Short lighting + walls

divamum · March 20, 2012

I'm very happy with Saturday's shoot (thread here), but as I was browsing, I realised that the wall shots all wound up being broad lit simply because of where I could put the flash - with a wall in the way, it has to be on the "wrong side" to grab the face when the subject is facing into the wall.

Is there a way to "cheat" this pose or light placement so that you get something closer to short lighting to help slim faces? I was using a 24x36 softbox - would using my 16" square SB have been a better way of adding some fill, but with greater light falloff to "cheat" the shadows into shaping the face a little more?

Just trying to modify this and get some ideas for the future..... :thumb

jeffreaux2 · March 20, 2012

Diva,

I use walls plenty, but usually face the subject away from the wall at a diagonal angle. This way, even the natural light can be a short pattern. Thromping in extra light with a speedlight will intensify the effect.

Facing any other direction will force you out of short lighting.

There might be a chance, if you used a light colored wall and the sunlight came in at the right angle and you could flag the natural light off the model, but that would REALLY be an experiment!

divamum · March 20, 2012

yeah, that's kind of what I discovered. Fortunately, I did some both leaning back into and front into, but I was wondering if there was any trick I'd missed.

What happens if you set the light up behind photographer and go for a clamshell effect - have you ever tried that? (you're my inspiration for walls, btw - was thinking about your poses and use of walls - and wrought-iron railings - a lot on Saturday!!)

Icebear · March 20, 2012

If you feather your light radically to the point that the light is really aimed at the wall in front of the face, you'll be bouncing your key off the wall into the other side of the face. The danger is that you can pick up weird color cast issues depending on the wall. Pick your wall verrry carefully.

jeffreaux2 · March 20, 2012

Icebear wrote: »

If you feather your light radically to the point that the light is really aimed at the wall in front of the face, you'll be bouncing your key off the wall into the other side of the face. The danger is that you can pick up weird color cast issues depending on the wall. Pick your wall verrry carefully.

The color cast issue is the ever present danger when using walls. Good point!

jeffreaux2 · March 20, 2012

divamum wrote: »

yeah, that's kind of what I discovered. Fortunately, I did some both leaning back into and front into, but I was wondering if there was any trick I'd missed.

What happens if you set the light up behind photographer and go for a clamshell effect - have you ever tried that? (you're my inspiration for walls, btw - was thinking about your poses and use of walls - and wrought-iron railings - a lot on Saturday!!)

Never tried that. I generally use only a single light and the infra red trigger. Putting the light behind me would be a trick for sure....especially if I also had to trigger a second one in front of me.

Hackbone · March 20, 2012

Diva, I'm not understanding what your problem was. Is the wall creating fill? If so how about a black curtain to keep the bounced light to a min. If you want an edgier light that happens as you move your subject to the front of the softbox.

Hackbone · March 20, 2012

Jeff, your #3 is a screamer!!

jeffreaux2 · March 20, 2012

Hackbone wrote: »

Jeff, your #3 is a screamer!!

Ha!

Shot it with a Rebel XTi and 17-55F2.8IS. I stood on a $20 three step ladder (that I take everywhere). The lighting was bounced sunlight via a $2-3 sheet of foam core. Low budget/high impact!

Hackbone · March 20, 2012

The old KISS system works for me every time.......KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

divamum · March 20, 2012

Icebear, that's a really good suggestion - I'll try that next time I'm working against granite (grey) rather than brick (orange)

Hack, it was just that once they're turned into the wall - face to it - the only place to easily put the light results in broad lighting. Was just trying to figure out if I'd missed some blindingly obvious way of making that NOT happen (I'm good at missing the blindingly obvious sometimes

)

Jeff, I've put the STE2 behind me and it worked, BUT.... it was indoors. Outdoors, I think that would be a non-starter, as you right suggest

Short lighting + walls

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