Need some insight on studio lighting

blackwaterstudio

For you guys that are using a single strobe. Can you give me some insight. I'm doing a calender shoot Friday night for a girl and I only have the one AB800 with the stock umbrellia. I was thinking about ordering two more AB400's with softboxes and a octabox for a hair light but not sure if that is going to be needed.

Different locations, etc will be used in making this calendar. One I know of is going to be in a garage with a Dodge Viper.

Ever shot will be inside, as this is going to be a semi-nude, full nude calendar.

Aequitas

Ok, lets start with the basics here. Do you have a flash meter? Not necessary in the digital age but super useful.

How much experience do you have using studio lighting? If it is the end product you are concerned with you will likely do more harm than good by introducing more lights if you don't know how to use them yet. That said, if you don't really care about the end product and have the money to spend, go get more lights they are useful and fun!

On to more practical things I lit this photo with two lights:



And here is how:



Replace the yellow light on the left with a reflector, preferably something reflective, like a 45" foldable photo reflector, failing that a 45" foldable sun reflector from your local auto store (the type you put in your cars windshield) or failing that a 3 foot piece of white poster board from your kids science project that is sitting awkwardly in your garage taking up space. Replace it with one of these and you got the same thing, but maybe with a bit more light falloff on the background. Also, if you are using a reflector you will have to play with the angle a bit to get light reflecting back at the model as opposed to the roof or your shoe.

But that is a cup! I know... but its round, and so are faces and breasts. So the same concept applies to a cup as it does to scantly clad women.

As big of a source of light as possible compared to the round subject will give the least harsh shadows which tends to be the most flattering.

So you will want to bring the umbrella as close as you can and still light everything that needs to be lit and the bigger the reflector you can put there to bounce that light back, the better.

Where you may well run into problems is trying to light said scantly clad woman and a dodge viper at the same time. Thats a lot of curves that need to be lit and only one light to do it with. So here you will probably want to play with balancing the strobe and umbrella with whatever natural light there is. Use the flash as a fill light, a light which just helps to soften the shadows that the natural light is casting on the subject. This will take some test shots but tends to yield decent results.

Also, if its in a garage, be careful about color balance from any shop lights. They don't look... normal. In a sort of green seasick sort of way. So just be aware of that if you try to use them to light your shot at all.

blackwaterstudio

Thanks for the reply. I've actually been talking to a guy over at POTN and he suggested this setup;

Two AB800's with softboxes attached to them. One directly infront of the person and another at a 45 degree angle to the person.

On the other side use which ever reflector you want to use (I'm ordering a 5 n 1)

I do plan to order a light meter. I'm looking at the Sekonic L-308s.

Art Scott

If you could find a copy of Peter Gowlands : Gowlands guide to Glamour Photography ...... he gives lighting directions for most if not all of his Glamour / calendar/ poster shots...... I think most of theinfo is also on his website Perter Gowland dot com........also when purchasing mosre lights it would be to your great advantage to purchase lights of the same model or greater (ws or GN) but do not ever buy backwards...so in your case You would want 1 or 2 more AB800 or AB1600 (not sure what the cut off is in the AB line)...this was advice given to me by Peter Gowland when I was calling him asking for some helpful advice......as he put it you can always dial down the power but you can NEVER NEVER dial up power that is not there. Remember you can always shoot relatively high with an umbrella and push taht shadow down and back.....if your gonna try to have her body and most of the viper in the shot then this won't work probably and you will need 1 more light at least and a flash meter will speed up your shooting greatly.

Good luck and post of few of final product besure to use those cute little black orwhite wavy banners to make the postings pg or pg13

blackwaterstudio

Went ahead and ordered another AB800 this morning along with two large softboxes. Bought a 5 n 1 reflector also.

Aequitas

blackwaterstudio wrote:

Went ahead and ordered another AB800 this morning along with two large softboxes. Bought a 5 n 1 reflector also.

I think you can't go wrong with that setup. Its very nearly what I have. The only thing I want to add is the vagabond portable power so I can take it anywhere!

The only thing that will be tricky is lighting the model and a car with only two lights. I would make sure that there is sufficient ambient light in that garage and think about ways to bring more light in if there isn't enough. Mirrors, windows, moving the car outside...

blackwaterstudio

Aequitas wrote:

I think you can't go wrong with that setup. Its very nearly what I have. The only thing I want to add is the vagabond portable power so I can take it anywhere!

The only thing that will be tricky is lighting the model and a car with only two lights. I would make sure that there is sufficient ambient light in that garage and think about ways to bring more light in if there isn't enough. Mirrors, windows, moving the car outside...

I'm lucky as in the fact I don't think I'm going to get the whole car into the shot. Just the drivers area which is where she'll be setting.

And like you I want to pickup a Vagabond. BTW, I also picked up the Sekonic L-308s also. Should be here Friday.

Art Scott

blackwaterstudio wrote:

Went ahead and ordered another AB800 this morning along with two large softboxes. Bought a 5 n 1 reflector also.

2 FANTASTIC choices.......I shot for years with 4 White Lightening 5000's and did not realize until it was waaaaaay tooooo late that the one that had a horrible accident could have been rebuilt by Paul Buff for a fraction of what I paid for it, because of my ignorance I am down to 3 WL5000's and really miss my 4th.

blackwaterstudio

Art Scott wrote:

2 FANTASTIC choices.......I shot for years with 4 White Lightening 5000's and did not realize until it was waaaaaay tooooo late that the one that had a horrible accident could have been rebuilt by Paul Buff for a fraction of what I paid for it, because of my ignorance I am down to 3 WL5000's and really miss my 4th.

I keep hearing about these WL5000's. They are not on the site. But I've heard you can get good deals off of ebay.