First attempt with strobes....

jbr13jbr13 Registered Users Posts: 251 Major grins
edited April 13, 2009 in People
I ordered a cheap set of strobes with lightboxes last week and got them in. I did a first run of a wolf statue to play a little, and got in front of the camera myself. I don't think it went to bad for the first attempt. C&C welcome, tips as well.



510228899_QyYPk-XL.jpg


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Jason

http://jbr.smugmug.com/

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced... Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice"

Comments

  • Ed911Ed911 Registered Users Posts: 1,306 Major grins
    edited April 13, 2009
    jbr13 wrote:
    I ordered a cheap set of strobes with lightboxes last week and got them in. I did a first run of a wolf statue to play a little, and got in front of the camera myself. I don't think it went to bad for the first attempt. C&C welcome, tips as well.

    Pretty good for a first attempt. Don't forget to look at your histogram to make sure that you are properly exposed.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Remember, no one may want you to take pictures, but they all want to see them.
    Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.

    Ed
  • jbr13jbr13 Registered Users Posts: 251 Major grins
    edited April 13, 2009
    Quick question on the histogram. What should I look for on the histogram in this picture? Since there is so much dark background and shirt, and little lighter colors, the histogram would show a large section on the left for the shadows and darkness and a little hump in the skintones.
    Jason

    http://jbr.smugmug.com/

    "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced... Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice"
  • Ed911Ed911 Registered Users Posts: 1,306 Major grins
    edited April 13, 2009
    jbr13 wrote:
    Quick question on the histogram. What should I look for on the histogram in this picture? Since there is so much dark background and shirt, and little lighter colors, the histogram would show a large section on the left for the shadows and darkness and a little hump in the skin tones.

    Jason,


    First question...did you meter the primary light at the subject using a light meter? I shoot black backgrounds and just looked at some pics that I still have on a card from one of my shoots with a black background...I don't have all that much black stacked against the left margin. I have a sharp rise which carries a little and then falls off. I try not to have too much or any flat space in the highlight region of the histogram...of course you have to play it by ear...you don't want to push it until you have blowouts. What you are trying to avoid is not having diminished mids or highs...caused by under exposure. Your wolf picture has highlights on the right side of its face and below its chin...so you should see some extension toward the right hand side of the histogram.

    If you are too stacked to the left with a lot of baseline in the highlights area of the histogram that usually means that you are under exposed. If you don't light your mids and highs correctly...in this case under exposed, they will slide toward the shadow side of the histogram.


    I pulled your wolf pic...and adjusted...pushed the exposure 1 stop, the mids 1 stop. Let me know what you think. You might think that it's too much, then pull it back a third or so. This is just food for thought...trying to illustrate a little under exposure.

    511787129_rc3eN-L.jpg

    Adjusted

    511787132_4FVbH-L.jpg
    Remember, no one may want you to take pictures, but they all want to see them.
    Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.

    Ed
  • jbr13jbr13 Registered Users Posts: 251 Major grins
    edited April 13, 2009
    Ed, Thanks for the illustration and the good info. I played with the wolf head after your original comments and agree I needed to up the exposure. That is a normal problem I have in shooting most things, I under expose. I don't have a light meter so I was calculating the guide # for these lights and the distance to set exposure. Then I adjusted from there. I thing is, the original setting I had were a brighter exposure. Go figure.

    Thanks again for the help!

    Jason
    Jason

    http://jbr.smugmug.com/

    "When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced... Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice"
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited April 13, 2009
    Jason,
    very good, esp for a first attempt! thumb.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
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