My first outdoor multi strobe image

Disclaimer: I'm just a dad

So I've had lights for some time... I've done studio stuff in my house about 10 times now and outdoor strobe with a single light about 3 times. Well I knew I wanted a light meter to help me setup and had just enough time just now to setup my lights in front of my house, meter all 3 and then drug the kid outside to get two images before she wanted to go back to youtube lol. Focus was tad off and complete setup, shot and teardown timeing was about 12-15 minutes so please keep that in mind but Critiquing is OK.

I always had to chimp constantly and balancing multiple lights were impossible for me. Light meter made it a snap. Now my fill I should of had down a bit and my ambient could of been a tad darker but either way this was important for me to take...

it's fueled my excitement to keep trying

Main 1/2 ~8'
Fill 1/4 ~ 10'
backlight 1/8 set middle between her and sago behind her.

My backlight a tad bright... could of moved it back and balanced the ambient down a bit more and my fill was on a what 1:2 ratio and could benefit more on a 1:4 ratio imho. Rimlight too bright but overall it's facebook post worthy to make all the wifes friends drool lol

Well poop. Looking at the memory on the light meter the main metered F2 while fill metered 1.8.

So basically 1:1 ratio. Oh well. Learned for next time.

I would say job well done. I like the balance of light as it is...Was that shot with the Sigma 85mm?

Regards,

110yd

Yes, sigma 85 @ 2.0

Not bad. I need to try on my kids.

Better edit?

Good job, I like the backlight. Not fair, you have a professional model at home

My littlest one (in the image) is by far the most photogenic one I have. Oldest is the least. Take a look at my gallery for more if your interested. I think the strobes will help me grow more.

I'm not some expert on the lighting... but I read alot and the meter to me is a complete necessity. Eventually I wouldn't mind doing seniors and whatnot which is why I'm starting now. 16/10/8/4 are my kids ages. Figure plenty more time to capture them.

Some comments, suggestions, based on the your posts and the images, including the BTS.
Its more beneficial to have the fill near the lens axis and the main off axis. More off axis means more dramatic lighting. The "fill" is to fill shadows. Your light positions are essentially Passport picture mains. i.e. 45 and 45 both at same power means face with no shadows. That's what the State Department wants. Its intended to minimize shadows which hide facial features. We tend to want shadows to model the face.

Background light should be modified to keep it off the background and aimed up toward the subject. As you've commented a little goes a long way.

Since you have a meter, spend time with the lights in various modifiers reading the output with front of modifier 8 feet from the subject/meter. Do it at something like 1/4 power. Once you've done that, you'll be able to set up the lights quickly without the meter and then use it to verify the setup. After a while you'll realize you've got a close exposure setting just based on position of the lights. The background "halo" light always has to be quite low. The hair is essentially redirecting the light to the camera so a little goes a long way.

With a model that cute you should have lots of chances to practice.

As an aside, when photographing kids, since they tend to be active and not willing to stay in the same place, simpler lighting setups and TTL work well.

Nice shot, love the hair light but notice the light drops off lower down the legs. Maybe lower one of the lights slightly or angle a little more downward?

dmward wrote in post #18427951
Some comments, suggestions, based on the your posts and the images, including the BTS.
Its more beneficial to have the fill near the lens axis and the main off axis. More off axis means more dramatic lighting. The "fill" is to fill shadows. Your light positions are essentially Passport picture mains. i.e. 45 and 45 both at same power means face with no shadows. That's what the State Department wants. Its intended to minimize shadows which hide facial features. We tend to want shadows to model the face.

Background light should be modified to keep it off the background and aimed up toward the subject. As you've commented a little goes a long way.

Since you have a meter, spend time with the lights in various modifiers reading the output with front of modifier 8 feet from the subject/meter. Do it at something like 1/4 power. Once you've done that, you'll be able to set up the lights quickly without the meter and then use it to verify the setup. After a while you'll realize you've got a close exposure setting just based on position of the lights. The background "halo" light always has to be quite low. The hair is essentially redirecting the light to the camera so a little goes a long way.

With a model that cute you should have lots of chances to practice.

As an aside, when photographing kids, since they tend to be active and not willing to stay in the same place, simpler lighting setups and TTL work well.

Thanks for the input, very valuable. It seems I had the right idea but had my main/fill swapped. The angle I shot it at was more to the right of the BTS. Here is basically what I did and from what your telling me I need to flip my main/fill. Seems like going way down on the BG would be alot of help and also learning to blend the modifiers better

Good tip on the light setups. I've seen some have main/fill both power and just position the fill twice as far. I'm assuming thats the quickest setup.

TTL works good but for me I want to learn this type of location stuff. I had all the lights setup and then went inside and got my kid. She was happy to bounce around a bit but no way I could keep her attention for long. I know the best results for what I want to learn with a 3 light location setup is to have help. for now it'll be more planning.

For my single light stuff before I did use TTL and had the wife take the photos while I walked around w/ the modifier on a pole and controlled the light for her.

which also means if she was facing to my right then the main should be right and fill on lens axis right?

Get a big doll or one of those artists heads/wig heads and use that as a target to test your lighting. Then when the lighting is right you call the talent from her trailer for the actual shoot.

When I was a young photographer just starting out I worked in a portrait studio.
They had strobes in big hard modifiers with diffusion panels on the front. Both on tracks on the ceiling.
Each light had a string attached to the bottom of the modifier with two knots tied onto the string.
If subject was facing camera left we pushed the left light off axis about 30 degrees and grabbed the knot closest to the light and pulled it to the subject's nose.
Then pulled the other light just off the lens axis and grabbed the knot farthest from the light and pulled it to the subject's nose. Vola, 1:3 lighting ratio. Perfect for the color or B/W neg film we were shooting.

Background light was always in the same position and power.

I applaud your wanting to learn lighting and how to best set lights for portraits and similar.
A light meter is a great tool. Don't fall into the trap that its required to set up every shoot.
The key is to use it to learn how your lights and modifiers perform so that you can become comfortable with output. Then use basic logic and that knowledge to get the lights into position.

I have a flash meter, but haven't taken it on a job in a couple of years.

This was shot with combination of window light and CL200 in a Wescott octa. I don't remember if it was TTL or manual. I think manual. Generally I get the flash set to where I want it within two frames. Much faster with subject in front of the camera than a meter. But it also means I've spend a lot of time learning what the tools will accomplish.

With multiple strobes, I always use a flash meter. I'll almost always use a flash meter anyway.

Takes the reading, adjusts the strobe power and such. Saves time running around and lowering strobes.

It's a great tool.