Garage Studio Photo Session

Hi,

I was asked to take some pictures for a local jewelry business. I used my daughter as a model and set up a mini studio in the garage. My setup:

• 580EX Main Light, shoot through umbrella, set at 1/4 power, 45 degree to left of model, light 2 feet above eye level
  
• 430EZ Fill Light, set at 1/16 power, just left of camera/photographer (dad)
  
• 580EX ii was placed on floor pointing to backdrop. Flash set to 1/32 power. Background was 2 feet away from the model
  
• 5D set to 1/100 f/9.0 at 125 ASA
  
• 70-200L f/4.0

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The earrings appear to be hanging oddly, and lack any detail. (I'm assuming the earrings are what your clients have asked you to take pictures of) I would never guess that this was a photo meant as an advertisement for jewelry.

you are certainly nowhere near overexposing your subject. Id increase the light substantially.

Lovely model props to poppa (and momma) on that one. Her youthful beauty completely eclipse the actual subject. Get closer to your subject (the earrings)
maybe more like this?

I agree, more power on the flash would be good. Also a hair light to separate her more from the background. The framing is nice as for advertising. Good amount of room for a catch phrase and a logo.

This is underexposed. This is a complex setup and I think you would have had a better result of shooting in hi ISO, longer exposure, and no flash at all.

Also, see about using the background light as a hair light to increase the separation of the model and the backdrop. Try a tight shot on just the earring and ear as well.

that backdrop looks filthy.
underexpsoed shot, her expression is blah.
and yes, earings are hanging oddly.

Thanks for the input and comments. I had initially set up with a white backdrop, but the jewelry designer brought a golden backdrop which she insisted on using. At this point she doesn't want any close up shots of her jewelry. She simply wants pictures of a young model wearing her jewelry for her web site and window display. I don't have a macro lens (yet), but I did try and get some closer shots of the jewelry. See below.

The earrings bugged me at the time, but that's how they were put on the model. I had made a comment about it, but she said they were OK as is.

As for being underexposed, I went by my flash meter's reading. The pictures looked fine on my camera's LCD and also when I imported some sample pictures to LR. About how many stops under do you guys think this picture is? (BTW, I'm on a friend's laptop and the pictures look way different from when viewed in my computer!)

This is definitely a big step up for me from simply setting everything to auto and just bouncing the flash. I have lots to learn, I know.

Thanks!
~Dom

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Her hair should be tied back , or up, away from the earrings.

You need more light for sure, I would put more light to the cameras right, You have the equiment to do it by the looks, it's just going to be a matter of light direction. Also, pull her hair to the other side, the dark tones in the earrings are getting lost in her hair. I might also go for a tighter crop, putting the earrings in the top 3rd, not so close to center. Lastly, her hand looks like she is gripping her shoulder, have her rest her fingers on her shoulder, not grip her shoulder.

Great suggestions! Thanks!