Industrial lights

Ted Szukalski

I have used a very cheap set of twin halogen lights for this photograph. Total cost: AUD $25 from a local hardware shop The lights output 2×250W and produced enough light for a relatively slow exposure at 1/25 of second but with a good light falloff for a dramatic picture.
This photo was taken using Canon EF 50mm F/1.4 lens, which really shines in these conditions. Model: my daughter Michelle.

Dramatapix®

I really love this picture. I can't even put my finger on it, but it just moved me. The lighting, a feeling of lonliness, and your daughters facial expression are all wonderful in creating a very moving image.

salazar

Industrial Lights and Magic! I'd say. Love the shot.

jdryan3

Very nice. You bring the highlights to the edge (but not over) of being blown out. I actually opened up the large version via the link and it is even better (not as 'hot'). The tone is much better than in the smaller image. In that version the far side of her face is great, well balanced.

lifesdisciple

jdryan3 wrote:

Very nice. You bring the highlights to the edge (but not over) of being blown out.

Definitely a great photo. Has a sense of mystery about as well. IMO. Nicely done.

Ted Szukalski

Thank you all for the kind words. Here is the original colour photograph:

Seneca

Ted I love the color better than the black and white. I love the photo overall...the capture was beautiful.

Ted Szukalski

Thank you. I hope to do few more shots like this, but first I have to do some handi work with these lights so I have more control over them. Namely I need a way to soften the light.

Seneca wrote:

Ted I love the color better than the black and white. I love the photo overall...the capture was beautiful.

salazar

I tend to know more about theatre lighting materials rather than photograpy supplies but this stuff from Rosco is used by the film industry to soften and diffuse light and it generally comes as 20" x 24" sheets (of a plastic like, high temperature resistant material) that costs about $8.00 to $10.00 a sheet. The main worldwide website: http://www.rosco.com/
Two "Technotes" on the Canadian site: http://www.rosco.com/canada/technotes/filters/diff_conf.asp
http://www.rosco.com/canada/technotes/filters/technote_3fv.asp
I've seen people make simple supports out of coat hanger wire that attach to small industrial floods and use clothes pins or small spring clips to attach the gel and/or diffusion for video shoots. Should work just fine for photography. Look around a bit on those sites if you are also interested in colour correcting sources to match tungsten to daylight, or whatever, that's all there too.

Ted Szukalski

[FONT=Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] After reading many replies on this photo and seeing that most people favourite the colour version I decided to review this photo. Being shot RAW I could see it was not too hot on the original so I've given it another go, this time adding a bit more post processing.
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[/FONT][FONT=Geneva, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I hope some of the original people who commented on this photo will revisit this post. [/FONT]

salazar

Hi Ted, I like some of what you've done with the colour version, cleaning up little distractions like the shorts between her legs and changing the contrast? You seem to have whitened her eyes a bit too? But I miss the steps receding up beyond Michellle as they do in the origional B&W (I prefered the B&W on your site to the posted one, I'm not sure why they were different but they seemed to be) and your first colour version. They seemed to balance the composition more when they were there. I also miss the branches above her head and now some of the detail of her hair is gone so there is less seperation of her from the dark background around her head, they blend together to me now. I don't think you're done with this yet. My opinion FWIW.