Looking for some lighting help

I posted one in the "single strobe" thread and was passed over with no comments

I was hoping to get some help on my lighting. I think I MIGHT be placing the light too close consistently. Thoughts?

Lighting looks pretty good. I hair light might help to separate her from the background, but the key light looks well placed. What kind of light and modifier did you use? It looks placed high and camera left. Her face is well exposed. The dress is well exposed, but maybe a bit too bright for my taste and draws the viewer to the dress instead of the face. That can be fixed in post, but it's really a matter of taste.

What do you mean by saying that you might be placing the light too close? Close is good because it's softer. In fact, the light may be even better in your photo if it was even softer. The transition from light to shadow is ok in your shot, but it could even be softer. Then the shadow under her chin wouldn't be so dramatic.

I used a single Genesis strobe with a 43" (I think) shoot through umbrella. The light was camera left and up a bit and was probably about 5 feet away? As far as too close, In the past I've had trouble exposing the entire image well, so I was getting well exposed faces and very under-exposed bodies etc.

Any other general comments? Maybe I'm too critical of my own work or maybe my post processing is just too "documentary" and I need to get more stylized. It just seems average to me.

imahawki wrote in post #10646995
I used a single Genesis strobe with a 43" (I think) shoot through umbrella. The light was camera left and up a bit and was probably about 5 feet away? As far as too close, In the past I've had trouble exposing the entire image well, so I was getting well exposed faces and very under-exposed bodies etc.

Any other general comments? Maybe I'm too critical of my own work or maybe my post processing is just too "documentary" and I need to get more stylized. It just seems average to me.

It all depends upon what you are trying to accomplish. You exposed the image well. What are you unhappy about? Are you looking for more drama in the shot? In my experience, that is accomplished with different lighting ratios. The shadows define, and your image, although well exposed, maybe don't give you the detail shadows you are looking for.

BTW, an umbrella is a pretty uncontrollable modifier. Putting it closer will result in uneven lighting on a larger subject. That may not be bad, and maybe that may give you what you are looking for, but it is pretty tough to control an umbrella. Fore more control, get a softbox. For even more control, grid the softbox.

Thanks. Its tough to put my finger on it. Again, perhaps I'm just being overly critical of my own work. That doesn't look like a pro photo. Whether it lacks "style" or what, I'm not sure.

The softbox is something I've actually already been mulling. I'm replacing my strobes with Einsteins. If I got a softbox now, would I be able to use it on my current lights and then on the Einsteins later by just getting a new speedring?

Someone gave me this link, and I think it's really useful...

http://www.lowel.com …ndations_of_lig​hting.html

Awesome!

The hardest part of flash photography is for it not to be obvious. Therefore on that basis I think that you've achieved your goal and have produced an image to cherish.