 Alycia |
Studio set- up I'm interested in setting up a portrait studio in my garage. I need a complete lighting set- up. (I don't mind spending around $1000 to start off.) I would like a lighting set- up that gives bright natural lighting, like the lighting you would achieve in an outdoor shade photo. I don't want shadows on the face or hair, or deep dark circles under the eyes. However, I also don't want the subject to be "bleached" by too much flash. What would you suggest? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Please include the web
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Judith A. Clark |
I have a Studio Max 300 Plus by Photogenic. It runs about $800 in Indiana. It has plenty of power for a garage setup. The problems and type of lighting you refer to, is a matter of learning to use the light set. My subjects are not washed out, I don't have shadows. If you set the lights and meter them properly, you get great pics. A three light setup allows for hair light, and background light with a reflector as fill. I suggest you go with strobe lighting, but its not easy to learn. I suggest you also find all the books you can find on lighting technics, and if you aren't using digital be prepared to go through alot of film, on practice setups. A lighting class is a good idea, if you have one in your area, I did not. If you don't have a light meter you will need one. Good luck
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I agree with Judith that strobes are the way to go and that a flash meter should be part of your equation. Shadows and bleached out faces are not a function of the lights but the photographer. Learn to use them properly and you won't have those problems. Check out www.alienbees.com for lights. For that soft open shade light you will need a large light modifier like a big softbox or umbrella with diffuser.
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Alycia |
Thanks for the help! So am I standing too close to the subject? What cause the "bleached" effect? I only get it when the overall lighting is low. Otherwise, the tone is perfect. I belive what I need is some brillant fixed lighting. Something that will allow me to focus with ease. I agree on the soft boxes and umbrellas. How many would you suggest, and how would position them for best overall lighting?
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Judith A. Clark |
The number of softboxs and umbrellas depends on the number of lights you have. I have one soft box, two umbrella's, and a snoot. The light set up depends on the effect you want, but the basic set up is your key light to one side of the subject, beside and slightly in front of camera,set at about F8, the fill light to the oppisite side as the key light, and set about 5.6 and a hair light aimed so as to just highlight the hair not the face, set at about f11 or f16, your subject should be at least 3 feet from the background, and you about the same from the subject
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Alycia |
OK. This is sounding like what I had in mind. The effect is very basic. Bright colors and lighting, with no shadows of any kind. No soft focus, etc... Just bright and crisp. I have actually abandoned my SLR lately for a new 6 mega pixel digital. I'm saving a fortune on film and processing. Does the lighting set- up change any when using digital?
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Judith A. Clark |
I also use a digital camera, Nikon D100 the only thing this changes is it alot easier to learn because you don't have to list or remember what you did. Try buying some pro lighting book like High Key Portrait Photography by Norman Phillips, and Pro Lighting (Portraits) by Roger Hicks and Frances Schultz. They do lighting set ups with diagrams. They give you some great ideas but remember that its still trial and error. Remember that setting you light to a certain F stop requires that you move your light around until it meters from your subject at that F stop. I happen to like f8 for the main or key light. That is the one you but your softbox on. use an umbrella on your fill light, this light just fills in any shadows. and the hair light adds highlight that give your picture interest and depth. the third light can also be used as a background light or you can use a reflector as fill and use that light as a background light. there are a hundred different ways to set these things up. It depends on the mood you want the pictures to have. But the lights I suggested will work great, great color, crisp images, only soft focus if you want romance. The rest is up to how much you want to research and learn. Like I said this will be easier with digital, because you know what works imediatly, and can move a light around if you have it wrong. Oh one mistake I made, as a general rule, If your key light is at F8 shot at F8@125, don't meter for the whole scene, meter one light at a time.
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Alycia |
Wonderful!! Thanks so much!
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
You don't really want to eliminate all shadows. You need to think of it more as sculting the light. You want shadows. You just don't want harsh shadows. You want to control the depth and direction of the shadows. The larger the light source (bigger the softbox and the closer you place it) the softer the shadows. For the bulk of my studio portraiture I use 1-2 lights. My main light is typically on one side of the subject and I place a reflector near the camera at varying distances to control the amount of fill I get. My second light is usually aimed at the background or used as a kicker light on my model to provide separation from the background.
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Judith A. Clark |
Hey Jeff, I have yet to get the reflector to meter high enough for fill, I'm sure it's my positioning, any tips you can give me. I agree with you on the shadows, but I figured she Alcia would learn what she liked as she practiced and read more. I really like the hair light for teenage girls ( I have Two ) it seems to add deminsion. I have problems with kicker lights and lens flare also. I have just started to shot some professional jobs, and can still use all the tips for posing and lighting I can get. The flat lighting I suggested before, I use for children mostly, because they move so much.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I don't meter my fill any more. I basically just move the reflector around until it looks right with the modeling light. I haven't worried about ratios for a few years now. You can see the ratios with modeling lights. As far as placement, the closer to your camera the better as it helps to wrap the light and prevents the cross lighting effect of shadows going in opposite directions. Plus that you don't have to worry about flare. For the kicker I use grids and snoots as required. This helps with flare. In addition I have a bellows lens hood that keeps stray light our of my lens. I keep my lighting very simple and rarely use hair lights. But that's my style.
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Alycia |
Actually, I really don't want any shadows. There are bound to be some faint ones that define the line from the inner eyes to the bottom of the nose, but I don't want the effect where one side of the face is lighted more than the other. I need to have the whole face be one tone, matching on both sides.
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Judith A. Clark |
Thanks Jeff, I quess I beleive what I read too much, I'll just try moving it around until it looks good, and stop trying to go by the book. A lens hood is a good idea, I use mine in sunlight, but just didn't think of using it indoors. Thanks also for the snoot tip, nowhere did I read that.
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Judith A. Clark |
I don't think Jeff was talking about hard shadows,or lighting only one side of the face. With a soft box and umbrella the shadows are very faint, and only bring out detail and a defenition. Its not something you really notice when looking at a portrait it just becomes part of the overall look.
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Alycia |
OK... that it what I'm looking for.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
Yeah, you want a certain amount of shadow called modeling to give the image depth. It makes faces look 3 dimensional. Otherwise your images look flat and uninteresting.
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Alycia |
Yes, I'm not looking to totally bleach out the features. I just need to have only the slight shading that the features make. (Along the nose, under the chin, etc... Nothing that makes one side of the face different from the other. So do I need identical lighting fixtures on each side, plus something overhead?
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Judith A. Clark |
If you buy a lighting set you will have two or three identical lights. Nothing overhead. The lighting setup I discribed earlier will not bleach out features. You basically need one light with a softbox to light the subject from the side, this does cause some shadow, but its not bad because it is to the side and in front of the subject. Then you need some kind of fill on the other side close to the camera to fill in the shadow areas and soften them. Trust me this works, its all very hard to invision before you have the lights to work with. Like I said before, buy a few good books and go online for lighting technics. Then just practice. You'll see with the modeling lights the effect you will get. Modeling lights are low watt bulbs in each light that help you to position the lights during setup.
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I'm not sure I understand your aversion to shadows. I think like Judith says it's just difficult for you to envision at this point. Lighting both sides of a person's face will create a very flat portrait. The idea is to sculpt the shape of the face with the light. To do this you need to understand how light and shadows affect an image. Dark things (shadows) tend to recede and light things just the reverse. This is how you create a 3 dimensional look to your images. If you light everything evenly with absolutely no shadows you end up with an image that has no depth. What you are looking for are subtle shadows to suggest shape.
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Alycia |
I think Judith understands it. The photos I'm taking are not meant to be natural character photos. I'm taking glamour photos. The whole face needs to be well lighted. Both eyes bright, even skin tone, etc....
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Alycia |
I've found a good example. This web page has a photo of Miss America, 1998. The whole face is bright and even toned. Eyes are bright, etc... http://www.pageantrymagazine.com/interview/shawnaejebbiaint.html
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
Perfect. I was just looking for an example when you put that up. If you notice the left side (her right) of her face there is a bit of shadow there. Just enough to hint at the shape. Even in high key shots you don't want flat lighting (most of the time anyway). Take a look at her eyes to see where the catchlights are and you will see where the lights are placed. It looks to me like a large softbox or umbrella was set up just to the left of the camera. This would allow for even lighting while at the same time achieving a small amount of falloff to model the face. It also look like (and it's very common in glamour shots) there is a reflector placed below the model to help fill. Find pictures like this one that look like what you want and study the catchlights to figure out lighting setups.
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Alycia |
That's a great suggestion. I have seen the reflectors used under the face, as well. So for that illumination, you don't need and overhead lighting?
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
The textbook glamour lighting is to place a mainlight above the level of the head and fairly close to the camera so that you achieve a butterfly pattern (the little butterfly shaped shadow under the nose) and then place a reflector below to fill in the shadows. That's basically what they did in the shot you linked (with background lights as well of course).
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Judith A. Clark |
Alycia, I know what you mean by glamor photography, and Jeff is right about butterfly lighting, but I'm of the opion that you can't light or shot everyone with the same setup, that would be boring. Buy "Portfolio" By Art Ketchum. He shots alot of models and work for magizines like the Backdrop outlet, and Dancewear catologs. I think after seeing his work you may have a funner perspective of glamor. There are Glamor Shot places everywhere, why be like everyone else. Find a style of your own to distenguish yourself, You'll sell more, and have more fun. This book shows how fun it can be to play with shadow to enhance a persons face, or give the shot a specific mood. Don't get completly stuck on a method until you've had some time to play, and find what your truly good at and love.
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