You need to set a custom white balance with a white card in the position of your subject lit exactly like your subject will be lit. This should correct your color balance.
if you room is only 4 feet wide, consider a single white shoot through umbrella - they are used just outside your frame. Or a single off camera speed light with a Fong diffuser.
You will HAVE to set a custom white balance in this closet with the blue walls!
Re: Help with Studio Lighting
My 2cents:
For the reshoot, do a test with an assistant, preferably with plenty of time before the real shoot.
Keep it as simple (automatic) as possible. I would try one light into or through an umbrella, higher but fairly close to camera. 1/125 shutter, f8, iso100. ETTL should work fine for flash exposure. If exposure is bad, use manual flash power, try full power, check result, adjust.
4 foot room is crazy! I would push to move location.
to start with girl in 1st photo is waaaay too close to the wall....subject should almost always be a min of 4ft....(my own rule here).........
also Was the incident dome over the light receptacle on the meter?
did you fire the flash to get meter reading??
Was camera ISO and flash meter set to same ISO?
For most modern flash meters to work you must fire the flash while the meter is in metering mode....and it must be in flash meter mode.....not in a reflective
metering mode and the white incident dome must cover the light entrance receptacle............
Good starting point with any camera + studio flash is lowest iso (100 or 200) F8 and 1/60th shutter........subject to flash distance approx 10ft
This 99% od the time get you a good exposure......pronounced shadows on wall....move subject farther from wall.......
Also for the softest light......get your light source as CLOSE to the subject as possible.......the closer the lights the softer the light will be on
the subject and turn the power down............also I try to keep all my light sources the same....so if one if shoot thru both should be and vice versa.....another of my own rules........it is along the lines of keep it stoopid simple.................especially for these types of shoots........................
"A photo is like a hamburger. You can get one from McDonalds for $1, one from Chili's for $5, or one from Ruth's Chris for $15. You usually get what you pay for, but don't expect a Ruth's Chris burger at a McDonalds price, if you want that, go cook it yourself." - me
I haven't worked much with RAW, that's probably how I ended up where I did. I am familiar with fixing under exposed images but not OVER exposed. In any case. After working for HOURS and reading for HOURS I am still VERY nervous that this shoot tomorrow will go bad (for some reason) I felt like they all looked like smurfs. Casue of the blue wall and white tops. I am nixing the light meter. I will adjust and re adjust with an assistant. I know for sure I will pull them 3-4 ft from the wall. Also try to get in early enough to work with my lights so I can get it set up right. I am even having my assistant bring a white button down (just to be sure)....
Hopefully they will al work out. I am unsure how to set a custom white balance on my camera. I have never done it before. Any tips would be great!
I REALLY appreciate all of your help, your inputs, advice, critique. Studio lighting is new to me and I normally do outdoors for friends, family and mostly motorcycles for my husband. Thank you everyone... so much! ::):
I am unsure how to set a custom white balance on my camera. I have never done it before. Any tips would be great!
I REALLY appreciate all of your help, your inputs, advice, critique. Studio lighting is new to me and I normally do outdoors for friends, family and mostly motorcycles for my husband. Thank you everyone... so much! ::):
Setting a custom white balance in on page 68 in your manual for the 40D.... ( I can't seem to quickly find an active link for a manual in English for a 40D on the web anymore )
Shoot a jpg of a plain white object in AWB in the room with the blue wall with the light you are going to shoot with - a t shirt, a towel, a piece of plain white cardboard will do - Shoot in Manual mode such that the histogram tends toward the right side of your histogram but not all the way. If you have an 18% grey card that is even a better choice to use.
Once you have a frame of this white or grey target that fills the frame, go to your menu in your camera to Custom WB. Select the frame you shot by turning the dial on the back of your 40D to select the image, and then OK on the dialogue screen. Now go to the White Balance button on the top right to your 40D, an turn it to Custom white balance and you are done.
Once you have the grey/white frame, it takes longer to describe how to do it, than it does to do it, literally. It will save you hours in Photoshop too!!
I know folks told you to shoot RAW and just adjust in PS, but did you see how their image's color balance was all over the map after they did precisely that?
For this blue room, you will want a custom white balance. Once you do that, your colors SHOULD be perfect.
If your white balance and exposure are correct within 1/3 of a stop, you should be able to shoot a jpg of a 16 step grey scale and capture the full range with the middle tone precisely in the middle of your histogram.
You will not get your background in focus when you are panning a motorcycle going by. A smaller aperture will give you greater depth of field though, even when panning.
Personally I would not nix the flash meter.......maybe it was just
too much for you to try and grasp when you did not have time to
learn your equipment prior to your shoot........for some reason
light meters were easy for me to use right from the start.......
but I also started with a simple box flash meter (Wein 500
and they are still made and sold).....they are simplest but
still they are dang near indestructible and give damn accurate
readings.........especially with 2 flashes and trying to balance them.....
but I am old school in many ways....I have carried a flash meter with me
everyday since I bought my first one over 30 yrs ago............the one
I now have is a Sekonic L558 that is capable of averaging several meter
readings for difficult situations......it is both a reflective meter as well as
an incident flash meter + a 1 degree spot meter....Flash meters are
indispensable to get exposures set accurately and Fast so that you can
keep clients happy......clients get nervous when we the Pro photogs ( i use that term loosely
to mean any person that is doing a photo job for a client, whether paid or not)......I know
when I did some metering in Lexington Ky the building Manager looked surprised to see me
using a meter and asked why....I explained that with the fog and bright spots and dark
I wanted and idea of where to set my exposure to start my shooting at......it was an average
exposure of 6 meter readings.........I could have stood there and shot and chimped and shot
and chimped but i opted to use the meter.......after the first shot he want ed to see the photo
and was pleased that it looked good to him......but the fog killed what I was aiming for....so
the pic was a failure.......
I trust my meter so much that chimping does not happen with me.......
My flash meters have saved my butt more than once......especially if for no
reason a flash unit desides that it is not going to put out properly........I
used to set my flashes and just step off the distance from flash to subject,
prior to subjects arrival and then start shooting.....then one day I got a
bad feeling prior to a shoot and sure enuff i had my flashes set to full
power and neither was putting out even half power......the meter saved my
tail...........as i said i have always carried it.......
If you are using the meter correctly and if the meter is working properly the
getting a proper exposure is a one shot deal...maybe 2 at the most..........
That is why I still use one...............but you do as you feel is best for you.......
For me time is money and so is my image to my client................
I will pull out the meter and play with it just to make an impression on a client,
especially if they are old enough to know what a flash meter is.............it is that
impression that brings clients back for another round of your ability to produce
a work of art for them.
While one can shoot without a flash meter by paying close attention to your histogram, getting professional level jogs requires very accurate exposure control which is what the Sekonic L358 will do for you if used correctly. Art is right about a flash meter. It will save you time too.
I do not find my L-358 to be real intuitive to use either, but you should plan for a shutter speed between 1/125th and 1/200th. For studio strobes I routinely plan on 1/160th, this will minimize the influence of ambient light as well.
I agree BUT I took it back since I was only renting it. It will be my next purchase once I pay off my lights!
You should've purchased the meter 1st, IMHO.... Set-up will be 'tough' now but not totally unbearable. It'll go a lot easier if you can get the images up on a monitor when factoring in the fill light (just easier to see what's going on).
If not then work the HG as suggested, shooting in RAW with a test subject beforehand. Flag off the walls right and left of the posing area with black. The blue cast should pretty much be a moot point then. Pull the subject AS FAR AS FEASIBLE from the back wall. Set your shutter speed somewhere between 125th and 200, go for an aperture of 5.6 or so (more if you got camera support) then start test firing with various light outputs until you get an exposure thats GOOD and on the right of the histogram. Then repeat for the other light (with the main turned off) until you see what you deem 'good' for the fill light (forget the HG on this as it will be visual 'flavour'). Then test with BOTH lights AND check the HG again, just to be certain that you're not blowing highlights away with the combonation.
- flag off walls
- work up each light on its own, then test both
- work the histogram; do NOT trust the LCD
- Be certain you're shooting RAW
- shoot a gray card and set WB in ACR
- Take a laptop and either tether or upload your test images
- Save and BUY that light meter, learn how it works... It'll be like a gift from the gods when ya do!
Comments
if you room is only 4 feet wide, consider a single white shoot through umbrella - they are used just outside your frame. Or a single off camera speed light with a Fong diffuser.
You will HAVE to set a custom white balance in this closet with the blue walls!
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
I used the eyedrop tool in Element 7 to set the skin tone and lighting adjustment on the shadows.
The point being some minor adjustments can help IF you get close with the capture
And this last image is much better.
One hint, have Maddie change into a white shirt, THAT is going to be the next challenge, he, he...
Cheers, Don
Product Photography
My Acreage Bird Photographs
For a school portrait you may want to turn down the main a little and turn up the fill but not so far you lose the shadows.
You might want to add a simple reflector for a hair light. Even a piece of 2' x 2' white foamcore will help.
Along with highlights pay attention to the shadows on the nose.
Cheers, Don
Product Photography
My Acreage Bird Photographs
My 2cents:
For the reshoot, do a test with an assistant, preferably with plenty of time before the real shoot.
Keep it as simple (automatic) as possible. I would try one light into or through an umbrella, higher but fairly close to camera. 1/125 shutter, f8, iso100. ETTL should work fine for flash exposure. If exposure is bad, use manual flash power, try full power, check result, adjust.
4 foot room is crazy! I would push to move location.
Good luck!
LiflanderPhotography.com
LiflanderPhotography.com
Sam
...and yes, like others said, auto white balance, correct for skin tones on computer, and shoot RAW!
I recently was able to save several RAW shots that looked almost black before correction.
LiflanderPhotography.com
LiflanderPhotography.com
also Was the incident dome over the light receptacle on the meter?
did you fire the flash to get meter reading??
Was camera ISO and flash meter set to same ISO?
For most modern flash meters to work you must fire the flash while the meter is in metering mode....and it must be in flash meter mode.....not in a reflective
metering mode and the white incident dome must cover the light entrance receptacle............
Good starting point with any camera + studio flash is lowest iso (100 or 200) F8 and 1/60th shutter........subject to flash distance approx 10ft
This 99% od the time get you a good exposure......pronounced shadows on wall....move subject farther from wall.......
Also for the softest light......get your light source as CLOSE to the subject as possible.......the closer the lights the softer the light will be on
the subject and turn the power down............also I try to keep all my light sources the same....so if one if shoot thru both should be and vice versa.....another of my own rules........it is along the lines of keep it stoopid simple.................especially for these types of shoots........................
That's looking good for a test shot.
Hopefully they will al work out. I am unsure how to set a custom white balance on my camera. I have never done it before. Any tips would be great!
I REALLY appreciate all of your help, your inputs, advice, critique. Studio lighting is new to me and I normally do outdoors for friends, family and mostly motorcycles for my husband. Thank you everyone... so much! ::):
Pp-080209-int-0690small.jpg
Keep in mind, this guy was probably doing around 40-50 MPH
Setting a custom white balance in on page 68 in your manual for the 40D.... ( I can't seem to quickly find an active link for a manual in English for a 40D on the web anymore )
Shoot a jpg of a plain white object in AWB in the room with the blue wall with the light you are going to shoot with - a t shirt, a towel, a piece of plain white cardboard will do - Shoot in Manual mode such that the histogram tends toward the right side of your histogram but not all the way. If you have an 18% grey card that is even a better choice to use.
Once you have a frame of this white or grey target that fills the frame, go to your menu in your camera to Custom WB. Select the frame you shot by turning the dial on the back of your 40D to select the image, and then OK on the dialogue screen. Now go to the White Balance button on the top right to your 40D, an turn it to Custom white balance and you are done.
You can see a video of setting a custom white balance on a 40D here - http://www.ehow.com/video_2371536_canon-eos-40d-custom-white.html
Once you have the grey/white frame, it takes longer to describe how to do it, than it does to do it, literally. It will save you hours in Photoshop too!!
I know folks told you to shoot RAW and just adjust in PS, but did you see how their image's color balance was all over the map after they did precisely that?
For this blue room, you will want a custom white balance. Once you do that, your colors SHOULD be perfect.
I wrote a bit about custom white balance tools here - http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=90438
If your white balance and exposure are correct within 1/3 of a stop, you should be able to shoot a jpg of a 16 step grey scale and capture the full range with the middle tone precisely in the middle of your histogram.
You will not get your background in focus when you are panning a motorcycle going by. A smaller aperture will give you greater depth of field though, even when panning.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
too much for you to try and grasp when you did not have time to
learn your equipment prior to your shoot........for some reason
light meters were easy for me to use right from the start.......
but I also started with a simple box flash meter (Wein 500
and they are still made and sold).....they are simplest but
still they are dang near indestructible and give damn accurate
readings.........especially with 2 flashes and trying to balance them.....
but I am old school in many ways....I have carried a flash meter with me
everyday since I bought my first one over 30 yrs ago............the one
I now have is a Sekonic L558 that is capable of averaging several meter
readings for difficult situations......it is both a reflective meter as well as
an incident flash meter + a 1 degree spot meter....Flash meters are
indispensable to get exposures set accurately and Fast so that you can
keep clients happy......clients get nervous when we the Pro photogs ( i use that term loosely
to mean any person that is doing a photo job for a client, whether paid or not)......I know
when I did some metering in Lexington Ky the building Manager looked surprised to see me
using a meter and asked why....I explained that with the fog and bright spots and dark
I wanted and idea of where to set my exposure to start my shooting at......it was an average
exposure of 6 meter readings.........I could have stood there and shot and chimped and shot
and chimped but i opted to use the meter.......after the first shot he want ed to see the photo
and was pleased that it looked good to him......but the fog killed what I was aiming for....so
the pic was a failure.......
I trust my meter so much that chimping does not happen with me.......
My flash meters have saved my butt more than once......especially if for no
reason a flash unit desides that it is not going to put out properly........I
used to set my flashes and just step off the distance from flash to subject,
prior to subjects arrival and then start shooting.....then one day I got a
bad feeling prior to a shoot and sure enuff i had my flashes set to full
power and neither was putting out even half power......the meter saved my
tail...........as i said i have always carried it.......
If you are using the meter correctly and if the meter is working properly the
getting a proper exposure is a one shot deal...maybe 2 at the most..........
That is why I still use one...............but you do as you feel is best for you.......
For me time is money and so is my image to my client................
I will pull out the meter and play with it just to make an impression on a client,
especially if they are old enough to know what a flash meter is.............it is that
impression that brings clients back for another round of your ability to produce
a work of art for them.
I do not find my L-358 to be real intuitive to use either, but you should plan for a shutter speed between 1/125th and 1/200th. For studio strobes I routinely plan on 1/160th, this will minimize the influence of ambient light as well.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
With strobes off and room lights on take a shot. You should have a black frame.
Set the meter (L358) to 1/200, iso 100, wireless flash mode, lumisphere out.
Turn on the strobes and adjust the power, since I've worked without a meter for a while I usually get pretty close.
Take a reading.
Adjust the strobes power until the meter reading matches your target f number, in this case f 8.
For a 2/1 ratio there is a one stop difference in the power of the lights.
You can meter each light separately to get the ratio between the main light and fill light, I just eyeball the strobes sliders....
For portraiture I'm sure someone will step in and refine my process
Cheers, Don
Product Photography
My Acreage Bird Photographs
I agree BUT I took it back since I was only renting it. It will be my next purchase once I pay off my lights!
You should've purchased the meter 1st, IMHO.... Set-up will be 'tough' now but not totally unbearable. It'll go a lot easier if you can get the images up on a monitor when factoring in the fill light (just easier to see what's going on).
If not then work the HG as suggested, shooting in RAW with a test subject beforehand. Flag off the walls right and left of the posing area with black. The blue cast should pretty much be a moot point then. Pull the subject AS FAR AS FEASIBLE from the back wall. Set your shutter speed somewhere between 125th and 200, go for an aperture of 5.6 or so (more if you got camera support) then start test firing with various light outputs until you get an exposure thats GOOD and on the right of the histogram. Then repeat for the other light (with the main turned off) until you see what you deem 'good' for the fill light (forget the HG on this as it will be visual 'flavour'). Then test with BOTH lights AND check the HG again, just to be certain that you're not blowing highlights away with the combonation.
- flag off walls
- work up each light on its own, then test both
- work the histogram; do NOT trust the LCD
- Be certain you're shooting RAW
- shoot a gray card and set WB in ACR
- Take a laptop and either tether or upload your test images
- Save and BUY that light meter, learn how it works... It'll be like a gift from the gods when ya do!
That's how I'd go..... Good luck.
Cheers, Don
Product Photography
My Acreage Bird Photographs
Yeah,,,,, BRING IT!!!!
So... critique.. I can take it.. promise~!
Pretty darn good with a couple of provisions..
The focus is not on the eyes, if you look closely you will see the V on her top is sharp.
The background is a little dark, I did a quick edit on highlights and some sharpening to show the difference.
Cheers, Don
Product Photography
My Acreage Bird Photographs