Am I finaly getting it!?

Hello Folks,

Well after several posts' over the last several weeks, I think I am finally getting my lighting and exposure right!, or am I?

These shots were taken late in the afternoon on the cusp of twilight. For the shoots I used Two Cannon 580 flashes, one shot through a Photoflex litedome, (left) and the other bounced of an umbrella (right) both at 45 degrees to my model (wife).

In Terms of C&C I am not so concerned about the location and or pose. Instead I would like feedback on the lighting and exposure. I tried to keep the setting as simple as possible and focus only on the lighting. Once I get the lighting right , i will then move on to more elaborate settings, poses, effcts etc.,

equipments used and more finers details: Cannon 40D, 2x Cannon 580 EXII flash units, 85mm/f1.2 prime Tele, 24/105mm/f4 zoom, photoflex litedome, photoflex silver umbrella, suntech lite disc, custom white balance set with Gin-ichi 18% grey card, post editing dome with portrait Pro, An old run-dwon Japanese room with tatami mats and fingers crossed.

So the million dollar question is: Does the lighting work for these photos?

Thanks in advance,

NicholasBB

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Some more

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last two

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For the most part I think these look very good. The only real issue I'm seeing (at least that stands out when I've only had 1 cup of coffee) is on the last two shots. I -think- the shot on the right is a little hot but I'm not sure if it actually is or if the shot on the left is just a little dark (making the shot on the right look too bright).

Otherwise, yes I'd say you're definitely on the right track .

Peace,
Jim

Walczak Photo wrote in post #5814304
For the most part I think these look very good. The only real issue I'm seeing (at least that stands out when I've only had 1 cup of coffee) is on the last two shots. I -think- the shot on the right is a little hot but I'm not sure if it actually is or if the shot on the left is just a little dark (making the shot on the right look too bright).

Otherwise, yes I'd say you're definitely on the right track .

Peace,
Jim

I'm agreeing with Jim, but I want to add comments about the first 2.
You Nailed'em! Professional quality and technique. I like the skin tones and complexion work. How much of a factor was Portrait-Pro. I especially like the comp and pose in # 2.

I think I need to get my hands on Portrait-Pro.

Thanks Jim,

Thanks for your comments. Well I dont think it is your coffee, the last photo on the right is definetly alot brighter. For the last shot I used my 85mm wide open @f1.2 was trying to get the bokeh going there. The second last one was with my 24-105mm, which at max will only open to f4. But yes the last one does not seem consistant compared to the others. Im pretty sure though, that this came about in post editing and can be fixed.

But I am happy overall and thanks for the encouraging remarks. lets see what the other forum dwellers have to say.

Regards,

NicholasBB

I think that they are especially good. I think that the DOF on #1 could be increased a little. Also, I think that something different needs to be done with the background. The dull greenish brown seems to counter the otherwise very nice and colorful image.

Really great shots. The background doens't bother me much on the first due to the bokeh, but the more solid backgrounds on the later shots look really dull and boring. Maybe try another background. Otherwise, poses, bokeh, and everything else look right on point. Great job.

to my very technically inexperienced eye I can offer the opinion of someone just viewing the images.

The first picture is money!! I think that is a fantastic exposure, focus and lighting. I truly think the picture is beautiful.

I like pic #2 but not ear as much as #1. Still, it's better than anything I have ever taken in my life. I would, personally enjoy a softer lighting effect yet something that still highlights your models just super smile and eyes.

The third picture simply seems to be missing something lighting wise. If I have to venture a pure guess, and the experts can smack me around for being off-base, but this picture does not have a nice feel to it...maybe the shadows are off because of the position of your lighting, maybe it is too direct? More indirect and better use of shadows and reflected lighting?

Also I think the 3rd and 4th pics have too much lighting on the background and that seems to distract me from the pose, which is very engaging and friendly. Maybe more front lighting and much less back lighting to make her stand out more as the central focus of the picture?

I really like the 5th picture. To me, that is probably the 2nd most appealing picture of the bunch. I like the shadows and the lighting in general. Plus the angle and the pose are fun.

Last one....naw, waaaay to much lighting. And I don't much care for the angle/pose either.

But, geeze, they are all super nice and I want to thank you for having the guts to post them so I can learn from your efforts. And BTW, I could care less about the background as you mention you are trying to get the lighting right. But, I can mention that the background itself can have a significant effect on the way the subject appears under whatever lighting setup. Maybe go buy a few yards of some neutral, black and muslin material at even something as cheap as Walmart. Wait I don't know where in the world you might be but somewhere they will be a cheap fabric shop. Remember to check for "end rolls/bolts" too because the bargain bin can be a good way to find something that might not be exctly what you want but this can be good in stimulating creativity. You can use some tacks or some other cheap on-hand way to fasten it on the walls, out of sight, while you work.

Again, I'm likely waaay off but I know I like the pics overall and a few are just wonderful.

I'll leave the subject of lighting to the experts in that area but to me the photos, especially at the first two, are overprocessed. If you look at the first photo the blur applied to the subject's skin is very obvious; in fact its even spilled over on to her shirt. At first I thought it was lens blur from a shallow DOF but a closer look indicated it was post processing.

I would also work on bringing out some of the shadow details in her hair; where there is a significant amount of blocked shadows. This could either be addressed through lighting or post-processing, but since your question is about lighting then I suppose that's the route you should take.

Thank you to everyone who has posted a comment. Everyones suggestions and tips are well noted. I will especialy try from now on, not to go overboard on post processing.

Portrait proffessional (software) which i am using at the moment is a great tool that is very very easy to use. But after having it now for a couples of week, I am realising it is fairly limited in its scope of abilities and user control.

I Dont regret buying it at all, as the price was right, does what it is supposed to do, and does not require a steep learning curve. Now, however, as i find myself getting more and more into this, and hope to do some photogrpahy business here on the side in Japan, I suppose it is enevitable that i will have to shell out for Adobe CS2 Pro. As i will want to have complete control over everything i do. I dont look forward to the hours of learning required for CS2, but then again, I suppose ill have fun on the way.

A dear friend said to me once "You have to know the answer to the question before you ask it in Business" so, I guess in photogrpahy it is similiar in the sense that; you have to know your gear before you are able to use it.

With that in mind ill keep striving away. Once again thanks to everyone who left a comment and some advice and compliments, and I hope to be posting more in the future.

Regards,

NicholasBB