 Stephanie N. Wilson |
Studio Lighting
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Jon Close |
Are you using a flash meter to determine exposure? What exposure mode, ISO and aperture were set on the camera?
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Debby A. Tabb |
Stephanie, when shooting for that high key look, the trick is to get a lot of backlight on the back ground and keep the main and fill the same for skin tones. you could go to the studio Photography thread for more info. I will be taking off to help a friend with thier new studio soon, but will check back. please let me know what and how many lights your using now. try the setting Manual iso125/f9 ( I beleive the dimage is a fixed lens 35mm) if your lights have setting that are just flip switches then test at : Main : full Fill: 1/2 studio set up: (picture it as a clock, the background is 12:00, camera at 6:00) Main at between 3:00 and 4:00, rasied a foot above the subjects head. Fill at 7:00 at eye (or lens level) Backlight or lights about a foot from you backdrop on full for high key. try this and post a test, we can go from there. oh, if the lights are digital, I will get you some setting to test on. I hope this helps,
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Alan N. Marcus |
Basic 3 light set-up simulates a sunlit scene. Character of the face should be enhanced with flattering light. Bad features deemphasized, good features underscored. Set main high and off to the side. High simulates light from the sun. Low creates a monster look. Look at horror movies like Frankenstein, effects are created by lights set below subject’s eye level. Actual placement of the main is an art based on subject facial type. Long nose, short shadow, short nose, long nose shadow, full face, cheek less than fully illumined, narrow face, frontal lighting, etc. Main placement is where the art comes into play. The main illuminates the flat features and prominences. Facial recessed areas will be in shadow. Shadows are required as they impart a 3 dimensional look to an otherwise 2 dimensional print. The problem is; the photographer’s can’t, with the necked eye, distinguish the hardness of the light cast by a one light set-up. The eye/brain encompasses too great a brightness range. The photographic media is not so lucky. If we don’t do something, the shadows on the print will go dark and they will be void of detail. We must somehow illuminate the shadows. We can use reflectors or a second light known as a fill. The fill reduces the harsh contrast enabling the print to show shadow detail. Since we want to fill from the cameras prospective we place the fill as close to the camera lens as possible without blocking the cameras view. Fill can be forward of camera, along side camera or even behind camera but it must be kept close to the camera-to-subject axis. Careful, don’t place fill so as to cast a shadow on the subject. Remember, fill is set to camera height. Portraits are most satisfying when the illusion of a one light vista is preserved. Main means main, it must be the brightest lamp. All other lamps are subordinate. If lamps are adjustable, set main to full power and fill to ½ power. Place both at the same distance from subject. The objective is to set the main twice as bright (1 f-stop) then the fill. If lamp power is not adjustable you must use distance lamp-to-subject as the adjusting factor. To cause the fill to be subordinate, move it further back as compared to the main-to-subject distance. Multiply main-to-subject distance by 1.4. The answer will be the revised distance subject-to-fill. This set-up reduces fill energy at the subject plane to 50% as compared to the main. Stated another way; You have created a lighting circumstance whereby the main delivers say 100 units of light and the fill delivers 50 units of light. Now the prominences and flat areas of the face receive light from both the main and the fill. This light is accumulative. The main contributes 100 units and the fill 50 units for a total of 150 units. Meanwhile, the valleys are only illuminated by the fill; the main light does not reaches the shadows, thus shadows only receive 50 units of light. Consider the lighting ratio you have set is 150:50 or 3:1. This so-called 3:1 lighting ratio is ideal for Portraits. The 3:1 takes full advantage of the photographic media thus it is know as the bread-and-butter lighting ratio because it sells best.
Behind the subject, hidden from the camera’s view, place another lamp. This background lamp illuminates thus canceling shadows cast by the main and fill on the background. You adjust lamp-to-background to get a any desired background tone. Distance or power allows light or dark background. Distance is the chief controlling factor. Best of luck, Alan Marcus
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