Quickie SOS for 2-person shot

divamum

Had a last-minute shoot come in for this afternoon - two people, outdoors in a garden which will probably be in shade by 445p when we start shooting.

I'm taking my 45" Photek. I'd like to stick with a 1-light setup if you think it's possible to keep it even enough (it will be fill). I'll also have my 16" Cheetah SB which I could use too.

In any case, I'll need them fairly evenly lit. Is this enough, or do I need a 2nd light source. And will the Photek in a 2-person shoot be more effective closed/diffused or used as a shoothru.... or even a bounce brolly with the silver liner?

Best light position for 2 "equal" people in the shot (it's a promo shoot, fwiw, not couples)

Just looking for some quick ideas here so I can wrap my mind round it and work out a setup before I get there. This is on location to a place I've never been (eek!) and is going to be under the gun for time as well. Y'ouch!

tenoverthenose

If you want to use one light, use the Photek (providing you have enough power). You can keep the two people together and treat them as one, or separate them and keep them the same distance from the light so the fall off is the same. A 16" softbox is really too small to get soft light on two people. The bigger/closer the light source, the softer the light. I'd guess you're going to be running out of flash power as you try to light them up but up though, so get that sucker close!

ziggy53

Is this head-and-shoulders or full-length or ...?

divamum

Any & all......!

ziggy53

For full length I suggest shooting in open shade and using the Photek as fill light if necessary. If you can use clouds to provide wrap-a-round light in open shade then so much the better.

For head shots and head-and-shoulders I would use the Photek or a large shoot-through umbrella as the key light and then almost anything else for fill. Stay away from open sun if possible.

If you must shoot in direct sun and if you can't overpower the sun with flash, use reflectors (anything suitable can be used as a reflector; umbrellas, car shades, whatever) and try to provide as even a light as possible. Alternately, if you have control over a flash with HSS/FP mode you might try to moderate the sun with a faster setting.

Larger light sources produce smoother shadows, especially at close distance to the subjects.

Qarik

for 2 folks, if you want to just accent with main light and there is ambient then just shoot the couple as one person but keep them posed tight and the photek should be angled less side light and more straight on if you get my drift. If it is going to be less ambinet then you have to be more careful to keep the subject "in plane" with the photek as possible and as close to the photek as possible. The farther away the light and or the more the couple will be apart from each other the more you may need another light source.

divamum

THANK you, guys!

Pat, as soon as I saw your message I thought, "Duh - I know this. Why am I panicking?!" Because this came out of nowhere with no real time to think about it AND is outside the kind of thing I shoot enough to have a "routine", I started second-guessing myself.

Qarik, what you write above is pretty much exactly how I handled it (although I didn't see your message till after it was over).

To say that this shoot was "challenging" is an understatement. Short on time (and now I find out they need delivery by Monday. Yes, the HOLIDAY Monday ), we had a time limitation on the shoot itself, and one of the parties was late. Great... Oh yeah, and a 7-year old tagging along (very nice 7 year old who, bless her, did hold the flashstand so it didn't windsail). And HATS. Geez. I really, really REALLY need an assistant - or a reflector holder - if I'm going to deal with hats...

In any case, just going through the shots now. I will say that the 24-70L pretty much earned its keep today - BOY was I glad to have that lens in the bag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll post once I've triaged. It was a short shoot, so here's hoping I got something...................... ~crosses fingers~