Play with studio lighting

Hello.

I managed to get a play with the studio lighting at my college today. These where shot with a 30D with 70-200 L F/4 and 18-55mm. The light set up was two 1000Watt Bowens. The light on the right had a white umberlla while the light on the left had barn doors.

I have removed spots from the persons face as well as using a glamour style process of bluring and unmasking the face to help try and give a slightly smoother skin. The eyes have been enhanced a little. Little boost of sharpness and saturation and auto leveled was also the order of the day. Then resized to 800 pixels wide. If anyone would like to see some 100% crops as some sharpness and detail has suffered due to the resize.

I also hope that two images are allowed. I did a bit of checking to make sure it was allowed and can't see anything to the contray. If its not allowed then I'm sorry and could a mod break the links?

Time for the photographs now.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

Nice lighting...no real hot spots and nothing buried in shadow!

Great! can't see anything wrong either! Good job

Thanks guys for the critic. Anyone else got any comments both good or bad?

Blackvault

I hope you don't mind, but I had a play around with the second photo in photoshop.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO | PHOTOBUCKET ERROR IMAGE

Sorry guys going against the grain because im a perfectionist with lighting in a studio....these shots are over exposed in the face...
The first is also very dark on one side....just thought i would be honest

he looks like pete doherty

Hi Blackvault,

I am going to go out on a limb and state that these images should be redone completely.
I understand that you are a student and that you are learning. If you get lots of "nice pictures" the viewers are either not telling you the truth or do not understand how a person should be photographed.

Your images do not favor the subject in the least. Your teacher needs to teach you how to set up the lighting so that you can do a proper portrait and create something beneficial to you and your subject. Qutie a bit of the needed corretion can be done in camera without resorting to the computer.
1 The lighting from camera left is way to hard. If creates several facial crevices that will have to be removed.
2. The hard light camera left is at the wrong level in relation to your subjects head hight. This is seen in the shadow that cuts right through his left eye. It also creates a nasty shadow on the left side of the subjects mouth, and a circular highlight on the left cheek.
3. The subject is nearly square to the camera more like a DMV image than a portrait. Turn your subjects shoulders so that you can get some movement and flow in the image.
4. The tilt while interesting does not work with this shot because of all the other issues stated above. Please do some basic research into lighting and portrait photography and study posing, light placement and lens usage etc, and keep trying.

Les Baldwin

I have to agree with the last two critiques. The light on his right side, is way to bright. If you have a light meter, try to get the fill light 1 stop lower than the key light. Meter the subject at about 5.6 by either adjusting your light output, or moving them back. If you don't have a light meter, try using the histogram.
As was stated earlier, turn your subject towards the key light and not straight on with the camera.

Keep trying!!

PIXI_666 wrote in post #2166998
Sorry guys going against the grain because im a perfectionist with lighting in a studio....these shots are over exposed in the face...
The first is also very dark on one side....just thought i would be honest

Here, here - I agree. The lighting looks harsh to me.

Les Baldwin has the true skinny for you...

Don't be discouraged, keep at it.

BTW - I tried to fix them in CS2 - couldn't do it.