faffing around preventing unwanted reflections that will limit you, a small space needn't affect the quality of your work.

Life is easier for me, with a 2000 sq ft studio, but I'll give some thought to a tutorial on something that can be done easily in a small space, and lightfield/darkfield photos of glass is an obvious choice.
 
It's not even a studio, it's just the amount of free space we have in our tiny lounge, but I get by. It's been fine for still life shots and head & shoulders. I use black foamboard to cover any reflective surfaces, like the TV.

Thanks for taking our suggestions on board Garry, it's very much appreciated and I look forward to the tutorials (y)

Darren
 
Hi Garry,

It may have already been done, but at some point in time, we all will photograph cameras and lenses to sell or upgrade from. The various angles and light problems to get all surfaces seen to their best advantage would be useful at some time?
 
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alexam said:
Hi Garry,

It may have already been done, but at some point in time, we all will photograph cameras and lenses to sell or upgrade from. The various angles and light problems to get all surfaces seen to their best advantage would be useful at some time?
Click to expand...
Cameras
Lenses
 
Minimalist lighting techniques if you have to cobble something together with any/all of the following: angle poise lamp with daylight bulb, a reflector, a lencarta product table, old macro ring flash and a window.

Thinking small items - jewellery, china ornaments. That kind of thing.

Tried a light tent. It was poo. Hence collection of random gear for attempts at making better lighting but without being able to afford the necessary equipment :)
 
BruceMo said:
Hey Garry
How about some specific advice on lighting in a confined space, ie our spare room studios
It all seems a bit easier when we have plenty room in a proper studio, but in a 4mx5m room, new challenges arise
Click to expand...

I would like to see one on this also. I've just got a softbox,brolly and few speedlights and am struggling in my small dining room!
 
doublemint76 said:
I would like to see one on this also. I've just got a softbox,brolly and few speedlights and am struggling in my small dining room!
Click to expand...

Low powered speedlights, main light close to the subject, some homemade gobos, and a basic knowledge of the "guts" of the inverse square law should see you fine.

Do you "do" hotshoe flash stuff Garry? Most of your posts I've seen seem to suggest you're very much on the studio lights side of the lighting fence (which is fine, just asking :))
 
SJRobbins said:
Low powered speedlights, main light close to the subject, some homemade gobos, and a basic knowledge of the "guts" of the inverse square law should see you fine.

Do you "do" hotshoe flash stuff Garry? Most of your posts I've seen seem to suggest you're very much on the studio lights side of the lighting fence (which is fine, just asking :))
Click to expand...
Yes, very much so on location shoots, and especially in the past before we had high powered battery powered studio flash solutions. But not in the studio, where it's much easier to use the tools designed for the job.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Yes, very much so on location shoots, and especially in the past before we had high powered battery powered studio flash solutions. But not in the studio, where it's much easier to use the tools designed for the job.
Click to expand...

Depends on your definition / size of the studio .. someone in a cramped home studio may well be better with HSF over studio strobes imo. Studio strobes are great, but I think at times some people look to them without thinking when indoors, or look to them because they look "pro" :)

Note that I'm not saying you do that, just horses for courses and all that. If someone said to me "how do I use my high powered strobe in this tiny room" I'd probably reply with "don't" :)
 
SJRobbins said:
Depends on your definition / size of the studio .. someone in a cramped home studio may well be better with HSF over studio strobes imo. Studio strobes are great, but I think at times some people look to them without thinking when indoors, or look to them because they look "pro" :)

Note that I'm not saying you do that, just horses for courses and all that. If someone said to me "how do I use my high powered strobe in this tiny room" I'd probably reply with "don't" :)
Click to expand...
That's an interesting viewpoint:)
A 300Ws flash reduced to minimum power, which is usually 1/32nd of full power, only outputs 9Ws, which is usually fine even in the smallest studio - and it has the benefit of a modelling lamp and the capability to be used with literally any light shaper.

But if 9Ws is still too much, a 0.9 ND filter over the lens will reduce the effective minimum power to just 1.17Ws
 
Garry Edwards said:
That's an interesting viewpoint:)
A 300Ws flash reduced to minimum power, which is usually 1/32nd of full power, only outputs 9Ws, which is usually fine even in the smallest studio - and it has the benefit of a modelling lamp and the capability to be used with literally any light shaper.

But if 9Ws is still too much, a 0.9 ND filter over the lens will reduce the effective minimum power to just 1.17Ws
Click to expand...

If they go down that low, plus they're still bigger and bulkier and much harder to "hide" than tiddly lights, should the shot require it.

I'm not suggesting there's anything "wrong" with studio lights (obviously), just there seems to be a lot of people who seem to think that's how you do, and the only way to do, "pro" lighting. I think some of the guys at the recent studio meet thought I was a bit bonkers when I started to combine the two :)
 
Hi Garry,

I'd like to see a tutorial showing the easiest way to light clothing on a manequinn with white background and two lencarta 300w softbox setup please.


Neil
 
bustersdelight said:
Hi Garry,

I'd like to see a tutorial showing the easiest way to light clothing on a manequinn with white background and two lencarta 300w softbox setup please.


Neil
Click to expand...
I'd be happy to do that if someone in my area can lend me a mannequin, but I haven't got one. I always work on the basis that people buy clothes because they want to look as good as the model who's wearing them, and nobody wants to look like a lump of plastic so I hire real people to model clothes.

If I wasn't in such polite company I'd say that nobody wants to shag a lump of plastic, but I'd better not say that on TP:)
 
OK...

Any more comments/suggestions before I finish off my next tutorials?

Which, BTW, will be on Brightfield and Darkfield lighting of glass in a small space using minimal equipment...
 
Garry Edwards said:
OK...

Any more comments/suggestions before I finish off my next tutorials?

Which, BTW, will be on Brightfield and Darkfield lighting of glass in a small space using minimal equipment...
Click to expand...

That sounds like it'll be interesting (y)
 
Garry
I have a question about the blog on where to point a light meter.
I understand what you mean about it is what the camera sees, but if the light meters f8 when pointing at source and f5.6, wont you get hot spots.
My point is if you are trying some kind of bodyscape/rim lighting and it then fades to darkness wouldn't it be better too meter for the light?
 
ukcyberboy said:
Garry
I have a question about the blog on where to point a light meter.
I understand what you mean about it is what the camera sees, but if the light meters f8 when pointing at source and f5.6, wont you get hot spots.
My point is if you are trying some kind of bodyscape/rim lighting and it then fades to darkness wouldn't it be better too meter for the light?
Click to expand...

Going a bit off topic here, but never mind:)
This subject really has been done to death, and has been pretty well explained in this thread, including a very helpful diagram from Richard King (from memory).

My personal method of working, most of the time, for most subjects, is to meter lights that are more or less frontal, but I don't find it especially helpful to meter lights from behind. If you do want to meter a light that's behind the subject, then metering to the camera will still give you the nearest thing there is to a technically correct exposure, metering to the light source will be hopelessly wrong in a technical sense but neither is really likely to give you the result that actually pleases your eye - so I tend to set any backlighting exposure by trial and error.
 
Right, here we go, the tutorials are now ready:)
Part 1 is here, it's on brightfield lighting
Minimalist lighting techniques if you have to cobble something together with any/all of the following: angle poise lamp with daylight bulb, a reflector, a lencarta product table, old macro ring flash and a window.
Click to expand...
In this tutorial I used a single softbox, nothing else in the way of lighting equipment - and even that was a luxury, it could have been done with literally any kind of light.
I'd like to see a tutorial showing the easiest way to light clear glass vases using dark-field lighting and bright-filed lighting. I've read about, but don't seem to have too much success doing it myself, so a step-by-step would be great
Click to expand...
Well, this is a step by step guide but I'm not the right person to judge how effectively I've done it, so please feel free to comment, complain, make suggestions etc.

And then I moved on to part 2 which is darkfield lighting, again using a very simple method that uses hardly any equipment, before exploring other methods that need a bit more. Again, comments, complaints and suggestions are very welcome
 
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Garry Edwards said:
Right, here we go, the tutorials are now ready:)
Part 1 is here, it's on brightfield lighting
In this tutorial I used a single softbox, nothing else in the way of lighting equipment - and even that was a luxury, it could have been done with literally any kind of light.
Well, this is a step by step guide but I'm not the right person to judge how effectively I've done it, so please feel free to comment, complain, make suggestions etc.

And then I moved on to part 2 which is darkfield lighting, again using a very simple method that uses hardly any equipment, before exploring other methods that need a bit more. Again, comments, complaints and suggestions are very welcome
Click to expand...

Thanks Garry, I'll have a read later tonight when the li'l one's gone to sleep....but BRUT? Is that stuff still available? :eek:
 
domino1999 said:
Thanks Garry, I'll have a read later tonight when the li'l one's gone to sleep....but BRUT? Is that stuff still available? :eek:
Click to expand...
Don't know, found it in a drawer:LOL:
 
Garry Edwards said:
Going a bit off topic here, but never mind:)
This subject really has been done to death, and has been pretty well explained in this thread, including a very helpful diagram from Richard King (from memory).

My personal method of working, most of the time, for most subjects, is to meter lights that are more or less frontal, but I don't find it especially helpful to meter lights from behind. If you do want to meter a light that's behind the subject, then metering to the camera will still give you the nearest thing there is to a technically correct exposure, metering to the light source will be hopelessly wrong in a technical sense but neither is really likely to give you the result that actually pleases your eye - so I tend to set any backlighting exposure by trial and error.
Click to expand...

I did as you said, sorry if off topic I was looking at the site and learning with the lamp. I do need a meter though because what may look ok on screen with histograph might not be what I want.
Thanks Garry.

domino1999 said:
Thanks Garry, I'll have a read later tonight when the li'l one's gone to sleep....but BRUT? Is that stuff still available? :eek:
Click to expand...

Appears so http://www.brutworld.com/ lol
Hated it back then too.:D
 
Any other comments/complaints/suggestions?

Any other suggestions for future tutorials?
 
Lighting jewellery with minimal equipment?

Is your studio big enough to fit a full size car in?!
 
Some lighting advice on crystal figures?(y)
Like these things.
mini-IMG_1918.jpg
 
Already covered by my tutorials on brightfield lighting and darkfield lighting, or a combination of the two.
 
Hi,
I'm always interested in tutorials for using the kits available from the seller/manufacturer.

Also, my Dad is a modeller and creates some stunning miniatures. I want to photograph his work as he is starting his own business so if you could do high and low key tutorials for high end miniature models that would be great..?

Mark
 
RSMarco said:
Hi,
I'm always interested in tutorials for using the kits available from the seller/manufacturer.
Click to expand...
I don't do that, my tutorials are about lighting per se, it doesn't make any difference whether the lighting used is Profoto, Bowens, Elinchrom or Lencarta, it can all produce the same results.

RSMarco said:
Hi,
Also, my Dad is a modeller and creates some stunning miniatures. I want to photograph his work as he is starting his own business so if you could do high and low key tutorials for high end miniature models that would be great..?
Click to expand...
Do you mean high key/low key or just white background/black background? And the tutorial content would depend very much on the type of surface and the type of shape too, so possibly the best thing to do would be to take some photos yourself, start a new thread on this forum, post the photos and ask for advice on improving them.
 
Garry Edwards said:
I don't do that, my tutorials are about lighting per se, it doesn't make any difference whether the lighting used is Profoto, Bowens, Elinchrom or Lencarta, it can all produce the same results.

Do you mean high key/low key or just white background/black background? And the tutorial content would depend very much on the type of surface and the type of shape too, so possibly the best thing to do would be to take some photos yourself, start a new thread on this forum, post the photos and ask for advice on improving them.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Advice taken on board and appreciated!
 
Great tutorials Garry. Thanks for doing this.
 
Yes, excellent tutorials Garry, thank you. When (if) I get some time at the weekend, I'll give both of them a go.

Darren
 
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