 Kelli Campbell |
Using shop lights in portraiture Hello all, I have been searching the forum for a good hour and didn't find my question answered, so here goes. I am photographing a friend's baby within the next month or so. I already have a couple of shop lights, some white muslin, and a reflector, but by no means ever plan to take portraits professionally. It has been established that I could get decent results using shop lights, rather than forking out a few hundred bucks for true portrait lights. How many shop lights should I use, and at what position should I place them? Should I also use an on-camera flash in addition? I would also like to utilize natural window light. Do I even need to use the shop lights in addition to available light, or can I just use a reflector? If I just use the window light with the reflector, do I need to use the on-camera flash? Sorry for all the questions...I appreciate any insight you may have. I'll probably practice on my husband first. He doesn't know this yet. :) THANK YOU!
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Kerry L. Walker |
Yes, you can use shop lights to shoot a portrait but I wouldn't do so with a baby. They're just too darned hot! Babies are not easy to shoot as it is so you don't want to make them uncomfortable. If you do decide to use shop lights, you will need more powerful lights rather than more quantity. You will also need to use either tungsten based film (or digital balanced for tungsten). Whatever you do, don't shoot with a combination of shop lights unless that slight orange glow is what you are wanting. (Girl at Catholic Church in my gallery was shot with a combination of incandescent and window light but that is the look I wanted.) Shooting with natural light is, IMHO, the best way to go, if it is available. It is soft and even and doesn't get hot (unless you are outside at this time of the year!) Girl at Table (in my gallery) was shot in the afternoon with natural light and a reflector. Another example of natural lighting is Man of God by the Light of God. I shot this one at noon next to a window inside a dark church with a reflector. Don't shoot at noon unless you are wanting the stark contrast that I was looking for in this photo. The sun is too high to get good diffusion of the light throughout the room and too bright to maintain good contrast levels, unless, as I said before, you are wanting that high contrast look. By all means, practice on Hubby first - if you can get him to sit still. LOL
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Kelli Campbell |
Kerry, thanks for the response! If I use photo bulbs, though, will I still have the orange glow?
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Kerry L. Walker |
If the bulbs are daylight balanced, you won't.
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