Basic Studio Shots

Did a simple studio test shoot. I've done some outdoor portraits, but want to start doing studio work. Please let me know what you think. C&C welcome.

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A few more:

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Personally all of these suffer from lack of separation. The hair and background are so dark that you can't even see the rest of her head in many of these shots.

You need to get a hair light, a background light or both to pop them off of the background.

-Charles

charlesml3 wrote in post #11625041
Personally all of these suffer from lack of separation. The hair and background are so dark that you can't even see the rest of her head in many of these shots.

You need to get a hair light, a background light or both to pop them off of the background.

-Charles

I agree. Just thought I'd keep it simple for the first go around. Thanks for the input.

What Charlesml3 said. Simple enough as the main light looks fine. But at least use a rim light if you're using a bark BG for the next go around. Consider something to light the floor at their feet. Looks like they're floating in space.

kraaazymike wrote in post #11625192
What Charlesml3 said. Simple enough as the main light looks fine. But at least use a rim light if you're using a bark BG for the next go around. Consider something to light the floor at their feet. Looks like they're floating in space.

I'll try this next time. Where should I place the hair light? Should I use a speedlight with a snoot?

StimpyJCat wrote in post #11617723
Did a simple studio test shoot. I've done some outdoor portraits, but want to start doing studio work. Please let me know what you think. C&C welcome.

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What lights do you have available?

Ken Robertson wrote in post #11625263
What lights do you have available?

Right now I have a 430EX II and have access to a 580EX & 580EX II. We were using RF-602 triggers. We have two umbrella softboxes. I eventually plan on getting some studio strobes, but thought these would be enough during this practice/learning period.

charlesml3 wrote in post #11625041
You need to get a hair light, a background light or both to pop them off of the background.

I second what Charles said. Even if your goal was to keep it simple, there are simple ways to improve the separation and make these look better - maybe even as simple as a reflector opposite the light and reflecting on the back of the model(s).

I think the subject of background light for separation has been covered, so:

1. Watch out for hand placement that is intrusive. I find the large white palm of her handside to be distracting. Look at that shot and visualize the hand not being there. We are free to see her beautiful face without that competing element. You got great catchlights in her eyes and a great expression!
2. I always find that type of leaning on the elbow to result in a very awkward arm bend. Picture her leaning forward a bit with that wrist resting on her knee. Also, watch out for the shoes and how that those white soles protruding into the foreground grab your visual attention away from her. A different posing of the lower body or even barefoot would be a bit better? Maybe, I don't know, but the shoes are killing an otherwise reasonable pose.
3. Better, but shoes are killin' me once again. Still, you got a very natural expression and a bit of shine on her hair, nice.
4. This is a classic pose and one that is often done incorrectly because feet are often growing out of heads on this shot, but you did the proper thing by having them angle them slightly away from the heads. It would have been better (??) if they had BOTH been angling feet away to camera edge instead of one girl angling in, and the other out. Minor point, but it is all about the details. Also, removing the shoes would have been a happy. Bare toes suit the casualness of this pose and would eliminate the issue of viewers looking at the dirty soles of the shoes.
Also on that last floor pose, I love the symmetry of both girls putting their hands up the same way. However, the girl on the left has such a discrepancy in skin tone between her hands and face, it might have been better to fix that in PP, or choose to put both girls hands down away from the face. Again, minor points, but you did a great job with getting great expressions out of them, even lighting, nice composition, etc., so you might want to consider working on the details, if you agree with my point of view in that regard.

Some great tips have been given already I would just say be careful when shooting with wide angle 35mm that you keep people and body parts away from the edges of the frame as these things tend to get elongated or curved. The second shot her feet are disproportionate to her body and the shot with the two laying on the ground the one girl is closer to the edge of the frame and her shoulder and right side of her face seem disproportionate.

Thanks to everyone for the great tips and advice. I'm looking forward to giving this another go soon.

You don't need studio strobes to get this to work. Speedlites are fine. Read up on hair lights and "rim lights." You may need to grid or snoot one of the Speedlites to control the spill.

-Charles