Studio pics - need advice!

Jnichols

I got my AB800s in and took some test shots. Well to be honest - I took quite a few and want some advice and help. Please let me know how I can improve these shots. My girls helped me and let me tell you - it was NOT easy! And they had to take their pictures with their toy snake,frog and lizard! Thanks in advance.

ian408

I love the expression in that third image Very natural looking.

Can you tell us a bit about your setup? Light placement, power, etc.

From these few shots, I would say that your lights are on a plane with the
camera and maybe at 45's. This casts a shadow behind your subject. If
you have a small light to shine on the backdrop, this might help get rid of the
shadow.

Also, did you get a softbox or just the umbrella setup? I like shooting the
softbox off the the right or left and using a reflector on the far side. Maybe
some hair light (light from above) and something down low and pointing up.

One thing you might also want is a light meter that you can use with your
strobes (either corded or cordless but triggered by the lights). This will help
a lot with the exposure--your faces are a bit OE. I use the meter to set
the light levels and I shoot manual.

Maybe Shay will chime in. He's the master at lighting--me? Just a rookie.

Ian

Jnichols

I agree that their skin is OE - especially my youngest. She has really fair skin. I had one light set up at 45 and a fill on the left at 1/2 power. I'm having issues with my small room. Not sure how to handle it. I do need a meter. I'm trying test shots but I can't really tell until I download onto my computer. Another issue I have is checking for highlights on my camera - it didn't show blown highlights but when I downloaded the pics - I found the skin to be blown.

I had the camera set at f/8 - f/11. The shutter speed was set quite high - I need to record my settings so I can learn!

I'm using umbrellas - tried both reflective and then shoot through. I do not have softboxes. I'm hoping to practice again tomorrow night.

The room I'm shooting in has a ceiling clearance of around 7'. Length of room is approx. 24' and width approx. 10'.

Shay Stephens

Two things that may kick you into high gear:
1) Move the subject away from the background so that the subjects shadow does not fall on it so directly and immediately.

2) Try to create a direction the light comes from. Instead of "flat" frontal looking light, pretend the lights are windows letting in daylight. Try using just one light as the "window". In small rooms, you often don't need a fill light, there is enough bounce light to act as fill.

Studio work is all about lighting. So mix it up and make it look interesting. Shadows are good, they help define shape. Use shadows to your benefit, don't try to eliminate them.