First self portraits with Alien Bees

debtoinedebtoine Registered Users Posts: 137 Major grins
edited June 2, 2005 in People
The very first one is done with flat lighting - I was just trying to figure all this out :)

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Here, I played a bit with different lighting ratios:

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Toine

Comments

  • MitchellMitchell Registered Users Posts: 3,503 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Very nice.


    Can you tell me which setup you purchased from AB?

    Please describe how you arranged the lights for these shots.

    And welcome to Digital Grin!

    mitch
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Welcome to DGRIN!
    I take it you did the #1 with two lights on both sides of the camera anot ?

    You definitely had enough light, but with all my inexperience I'd say the image came coming out a bit flat. I would think with two lights you need to place them in a non-symmetrical layout. If you probably can make of of them a hair light that would add some "drama" to the portrait.

    Please keep playing with it and let us know your results. I just recently got a lighting setup myself so I'm very eager to learn:-)

    Cheers!1drink.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • debtoinedebtoine Registered Users Posts: 137 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Mitchell wrote:
    Very nice.


    Can you tell me which setup you purchased from AB?

    Please describe how you arranged the lights for these shots.

    And welcome to Digital Grin!

    mitch
    I bought the DigiBee set, but upgraded one of the lights to a B800.

    Both shots were taken with lights at 45degrees off camera. In the first one, the power on both was pretty much the same, but on the second one, the camera left setup was at half power.

    Thanks!

    Toine
  • debtoinedebtoine Registered Users Posts: 137 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Nikolai wrote:
    I take it you did the #1 with two lights on both sides of the camera anot ?

    You definitely had enough light, but with all my inexperience I'd say the image came coming out a bit flat. I would think with two lights you need to place them in a non-symmetrical layout. If you probably can make of of them a hair light that would add some "drama" to the portrait.

    Please keep playing with it and let us know your results. I just recently got a lighting setup myself so I'm very eager to learn:-)

    Cheers!1drink.gif
    You're right, it is flat, on purpose. I had to figure out how to use the lights, and wanted to go for a yearbook style lighting that was flat and even. Interestingly enough, there are quite a few people who enjoy that lighting more than the more contrasty lighting.

    It's fun to try.

    I saw in your post that you have a Botero 8x15 collapsible background. What is your trick for folding it back up?

    T
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Botero..
    debtoine wrote:
    I saw in your post that you have a Botero 8x15 collapsible background. What is your trick for folding it back up?

    T
    Man, it's the royal pain.. Each time it takes me like 10 minutes or so to do it, and I'm not sure I'm doing it right.. I twist and turn and glide... I think I need an assitant - or simply put my back into it, set some time aside once and learn how to do it the right way..

    Lights are fun, ain't they:-):):

    Cheers!1drink.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • debtoinedebtoine Registered Users Posts: 137 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Nikolai wrote:
    Man, it's the royal pain.. Each time it takes me like 10 minutes or so to do it, and I'm not sure I'm doing it right.. I twist and turn and glide... I think I need an assitant - or simply put my back into it, set some time aside once and learn how to do it the right way..

    Lights are fun, ain't they:-):):

    Cheers!1drink.gif
    I'm glad I'm not the only one :) My wife and I haven't quite figured it out yet. We have been able to get it back in the bag, but never the way it originally came out. But, who cares :)

    Lights are fun, but I need some models. I'm getting sick of taking pictures of myself. My wife doesn't like to be in the shot, so she's not an option.

    T
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    Models..
    Well, maybe your wife has some colleagues/friends who don't mind being photographed?
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • XO-StudiosXO-Studios Registered Users Posts: 457 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    debtoine wrote:
    I bought the DigiBee set, but upgraded one of the lights to a B800.

    Both shots were taken with lights at 45degrees off camera. In the first one, the power on both was pretty much the same, but on the second one, the camera left setup was at half power.

    Thanks!

    Toine
    Keep in mind that with the mix between a SB400 and a SB800 that the same powersetting is NOT the same amount of light; they are almost a stop different.

    FWIW,

    XO,
    You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.
    Mark Twain


    Some times I get lucky and when that happens I show the results here: http://www.xo-studios.com
  • debtoinedebtoine Registered Users Posts: 137 Major grins
    edited June 2, 2005
    XO-Studios wrote:
    Keep in mind that with the mix between a SB400 and a SB800 that the same powersetting is NOT the same amount of light; they are almost a stop different.

    FWIW,

    XO,

    I know that, yes. I had them at different settings (B400 @ 1/2 of the B800 setting), but with similar light output.

    T
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