First Time Practicing Studio Lighting - any basic tips ?

[QUOTE=Kechar;12201198​]If you're stopping your only light from shining light onto the BG the entire BG will be shadow.

The gobo won't be in frame. If you pinch the light right near the modifier it should be far from it.

What you are doing by placing a gobo between your main and the BG is stopping the main from spilling light onto the BG. You should expect a dark BG pretty much. If you just let everything spill you will probably have all kinds of shadows on the BG. You may get some spill from your ceiling, walls, reflector, etc... But that spill may be really soft and subtle, and possibly unnoticeable. Spill from your main may be more intense and harsher.

It's going to be a trial process no doubt.[/QUOTE]

Gotcha, that’s what I thought… - thanks for the heads up.

Your 2nd light will definitely come in handy as either a bg light for seperation or a hair/rim light. Like someone else mentioned watch the walls from castin light onto the subject. I made the mistake of shooting senior headshots in my old room which was painted dark blue which cast an awkward color which was damn near impossible to correct WB in post.

One thing I had trouble on using just a speedlight was having enough ambient light to not only focus but not too much to where it won't match the color of the flash. Also if the room is too dark the pupils will look giant as the flash isn't quick enough for them to recover and they will look dialted which isn't necessarily a bad thing. See my shot below for an example.

http://www.flickr.com …/in/set-72157624983670048

ni$mo350 wrote in post #12201344
Your 2nd light will definitely come in handy as either a bg light for seperation or a hair/rim light. Like someone else mentioned watch the walls from castin light onto the subject. I made the mistake of shooting senior headshots in my old room which was painted dark blue which cast an awkward color which was damn near impossible to correct WB in post.

One thing I had trouble on using just a speedlight was having enough ambient light to not only focus but not too much to where it won't match the color of the flash. Also if the room is too dark the pupils will look giant as the flash isn't quick enough for them to recover and they will look dialted which isn't necessarily a bad thing. See my shot below for an example.

http://www.flickr.com …/in/set-72157624983670048

Thanks for the info. I have two 100watt 5500K continous lights that I’m using and bouncing them off the walls behind me (from shooting) to illuminate the room, and at 5500K, the color temperatures will match. The room is bright enough lock focus, no-hunting what so ever, so that’s good. But if I use throw the camera in M and put my settings at say… ISO 100, f/5.6 125SS – the shot comes out completely black. So I feel I have a good “base” to start experimenting with for high contrast shots, and if I bump up the ISO to around 500, I’ll have some 5500K ambient “fill” light as well.

And yes, I really want that 2nd strobe ASAP… but in due time.

For now I’ll experiment with the 1 strobe and reflector.

hmm.. tips.. let's see..

In that space, with that equipment, you're probably going to be limited to headshots.. A 430EX isn't going to cut it for getting white seamless evenly lit / white.. I wouldn't bother trying to do a full body shot and get a full white background with anything less than a B400, or 160 ws equivalent.

If you want to avoid shadows on the background, just shoot from the opposite side you've lit from.. If you light from the right, the shadow will appear on the left, so shoot from left to right.

IMO, it's going to be easier to try and get a black background by having the light fall off.

Like others have said, read up on the strobist stuff.. especially the strobist 201 exercises or whatever they're called.. That really gets you into some hands on stuff.

In a small space you have to work with certain limitations and do a bit of problem solving. In terms of shadows being cast on your background, there are a few ways to handle that.

1. Incorporate shadows into your shoots and get creative. (yes, I'm being serious.)
2. Soften and diffuse your light source as much as possible. While you may really love the look of a beauty dish, it's a harder light source and that presents a problem. Using a medium to large softbox at the greatest distance possible will soften, partially eliminate, or conceal slight shadows by letting them appear in dark backgrounds.
3. Incorporate modifiers that control directionality and coverage, such as grids, barn doors, flags, cutters and gobos.
4. Rotate the entire shot, leaving the background in position. With the subject at the same distance from the background, the shadows are being cast further away from the subject and the greater angle puts more distance between the subject and shadows that appear on the background. That additional falloff can soften or eliminate the shadow.

Working in a small space forces you to learn and use many of the basic concepts of lighting. The inverse square law will come in handy and you'll quickly understand the difference between rapid and gradual falloff.

BrandonSi wrote in post #12201603
hmm.. tips.. let's see..

In that space, with that equipment, you're probably going to be limited to headshots.. A 430EX isn't going to cut it for getting white seamless evenly lit / white.. I wouldn't bother trying to do a full body shot and get a full white background with anything less than a B400, or 160 ws equivalent.

If you want to avoid shadows on the background, just shoot from the opposite side you've lit from.. If you light from the right, the shadow will appear on the left, so shoot from left to right.

IMO, it's going to be easier to try and get a black background by having the light fall off.

Like others have said, read up on the strobist stuff.. especially the strobist 201 exercises or whatever they're called.. That really gets you into some hands on stuff.

^ Thanks man!

TMR Design wrote in post #12201643
In a small space you have to work with certain limitations and do a bit of problem solving. In terms of shadows being cast on your background, there are a few ways to handle that.

1. Incorporate shadows into your shoots and get creative. (yes, I'm being serious.)
2. Soften and diffuse your light source as much as possible. While you may really love the look of a beauty dish, it's a harder light source and that presents a problem. Using a medium to large softbox at the greatest distance possible will soften, partially eliminate, or conceal slight shadows by letting them appear in dark backgrounds.
3. Incorporate modifiers that control directionality and coverage, such as grids, barn doors, flags, cutters and gobos.
4. Rotate the entire shot, leaving the background in position. With the subject at the same distance from the background, the shadows are being cast further away from the subject and the greater angle puts more distance between the subject and shadows that appear on the background. That additional falloff can soften or eliminate the shadow.

Working in a small space forces you to learn and use many of the basic concepts of lighting. The inverse square law will come in handy and you'll quickly understand the difference between rapid and gradual falloff.

Thanks bud. Can’t wait to just get in there (tonight) and start doing test’s…. thanks for all the input guys! Stuff like this is exactly what I was looking for.

Another thing you're going to have to deal with is the fact that you have no modeling lights on your Speedlight(s). When you're first learning it can really add to the frustration and learning curve if you don't have modeling lights.

Some consider this silly but for anyone that doesn't have modeling lights I always suggest that you get a Home Depot clamp on light with aluminum reflector, put a 200 Watt (or greater) in there, clamp it to a light stand and start 'seeing' light.

Every move you make will be reflected in the modeling of the subject and will help you to understand the relationship between light source placement and contrast of your subject.

If you want to soften the light the shine the light through a bed sheet or any material that will transmit and diffuse light. Once you get a feel for highlights and shadows, placement, intensity, and your own preference then you can apply it to your Speedlight and mimic the setup and placement.

The benefit of a modeling or continuous light source is significant when you're learning. You see the shot and can adjust all day long without firing off test frames to see what the shot looks like.

TMR Design wrote in post #12201774
Another thing you're going to have to deal with is the fact that you have no modeling lights on your Speedlight(s). When you're first learning it can really add to the frustration and learning curve if you don't have modeling lights.

Some consider this silly but for anyone that doesn't have modeling lights I always suggest that you get a Home Depot clamp on light with aluminum reflector, put a 200 Watt (or greater) in there, clamp it to a light stand and start 'seeing' light.

Every move you make will be reflected in the modeling of the subject and will help you to understand the relationship between light source placement and contrast of your subject.

If you want to soften the light the shine the light through a bed sheet or any material that will transmit and diffuse light. Once you get a feel for highlights and shadows, placement, intensity, and your own preference then you can apply it to your Speedlight and mimic the setup and placement.

The benefit of a modeling or continuous light source is significant when you're learning. You see the shot and can adjust all day long without firing off test frames to see what the shot looks like.

Yeah, I was wondering about a modeling light. I’m not picturing what your describing at home depot though. Can you send me a link?

http://www.homedepot.c​om …eId=10051&catal​ogId=10053

Kechar wrote in post #12206709
http://www.homedepot.c​om …eId=10051&catal​ogId=10053

awsome,thanks.

That light or anything along those lines will work. For what it's worth, even a table lamp or existing fixture will work. I like the aluminum reflector just to focus and direct the light a bit more.

The whole idea is to see the highlights and shadows. If you're never done it I think you'll find it to be an interesting experiment.

Again, you're not trying to create flattering light or make someone look beautiful. You're learning about modeling a three dimensional object.

TMR Design wrote in post #12207417
That light or anything along those lines will work. For what it's worth, even a table lamp or existing fixture will work. I like the aluminum reflector just to focus and direct the light a bit more.

The whole idea is to see the highlights and shadows. If you're never done it I think you'll find it to be an interesting experiment.

Again, you're not trying to create flattering light or make someone look beautiful. You're learning about modeling a three dimensional object.

yup, i gotcha. I actaully have a little stuido continous light from cowboy studio i used with my cheap light tent, 150watt with a deflector, even compatible w/ light stands. I think I'll use that first just to start 'seeing'.

Lots of advice on spending money! I would learn to use what you have before you buy anything else.

Turn on your continuous lights, put your 430 off-camera if possible with ettl cord, put your camera in Av mode and take some test shots with no flash. No need for a light meter just yet, use the cameras built in meter. Once you get settings for ambient light with no flash, you can underexpose your ambient light and fire your 430 to expose your subject.

I would recommend getting a gray card too, that will help with adjusting your white balance later if you need to.

WoW – so I finally got around to doing some test shots with the wife last night and I must say I’m very humbled! Shadows were very tough to deal with, and my wife was calling it quits after an hour.

The only thing I found I liked were headshots was using my QBox24. I positioned it somewhat close to her, on a downward angle, while she held a reflector underneath to fill shadows.

I had the Qbox about 2 feet from her (pretty close to get large catch lights) and about 1.5 feet above camera. I did some on axis shots to get even lighting, then some slightly (1-2feet) off axis, camera right.

That’s about all I found I liked. So I’m very humbled to say the least. I truly want to dive deeper into studio lighting but wow, I can see this stuff it tough.

I did other shots but was only fond of the ones I described above…

(edit) sorry no photo's to post as examples, didn't upload them to my computer yet, they are still in my camera.