Using fairy lights

[Rooster]

I've got my first artistic nude shoot coming up soon. One of the ideas I have is to use a string of white fairy lights draped around the model to give a nice soft glow. Does anyone have the "recipe" for how you shoot this? It will be in a fairly low-light environment so it will be a longish exposure. Do I have to use a speedlight too or just natural light and the fairy lights?

 

[Duncan.F]

Hi
Pm me an email address I did an art nude shoot recently and we used LEDs quite successfully!

Dunc

 

[Duncan.F]

Here is one we did with Esmerelda, my friendly mannequin!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan_forrest_photography/sets/72157633464874977/

 

[Rooster]

Hi
Pm me an email address I did an art nude shoot recently and we used LEDs quite successfully!

Dunc

PM sent, thanks.

That's a lovely abstract with the LED rope, might have to get one of those.

 

[Rooster]

Here is one we did with Esmerelda, my friendly mannequin!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan_forrest_photography/sets/72157633464874977/

I've just noticed that's a dummy with the led rope! My point is, in a lowish-light situation necessary to see the effect the LEDs I will be using a live model who will be moving and breathing therefore long exposures are out. I think I will need to use flash and exaggerate the lighting in pp.

 

[specialman]

Couple of ways to do it:

Increase ISO, shoot at something like 1/60th and shoot wide open - you should get a decent exposure that way. You might have horrid noise though. Expose so you get the right balance between blowing the highlights and the rest of the model...

The other way is to use a speed light on low power and then use a long(ish) shutter speed to 'burn' in the ambient, which will include the fairy lights. The speedlight will probably have to be on a lowish power - what you want to avoid is suing a high f/stop to control the flash because that will mean the ambient will take longer to burn in, meaning the risk of camera shake. It's all about knowing what the meter for and how to expose the shot...

This was shot the latter way:


Beer Can 3 by Pat MacInnes, on Flickr

Low power flash on the bottle (hence the f/2 aperture) and a long shutter speed (1/6th sec) to burn in the fairy lights in the background

 

[Steve T]

Excellent composition and shot

 

[Rooster]

And rear-curtain sync, I'm assuming?

Couple of ways to do it:

Increase ISO, shoot at something like 1/60th and shoot wide open - you should get a decent exposure that way. You might have horrid noise though. Expose so you get the right balance between blowing the highlights and the rest of the model...

The other way is to use a speed light on low power and then use a long(ish) shutter speed to 'burn' in the ambient, which will include the fairy lights. The speedlight will probably have to be on a lowish power - what you want to avoid is suing a high f/stop to control the flash because that will mean the ambient will take longer to burn in, meaning the risk of camera shake. It's all about knowing what the meter for and how to expose the shot...

This was shot the latter way:


Beer Can 3 by Pat MacInnes, on Flickr

Low power flash on the bottle (hence the f/2 aperture) and a long shutter speed (1/6th sec) to burn in the fairy lights in the background

 

[Phil V]

And rear-curtain sync, I'm assuming?

It wouldn't matter - everything is static.

 

[specialman]

And rear-curtain sync, I'm assuming?

Camera was probably set to rear curtain (mine usually are) but as Phil says, static object so it makes no difference

 

[Rooster]

Camera was probably set to rest curtain (mine usually are) but as Phil says, static object so it makes no difference

But in my case it will be a live model so there will be some movement. Maybe a little movement won't make much of a difference.

 

[specialman]

But in my case it will be a live model so there will be some movement. Maybe a little movement won't make much of a difference.

I think you need to work out whether you're introducing flash or not, as this obviously has a big impact on how you use the fairy light - it's a case of balance a lit of things to get the exposure. If you're going to just use fairy lights then it's obviously simpler but demands more thought about ISOs...

 

[specialman]

But in my case it will be a live model so there will be some movement. Maybe a little movement won't make much of a difference.

What is the model actually going to be doing?

I think you need to work out whether you're introducing flash or not, as this obviously has a big impact on how you use the fairy light - it's a case of balance a lit of things to get the exposure. If you're going to just use fairy lights then it's obviously simpler but demands more thought about ISOs...