First go at portraits with off camera lighting

nikmolson · July 6, 2009

so i have finally gotten around to getting a sb-600, softbox and umbrella to go with my wireless set up and 2 other crummy flashes. no post work done yet

and this last one was just playing with a single flash in a ice cream bucket to diffuse it

Trevlan · July 6, 2009

nikmolson wrote:

so i have finally gotten around to getting a sb-600, softbox and umbrella to go with my wireless set up and 2 other crummy flashes. no post work done yet

and this last one was just playing with a single flash in a ice cream bucket to diffuse it

These worked really well. Like the classic 45/45 on the first few pics.

I would recommend a little more exposure. Other than that, these can go to print SOOC. Great job.

nikmolson · July 6, 2009

yeah they are a tad dark. and i think the first one is a bit soft on the eyes, all stuff il have to keep in mind. but thanks!

Mitchell · July 6, 2009

Underexposed and your main light needs to be a little higher.

Lucky you to have such a great model. Keep on practicing!

Trevlan · July 6, 2009

Mitchell wrote:

Underexposed and your main light needs to be a little higher.

Lucky you to have such a great model. Keep on practicing!

Agreed. She looks like such an interesting character.

whiteagle · July 7, 2009

The first two are slightly underexposed. Last two I think are fine. First two I'm not a fan of the lighting setup, but it's more of a personal preference thing, so I'll only talk about the last two.

At first look I love the last two pictures. They can be a little stronger though. Always remember the rule of thirds. These both have too much headroom. The main light could be a little higher. You want that shadow from the nose to be at a slightly downward angle. #3 needs a hair light or a kicker light of some type to give definition to the dark side of the head. Leaving a dark side dark works sometimes for chiseled dramatic rough guys, but not so much for someone as bubbly and beautiful as her.

That said, if I had shot #4, I'd crop it and hang it on the wall of my studio.

First go at portraits with off camera lighting

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