A Simple 3 Light Setup for an Employee Photoshoot

Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
edited August 25, 2009 in People
A while ago I asked on how to best shoot 40 employees and
got "alot" of recommendations why not to go from office to office
to take the portraits. As things are, the client approached me
with similar concerns before the shoot and we made a change
in plan. So I setup a small studio in a seperate room and executed
my first shoot of this size. Everything went very smoothly and I
am happy that we changed the way we wanted to shoot. The
results are better than I expected and certainly much better than
taking pictures from everyone in his/her office with a cluttered
background.

Setup I used:

3 Lights (strobist style):

+ Main light provided by big-o-softbox
+ Filllight provied by white reflector, the white table provides fill for the chin area. The white cardboard on the top was installed to avoid colored reflections form the wooden lamp
+ Background was eluminated by a flash with blue gel (CTB 1x) and snoot aimed at the grey backdrop
+ Hairlight: Another flash with a grided snoot provided a highlight on the hair to seperate the subject from the background

Camera setup:

+ Fullframe with 70-200mm at f5.6 zoomed between 100 and 135mm to flatten facial features a bit.
+ Shooting thethered with lightroom to show the client the results.

Pics:

view1.jpg


view2.jpg

Here is a sample shot (no pp):

sample.jpg

I am only able to show at websize right now. More to follow soon.

Again thank you guys for the advices and the support! :thumb
“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
― Edward Weston

Comments

  • marikrismarikris Registered Users Posts: 930 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    That's fantastic! I'm glad it worked out to be easier on you. Can't wait to see the rest.

    Houston Portrait Photographer
    Children's Illustrator
  • HackboneHackbone Registered Users Posts: 4,027 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    Nice set up and balance of light. Good job.
    Charles
    www.cameraone.biz
  • mpauliempaulie Registered Users Posts: 303 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    Nice setup for the shots. Glad you didn't have to go around to everyone's office.
  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    mpaulie wrote:
    Nice setup for the shots. Glad you didn't have to go around to everyone's office.

    Me too, I don't think I will accept a job where someone asks snapshots
    in the future again. The feedback from the people was amazing, some
    people already asked for prints during the shoot just because the quality
    was right.
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • adbsgicomadbsgicom Registered Users Posts: 3,615 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    Glad it all worked out, and you are getting some extra business (the personal copies) from it too. Sounds like it could have turned into a nightmare, but in the end a sweet setup!
    - Andrew

    Who is wise? He who learns from everyone.
    My SmugMug Site
  • NikolaiNikolai Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    Good decision! Glad it worked out! thumb.gif
    "May the f/stop be with you!"
  • RogerLundRogerLund Registered Users Posts: 64 Big grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    Nicely done, I am glad it worked out, and that you took everyone's feedback so well.
    Canon 5D, Canon XT, Canon 50mm EF 1.8, Canon 50mm EF 1.4, Canon 85mm EF 1.8, Canon 100mm EF 2.8 Marco, Canon 100-300mm EF 5.6 L, 17-40mm EF F4 L
    -
    Roger Lund
  • Scott_QuierScott_Quier Registered Users Posts: 6,524 Major grins
    edited August 19, 2009
    Looks like it worked - and very well indeed. Nice lighting setup as well!thumb.gif
    Scott
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  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited August 19, 2009
    Very interesting followup to the discussion you had in your thread in Technique.

    The lighting setup looks quite nice and effective. Killing the shadows under the eyes with the mild reflector on the table is killer!

    I suspect this was actually faster for you to do than wandering through 40 offices, and more satisfying due to the higher quality results you captured as well.

    Well done!!

    Now show us some more pictures at a larger scale, please!
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • leaforteleaforte Registered Users Posts: 1,948 Major grins
    edited August 20, 2009
    Nice work.
    clap.gif
    Growing with Dgrin



  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited August 22, 2009
    pathfinder wrote:
    I suspect this was actually faster for you to do than wandering through 40 offices, and more satisfying due to the higher quality results you captured as well.

    Absolutely!

    Here are a few shots with higher resolution:

    1.
    3.jpg

    2.
    2.jpg

    3.
    1.jpg
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • sweet carolinesweet caroline Registered Users Posts: 1,589 Major grins
    edited August 22, 2009
    I'm sure they are very happy with the results. So, you get to sell them prints, too, correct?

    Caroline
  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited August 23, 2009
    Yup!
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited August 23, 2009
    Very nice captures, with good clear renderings of their eyes, and just enough shadows to give their face some contours.

    I would suggest renaming this thread How to capture great portraits with one light. That would be far more useful and informative than the current title about shooting 40 employees. Just a thought!
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited August 24, 2009
    It actually three lights (main, hair, background). Maybe I should write a small tutorial with more details *thinking*
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • mpauliempaulie Registered Users Posts: 303 Major grins
    edited August 24, 2009
    Manfr3d wrote:
    It actualy three lights (main, hair, background). Maybe I should write a small tutorial with more details *thinking*

    Great idea!thumb.gif
  • pathfinderpathfinder Super Moderators Posts: 14,708 moderator
    edited August 24, 2009
    Manfr3d wrote:
    It actually three lights (main, hair, background). Maybe I should write a small tutorial with more details *thinking*


    I see that I missed that detail, thanks. My suggestion about the title stills stands.thumb.gif
    Pathfinder - www.pathfinder.smugmug.com

    Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited August 24, 2009
    So glad this all worked out just the right way in the end - I'll bet you were VERY happy not to have to do the office-to-office routine!

    Looks like you did a terrific job. Well done!
    facebook | photo site |
  • Manfr3dManfr3d Registered Users Posts: 2,008 Major grins
    edited August 24, 2009
    pathfinder wrote:
    I see that I missed that detail, thanks. My suggestion about the title stills stands.thumb.gif

    Go ahead and change it, I don't have enough rights to modify the thread title - I can only change the post title.
    divamum wrote:
    So glad this all worked out just the right way in the end - I'll bet you were VERY happy not to have to do the office-to-office routine!

    Looks like you did a terrific job. Well done!

    Absolutely, also I want to thank you all for the positive feedback!
    “To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.”
    ― Edward Weston
  • whiteaglewhiteagle Registered Users Posts: 70 Big grins
    edited August 24, 2009
    Congrats on taking what could have been a nightmare situation and making it into a streamline work of art (literally).

    I've done the same type thing more than a few times, and it's almost fun once you get the setup right and start feeding them through. It's almost like they all have dollar signs on their foreheads, and you know you're still maintaining artistic integrity.

    Good job. clap.gif
    My website: Fresh Edge Photo
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  • bendruckerphotobendruckerphoto Registered Users Posts: 579 Major grins
    edited August 25, 2009
    Very nicely done. Made very good use of the situation.
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