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Photo Forum / Photo Technique / People Photography / February 2004Help with lighting for digital photo portraits
I have a pair of professional photofloods that my father left me and I'm looking for some guidance with setting them up for portraits. I know that they should be spaced on either side of my subject, bu tI don't know how to balance them . . . seems like I remember from a photojournalism class I took MANY years ago that one shoulld be approximately twice the distance from the subject as the other, but I don't really remember the formula. And now I'm using digital instead of film. Anyone know of any sites I can visit for a little guidance with lighting? TIA > I have a pair of professional photofloods that my father left me and > I'm looking for some guidance with setting them up for portraits. I [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > TIA www.lightingmagic.com Most of his photos in the photo galleries have "lighting diagrams" that show how they were lit. Spending the money on his Studio Lighting book is also not a bad idea. But there is a ton of free info to be had from his website.  SignatureCarl Miller cmiller@trellis.net --------- Using: OUI 1.9.2 Pro from http://www.ouisoft.com Try this site it has been helpfull to me in the past. http://www.vividlight.com/articles/412a.htm Thank you. > Try this site it has been helpfull to me in the past. >http://www.vividlight.com/articles/412a.htm THANK YOU. This is exactly what I was looking for. >> I have a pair of professional photofloods that my father left me and >> I'm looking for some guidance with setting them up for portraits. I [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >is also not a bad idea. But there is a ton of free info to be had from >his website. The main light should be one stop brighter than the fill for the most part, and they should both be on the same side of the subject. But there is so much more... > The main light should be one stop brighter than the fill for the most >part, and they should both be on the same side of the subject. But >there is so much more... That's right, but there's so much more. And there are no hard and fast rules, either. Fortunately there are lots of great books and websites that have lighting diagrams to help in arranging lamps. Actually hot lamps are great for digital photography, since you don't have the critical color demands of color film to deal with (and that usually means using flash). The most impressive glamour portraits of all time were done by the great Hollywood photographers that used hotlights exclusively, and with large format cameras. They'd use upwards of five lights, and the settings and exposures were very deliberate. I found a really interesting view on this type of photography from buying the videotape "Hollywood Style" by Alexander and also Hurrell's "Hollywood Portraits." These studies of classic hollywood photography will really be an inspiration to achieve a glamorous quality in your portraiture. Interestingly these were almost entirely lit by fresnel spotlights, not big softboxes or diffused light sources. > Actually hot lamps are great for digital photography, since you don't > have the critical color demands of color film to deal with (and that [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > almost entirely lit by fresnel spotlights, not big softboxes or > diffused light sources. Average people off the street can't handle that type of lighting. You've gotta deal with zits and wrinkles and everything. Plus, the style looks out of date. >> Actually hot lamps are great for digital photography, since you don't >> have the critical color demands of color film to deal with (and that [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >You've gotta deal with zits and wrinkles and everything. Plus, the >style looks out of date. Yes, it looks out of date, that's true. Damn it, I love it so... I found a really interesting view on this type of > > photography from buying the videotape "Hollywood Style" by Alexander > > and also Hurrell's "Hollywood Portraits." > > Average people off the street can't handle that type of lighting. > You've gotta deal with zits and wrinkles and everything. Plus, the > style looks out of date. I understand what you are saying but consider, A. they had to deal with zits and wrinkles back then, perhaps even more so since they didn't have anti-zit drugs, botox, nor even face lifts. But with 8x10, even 11x14 cameras and negs almost as dense as a sheet of metal it was easy to retouch with a soft lead pencil, literally. B. Out of style? what ever is out comes roaring back, you ain't gonna get Hurrell in a shopping mall, with your average portrait hack shooting with twin umbrellas giving puffy faces, other photogs doing the big soft light, going to someone who can sculpt an image with light will offer a unique image to those who appreciate and can afford to indulge. This reply is echoed to the z-prophoto at yahoogroups.com your library will probably have a few good books on the subject, whether pixels or grain, lighting still works the same. > I have a pair of professional photofloods that my father left me and > I'm looking for some guidance with setting them up for portraits. I [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > TIA >one shoulld be >approximately twice the distance from the subject as the other Light falls off relative to the square of the distance between the subject and light. So if you double the distance you move the light, you'll get 1/4 the amount of light. So to halve the amount of light falling on the subject, move the light 1.4 times away. Go from 4 ft to 5 1/2 feet. Or from 5 1/2 ft to 8 ft. From 8 ft to 11 ft. (You may notice these are the same ratios as f-stops. This isn't a coincidence.) If you want one-stop different between the main and fill light, put one light at 4 ft, and the other at 5.5 ft. If you want 2-stops worth of difference, put one at 4 and the other at 8. Since you're using digital, you can see your results almost instantly. Don't be afraid to experiment. I'd suggest buying a mannequin head and then you won't feel pressured by a human volunteer while you fiddle around and check light settings. |
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