Few portraits from my school's photo club shoot

In the portraits, we used one umbrella and a light at the back for rim/side lighting (hit and miss). It was supposed to have been clam shell lighting, but one of the umbrellas didn't fire (see setup shot at the bottom). EXIF is at flickr (click the picture).

This is my first large picture post at POTN, let me know what you think.

1.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/dr4gon/40623635​60/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/dr4gon/40623646​54/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/dr4gon/40616170​41/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/dr4gon/40621880​43/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/dr4gon/40546908​18/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/dr4gon/40603499​93/

I would like to limit my comments to #1 and #3.
Both of these shots have similar lighting. There are interesting shadows on both faces and they help to create modelling and the illusion of 3-dimensionality.
I would prefer the key light to be more to the right and higher in order to make the shadows fall diagonally across the face. However, these are at least going in the right direction.

The main difference between 1 and 3, in my opinion, is that the shadows are a little softer in $3, which means that I would judge the lighting to be a little better than in #1. In any case, the lighting is so much better than the flat, featureless lighting that we usually see being critiqued here.

In both shots there is a problem with the background in that it is too close in value to the hair, thus resulting in a tonal merger over much of the crown. Had there been some more light on the background, I think it would have required very little to separate the hair from the background, but it would require more than what we see in #1. In addition to that problem the hair light is only doing the job on small regions of the crown, and it should be helping out over the entire hair edges.

Thanks Bob. Much appreciated.

I will remember to bring the key light in closer, softening it up even more and raise it or use a greater angle to create more depth with the shadows.

The side light (was supposed to have been rim lighting) was poorly placed. It was clamped to a chair slightly behind the subject with a gobo. I'll definitely watch that light next time as it needs to be carefully placed to give a nice rim effect and separation from a black background.

Thanks again!

I'm still learning as well, but I think for your rim light, if you placed it directly behind the subject and fired close to full power, it would've made a nice effect rimming the whole head.

Ichiban wrote in post #8942061
I'm still learning as well, but I think for your rim light, if you placed it directly behind the subject and fired close to full power, it would've made a nice effect rimming the whole head.

yeah, duh, why didn't I think of that!

it's all good man. I've picked up on a few tricks apprenticing for a wedding photographer, sometimes you just gotta take a step back and think about it.

The lighting for the break dance is very good. The first shots the light is too harsh IMO.

The farther the light is away the more "specular" it will be. For portraits like this I would move the light closer and turn it down of course to compensate. with the umbrella bra on, (I have my own names for a lot of stuff) It should soften the light a little bit more. With the modeling light on full blast you can walk around the subject and watch it shadow play on the face. My 2 cents.

Thanks all!