Feedback Please

This is literally the first time ever shooting with a soft box. I took a few shots to work on getting the speedlight power correct and then came up with this. I know the BG is terrible, plan to start shooting on a cloth BG in the near future. Also know the juice pouch does not add to the picture. I was experimenting with lighting, so what pointers do you have on lighting?

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Comments on lighting anyone? Really looking for feedback, the good, bad and ugly.

The lighting and exposure is on. From an environmental portrait standpoint, the background is not optimal, but it is not awful. The juice box and background may not be your favorite setting, but when you begin shooting on a cloth you may not get relaxed expressions from your family.

You put the soft box in a good position, looks like slightly camera right, pointing down, relatively close to your subject, utilizing broad lighting. There aren't any harsh shadows, the catchlights are in a pleasing place in the upper right corner of the pupil, your shadows have good detail and the photo has good contrast.

It will be more difficult to light when you being using a sheet or drop cloth, as you will have to expose the background much more than your subject to remove the wrinkles or fabric marks. "Studio" work is different, this isn't a type of photo I would normally see lit with a softbox, so its a little hard to judge.

Thanks for the reply. Not sure where all this will lead but I am having a lot of fun trying to learn lighting techniques, etc. I got a gray cloth, now I am thinking I really should have gotten white. I plan to try using a second speed lite to light the backdrop so maybe the gray will work out.

As far as backdrops go - white is the most versatile. It can look white, gray, or even variations of very dark gray depending on how you light it. Although, this is always true with white seamless paper, not sure about sheets. It might depend. This might explain it better:

http://texasshooter.bl​ogspot.com …om-53-white-seamless.html

Good luck!

I like the focus you have in this shot but I agree with the previous comment above.

Thanks for the link. A roll of white seamless may have to be next....

If you have a space you can spare, cowboy studio sells a background stand that screws into the wall. Its under $100, and a 9 foot wide roll of seam less from B&H Photo will run you about $43, a 5 foot roll about $25 (plus shipping). The lights are the most expensive part of a studio setup. Backgrounds are cheap, you just need the space.

Some space though not a ton. Everything has to be able to disappear when not in use.

Get ready....it starts with one softbox, and pretty soon you'l have multiple speedlights, studio strobes, stands, backdrops, and modifiers/accessories of every shape and size (at least it did for me). "Pointers on lighting" is pretty general, and I'm not sure what your future goals are, but in the immediate, I'd recommend a reflector or two to open up some other lighting options for you. Also, when I was primarily using speedlights, I sure got a lot of use out of a large reflective umbrella. They're cheap, and very efficient for creating a big light source.

Also, with space being a consideration, you might take a look at one of the 5x7 popup backgrounds. Do a generic search on Amazon and there will be all kinds of options.

Nice shot, and have fun!

Oh Boy!! I really hope you are right Scott!

I would position the softbox higher letting light fall on the head and shoulders more.

Thanks. Working with a bit of a limitation in ceiling height. Also need to get an arm, I was really surprised by how much the soft box and the light stand fought each other when it came to tilting the soft box.