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Second Attempt at child studio photography
- Thread starter Frey
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- Umm......................
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Matthew, a meter will make a huge difference to your images: you need to set the relationship between the backdrop lighting and subject correctly, and this is far more important if using a white background - in this case the background is too bright and your little person is too near it, so you have a lot of light bleed which is destroying the contrast on the model.
The light meter will also help you achieve the right balance of key light and fill light, which again is unbalanced on this image, unless it was what you wanted.
This is all my in opinion only, and I am only trying to give advice to help you, so don't take it too hard!
The light meter will also help you achieve the right balance of key light and fill light, which again is unbalanced on this image, unless it was what you wanted.
This is all my in opinion only, and I am only trying to give advice to help you, so don't take it too hard!
OP
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- Matthew
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Not taking it hard David, I sppreciate the adive, thank you. As for the back dropim using the lastolite hilite. they only fill light im using at the moment is a soft box in front situated slightly to the right hand side of the model.
Im also having trouble with the train attached to the hilite. No matter what I seem to do it always end up grey.
Im also having trouble with the train attached to the hilite. No matter what I seem to do it always end up grey.
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- Becky
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Agree with David - a light meter would really help for studio-style shots, especially if you are not seeing the above issues. Try looking at the image on a lap top and tilting back the screen - can you see that your background is unevenly lit? If you've only got one light, then a reflector on camera left would help with the fill. I use a lastolite too and it took me a while to get it right - and I still always need to do a bit of photoshop on the train.
sunnyside_up
<span class="poty">POTY (Joint) 2016</span>
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- Bethy
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The trail will turn out grey if you don't light this as well, separate to your key light.
Sweet kid!
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Agreed, the light in the highlight is too bright, especially in relation to the subject lighting, and the train is a separate issue, it needs lighting separately if you want to retain it's "whiteness".
You can still light your subject effectively with one light, especially if you are a bit creative - you can either buy a reflector or make one out of white card, painted boards, etc, or even simply keeping your setup close to a white side wall and lighting your model from the opposite side.
HTH.
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I'm also just starting out and I manually set up a 2 light setup for simple kids portraits the other week, here's my (perhaps not perfect) guide to simple manual metering..
1. Decide what Aperture you want the camera set to.. I think f/8 is a popular starting point..
2. Turn off all strobes but your key light..
3. Set the Camera to Manual f/8 and 1/125th-1/200th
4. Whilst taking test shots with a subject in the desired position, set the lights up as follows
5. Using the Key light only - adjust The (position/power) until you reach the desired intensity and light spread, you may have to move the light around a bit, and experiment if you aren't using a reflector or fill light.
6. Now switch on the main background light and keep increasing that slowly until you get the background clipping (ideally your camera can show you highlight clipping)..
7. Check if the background light is spilling/wrapping onto the subject, if it is, you have to move the subject further from the screen, or turn down the background light and accept a bit more PP will be required
I think that's about it.. worked for me!
I struggled to light the subjects face evenly with one light, but the simple solution was to move the keylight (60x90 softbox) almost directly infront of them, so the camera was touching the side of the softbox.. that wrapped nicely, but you couldn't much more then 3/4 or head shots with that.. you ideally need another fill light for that, and I've started using a shootthrough aimed at the train to illuminate that and the lower half of the subject..
The two things you can improve from your image are the keylight, it's a bit too strong and blowing the skin out, and the light wash (his arm on the left has a white haze where the background reflected light is coming around and whitening the red)..
Although it does depend on your intended effect, some like to almost blow everything out for ultimate high-key..
Seems like you are nearly there!
1. Decide what Aperture you want the camera set to.. I think f/8 is a popular starting point..
2. Turn off all strobes but your key light..
3. Set the Camera to Manual f/8 and 1/125th-1/200th
4. Whilst taking test shots with a subject in the desired position, set the lights up as follows
5. Using the Key light only - adjust The (position/power) until you reach the desired intensity and light spread, you may have to move the light around a bit, and experiment if you aren't using a reflector or fill light.
6. Now switch on the main background light and keep increasing that slowly until you get the background clipping (ideally your camera can show you highlight clipping)..
7. Check if the background light is spilling/wrapping onto the subject, if it is, you have to move the subject further from the screen, or turn down the background light and accept a bit more PP will be required
I think that's about it.. worked for me!
I struggled to light the subjects face evenly with one light, but the simple solution was to move the keylight (60x90 softbox) almost directly infront of them, so the camera was touching the side of the softbox.. that wrapped nicely, but you couldn't much more then 3/4 or head shots with that.. you ideally need another fill light for that, and I've started using a shootthrough aimed at the train to illuminate that and the lower half of the subject..
The two things you can improve from your image are the keylight, it's a bit too strong and blowing the skin out, and the light wash (his arm on the left has a white haze where the background reflected light is coming around and whitening the red)..
Although it does depend on your intended effect, some like to almost blow everything out for ultimate high-key..
Seems like you are nearly there!
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- Ben
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The hilite is a tricky beast. Sure its easy, set up the exposure from hilite to read F11, put camera to f8, Set main light to f8, job done. Well that's what they would like you to think !
But in reality it is NOWHERE near that easy :-(
The key is getting the hilite evenly illuminated. Set the camera to f11 with blinkies on and slowly ramp up the lights illuminating the hilite. The result will show you where the hilite is blowing out first. You should aim to get it all to blow out at the same time - this is impossible but is what you are aiming for. You should aim for no more than 1/2 stop variation over the whole area. I can just about get this with my 8x6 hilite and two strobes.
One that is done with the hilite just blowing out at f11 turn the hilite strobes off. And set up the main lights to f8.
Now take two pictures.
1) Main lights on hilite off
2) Main lights on and hilite lights on
The 2nd picture will show you where you are getting wrap and edge destruction. You aim is to make the subject in 2 look as much as possible as 1. Basically the aim here is to minimise wrap and maximise lighting independence between the main lights and the hilite.
The train is just about impossible to get white without throeing far too much light at it. The best bet is to get sheets of transparent acrylic and put them ontop of the train. That way you will reflect the light from the hilite and this will help LOADS - the lower you take photos from get the better it will be.
This is what I generally get to in the end - this has had about 15secs of pp applied in LR. It is NOT perfect there is still edge damage around the top of her head. But my studio is smallish and she is about 6 feet from the hilite plus with kids you just cant flag off the bits of the highlight you are not using. I have got black material on the white ceiling which helps prevent 'bounce flash'.
But in reality it is NOWHERE near that easy :-(
The key is getting the hilite evenly illuminated. Set the camera to f11 with blinkies on and slowly ramp up the lights illuminating the hilite. The result will show you where the hilite is blowing out first. You should aim to get it all to blow out at the same time - this is impossible but is what you are aiming for. You should aim for no more than 1/2 stop variation over the whole area. I can just about get this with my 8x6 hilite and two strobes.
One that is done with the hilite just blowing out at f11 turn the hilite strobes off. And set up the main lights to f8.
Now take two pictures.
1) Main lights on hilite off
2) Main lights on and hilite lights on
The 2nd picture will show you where you are getting wrap and edge destruction. You aim is to make the subject in 2 look as much as possible as 1. Basically the aim here is to minimise wrap and maximise lighting independence between the main lights and the hilite.
The train is just about impossible to get white without throeing far too much light at it. The best bet is to get sheets of transparent acrylic and put them ontop of the train. That way you will reflect the light from the hilite and this will help LOADS - the lower you take photos from get the better it will be.
This is what I generally get to in the end - this has had about 15secs of pp applied in LR. It is NOT perfect there is still edge damage around the top of her head. But my studio is smallish and she is about 6 feet from the hilite plus with kids you just cant flag off the bits of the highlight you are not using. I have got black material on the white ceiling which helps prevent 'bounce flash'.
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- Phil
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Matthew,
There is some overspill. You might find the contrast works better as a b&w.
Anyway light meter or no light meter, just recorgnise there is some alien type lighting going on and try to have your subject closer to you next time
PS - a light meter isn't the be all and end all, your eyes are just as good
There is some overspill. You might find the contrast works better as a b&w.
Anyway light meter or no light meter, just recorgnise there is some alien type lighting going on and try to have your subject closer to you next time
PS - a light meter isn't the be all and end all, your eyes are just as good