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Positive feedback! April 13, 2009

Posted by Leonard Low in General Comments, Portraiture, Strobist.
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I posted my first few images to my Photo.net discussion thread and it elicited this response:

Mark Chartrand , Apr 12, 2009; 12:40 p.m.

Leonard,

I think your lighting is very nice on these subjects.

FYI: Direct lighting (just above the nose – or “on the axis”) has often been referred to “Hollywood” or “Butterfly” lighting as it was quite popular with “stars” in the 40’s and creates a “butterfly” shaped shadow just under the nose. It is really quite a flattering lighting setup, especially when used with soft focus on females.

Mark

Yaay! :)

Refining my lighting April 8, 2009

Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Portraiture, Strobist.
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It was definitely helpful to get some ideas from the pros at Photo.net… I’ve been able to refine what I’ll need to do to capture the images I want for my assignment.

What I think I need most of all is some studio time to have a go… it’s hard to figure out if you’re designing things the right way if you haven’t had a chance to try things out and see what works and what doesn’t!

Some responses already! April 7, 2009

Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Portraiture, Strobist.
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I have responses on Photo.net!!!

Monika Epsefass , Apr 06, 2009; 08:40 a.m.

If they need to have a halo, you’d need a strong backlight. In addition, you could add some lighting in PS later, which you direct on their faces and calculate in ’soft light’ mode. Don’t forget to soften their skin a bit, too, to give them that candlelight look. You might also use a (turned down low) snoot light on their faces, to prevent overexposing but give them a gentle glow, maybe together with a gelled bulb…. be imaginative!

Jennifer Spencer , Apr 06, 2009; 05:42 p.m.

A gold reflector might be a nice touch to make the subject’s skin glow, no matter their skin color. If you bounce your studio light off that reflector, you might like the look. I’d try putting the reflector overhead, or overhead at an angle, and bouncing light from below. You could test this at home with a light bulb and a sheet of aluminum foil over cardboard and see if you like the look. The foil won’t give you the skin glow of the gold tone, but it will show you how the light reflection would work.

I assume you’ll be using some sort of flourescent lighting for the “ugly” shots? Nobody looks good in that light!

Charles Heckel , Apr 06, 2009; 07:27 p.m.

A skin moisturizer tends to bring out the highlights in skin, and diffuse on-axis lighting (an umbrella directly above the camera) will spread those highlights. A less diffuse on-axis light will produce more brightness in the skin broadside-on to the camera and less in skin angled away from it (a soft box with a grid).

If the subject is posed against a dark background, a soft-focus lens such as a Portragon will spread the highlights over the background for a halo effect. You can get a similar effect with a blur layer in PS.

Don’t use people–hire angels. ;-)

Post to Photo.net April 6, 2009

Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment, Portraiture, Strobist.
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I just posted the following on the Photo.net “Portraits and Fashion/Portrait Lighting” forum.  I’m hoping to get some advice from the many professionals and enthusiasts in this awesome online community:

Making a Subject Glow

I’m working on a set of photos for a photography assignment, where the brief is to promote Earth Hour. I’ve decided I’d like to take some portrait shots of people holding unlit light bulbs, but make it look like they themselves are sources of “illumination” through posing and lighting. I’d either like to shoot these subjects as if they’re glowing themselves, or as if they have a halo, and make them look attractive. I’m going to contrast these with photos of people holding lit light bulbs, and make them harshly/unflatteringly lit.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice I could try to make the most of my limited studio time and achieve the difficult halo/illumination shots? I’ll probably only get a few hours in the studio to try to get the “look” I’m after, so I guess I’m doing as much research as I can *before* getting in there. :)

The college studio is fully equipped with professional studio flashes, modelling lights, snoots, barn doors, gels, soft boxes backdrops, etc. and I’ll be shooting on a Canon EOS 5D Mk II equipped with a 50mm f/1.4 USM prime.

Thanks for your suggestions!
L.

Link to post.

Photo.Net April 4, 2009

Posted by Leonard Low in Assignment.
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I just stumbled across this photographer’s forum while researching my lighting for my portraits.  There seem to be lots of people with lots of information and ideas.  I’ll “lurk” for a few days and read through the forums so I know the appropriate “netiquette” that applies in this community, but it would probably be a good place to get some advice or ideas on my assignment.

OMG it’s past midnight!  Time to get some sleep…