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David, I know how children can be....IMHO, baby & children photographers have a tuff job. Yep, you're on the right track if you begin with one light and learn it well. Umbrella or softbox? Both have their place and both have advantages and disadvantages. I could give you fool proof lighting setups Michael; but then what have you learned? You didn't think this was gonna' be easy, did ya'? LOL One of the great things about digital is that you are not wasting money on film costs..soooooooooo; Let's try this...and THIS by the way, is exactly how I learned lighting many yrs ago; AND at the cost of a LOT of film. Get a nice loose leaf note book..maybe 2 note books, because you're gonna' be doing a LOT of writing and drawing. Also; a small dry erase board will be of value as you can insert the board into each shot for later I.D...(Setup 1, Setup 2 etc...)
For each setup, you record ALL the necessary information to re-produce the shot as well as a diagram of each setup. For a ONE light setup: 1) Distance of camera to subject.
2) Distance of strobe to subject.
3) Power output setting of strobe.
4) Angle of strobe to subject (also Height)
5) TYPE of light. Bare, umbrella, SB etc)
6) Camera height.
7) Camera f/stop & focal length
8) Flash meter reading if you use one.
9) Pose of subject relative to camera. (i.e) side, 45 degrees etc...
10) Position of reflector
11) Distance of reflector from light
12) Size and type of reflector
13) Color & texture of walls, ceiling & floor in setting
14) Complexion of subject
15) Color of subjects attire WHEW! All this for a one light setup? You bet.
Do you NEED all this data for good portraits? I think so if you want to reproduce the result. Do you want to learn & understand how all these items interact with one another? Do it!
Does it take a lot of time and effort? Yes! You can read books upon books of “cook book” setups and never understand how this all comes together. Giant gaps will be present without the knowledge of "HOW". Family members might be patient in one’s learning process, but only to a point. LOL
I used stuffed animals of various colors and sizes..some use mannequins to see how light and shadow (fall) around the face of your subjects. Ok..so what positions for the light and camera; right?
Wrong. This is where I part company with some so called experts who say “set your camera here and your light here and your f/ stop here.” Cookie cutter approach. I’ve never advocated this method as a learning tool...a subject for another time. Try MANY different setups..angles..various heights of camera and light...try different focal lengths..Head shots..torso, full body..etc....Camara positions, light positions, reflector positions, backdrop distance etc..etc... (Force) what you think will be a bad light setup intentionally..see what happens. You might be surprised. You may find your creative side might have a use for this one day! Hmm? Really?
Ya..Really! Then one day, someone here on BP will ask "Hey; how'd you do that?" Do this tests first with a umbrella..Then a Soft box. Try some bare bulb too if you wish.
You are and should be your worst critic. I think I shot about 1,000 test images before I dared photograph a person for money. Now after about a million years of learning and testing: (kidding) you can start thinking about colored gels and special effects. I hope you can see the complexities in just learning a good one light setup.
With TWO lights, you can multiply the data set by FOUR! I see soooo many people wishing to learn photography without a solid background. The steps above WILL give you a solid background. Learning photography is a (additive) process; NOT a patterned approach. I am not aware of any good photographers who decided to set up a studio, buy an expensive camera and fire away with good results. I AM aware of good photographers who took the additive way of learning photography thru blood, sweat and tears. Your home work question: Is a softbox’s light more diffuse when close to a subject or further away?
No help from the experts here please. Al the best, Pete
November 13, 2007
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