That's indeed funny, its not a beauty but a Mickey dish. I have a 30cm beauty dish as well , but always use the honeycomb grid with it. It directs the light a bit better and makes it a bit less harsh. Keeping the distance and angle is the trick so you get nice catchlights. But I am sure you now this better then I do.
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That's indeed funny, its not a beauty but a Mickey dish. I have a 30cm beauty dish as well , but always use the honeycomb grid with it. It directs the light a bit better and makes it a bit less harsh. Keeping the distance and angle is the trick so you get nice catchlights. But I am sure you now this better then I do.
Well it better be a beauty dish because that's what Paul Buff said it was. You telling me they slipped me a mickey?
But seriously, this was really my first shoot with it and I'm a complete novice. So any tips are great. I've read that grids are important other places as well, so I'll pick some up. Funny, they cost more than the dish itself. Angle I've read should be around 45 degrees which is what I used. Distance was pretty close and I got some smooth light, maybe too much so. What distance do you recommend? It's a 22" dish. Thanks!
Yes, of course it was meant as a joke, and funny reflections were done on purpose. The beauty dish is new to me however. Here are some other shots from the shoot.
Yes, of course it was meant as a joke, and funny reflections were done on purpose. The beauty dish is new to me however. Here are some other shots from the shoot.
BTW, good work. The 1st shot in the second batch... watch the eyes. I think the dish is a bit too high so the brow is casting a bit too much shadow on the eyes.
BTW, good work. The 1st shot in the second batch... watch the eyes. I think the dish is a bit too high so the brow is casting a bit too much shadow on the eyes.
My exact thoughts. Though if you wanted to portray a 'darker_____'(fill in the blank) then , well done too!
Sorry guys. Pay Phil $3 each and don't pass go. :giggle Out of fairness, I threw you a curve here. The first two are thunder-gray. I switched to a white background later when that third shot was taken. All the shots have varying degrees of background lighting so pretty much impossible to tell which is which just by looking.
BTW, good work. The 1st shot in the second batch... watch the eyes. I think the dish is a bit too high so the brow is casting a bit too much shadow on the eyes.
Thanks, Alex. Yeah, I think I overdid it on the shadowing. I used 45 degrees as recommended by Scott Kelby and regret not trying other angles now. Fortunately they respond quite well to lifting the shadows a bit.
Out of curiosity, what was the deciding factor for the purchase of a beauty dish vs. a soft box of a similar size?
Thanks, Bryce. I have a smallish octabox but wanted to experiment with better contouring using the beauty dish. I am discovered it's a much higher learning curve than a softbox for this reason.
My exact thoughts. Though if you wanted to portray a 'darker_____'(fill in the blank) then , well done too!
Yeah, it's not a bug is a feature! I like the eye shadowing on some shots, but not so much the others. A better reflector might have helped here too. Live and learn. The BD is definitely something that's gonna take a lot of time to master.
I use a white beauty dish with no diffusion sock about three feet away from the model for beauty shots. I like to add gridded strip domes for kickers - seems to work well with the beauty dish. Looks like from that first shot you might be a little close?
Just a suggestion - and trust me, I haven't always followed this advice myself. But if you're going to experiment with new gear on a paid client shoot, wait until the end, tell them, and offer to shoot it some test shots for free. If they like them, it's a bonus. If they don't, nothing lost for you. Just an idea anyway. I got the Paul C Buff parabolic umbrella and did a catalog shoot with it for a client once and I messed that one up big time!
I use a white beauty dish with no diffusion sock about three feet away from the model for beauty shots. I like to add gridded strip domes for kickers - seems to work well with the beauty dish. Looks like from that first shot you might be a little close?
Just a suggestion - and trust me, I haven't always followed this advice myself. But if you're going to experiment with new gear on a paid client shoot, wait until the end, tell them, and offer to shoot it some test shots for free. If they like them, it's a bonus. If they don't, nothing lost for you. Just an idea anyway. I got the Paul C Buff parabolic umbrella and did a catalog shoot with it for a client once and I messed that one up big time!
He Pete, thanks so much for the info. Your suggestions are invaluable to me at this stage. The beauty dish is white and I did use the diffusion sock for this. Plus I indeed had it quite close, maybe 18"? Are you judging this by the softness of the shadows, or something else? I'll try further away next time.
When you said "gridded strip dome", did you mean gridded strip box? I definitely need something else, either a 3-section or parabolic reflector, or more lights. So I'm very open to your suggestions.
This was just a TFCD shoot, but I still like to do my best on them. I think we got some OK shots, but I still have lots of room for improvement. The BD is definitely a powerful tool with a high learning curve. I also recently got an 86" PLM which I used on a previous shoot (see my "Teaser" thread), and that went so well that I guess I got cocky on this shoot. The model is happy, but I do wish I could have done better for her.
Thanks again for checking in. I really appreciate it.
Comments
EDIT: OK, I should have noticed earlier that she's clutching he throat and that doesn't seem fitting for a womanly pose. Or am I wrong?
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
Maybe to you, but I've got to deliver these pictures! :uhoh
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But seriously, this was really my first shoot with it and I'm a complete novice. So any tips are great. I've read that grids are important other places as well, so I'll pick some up. Funny, they cost more than the dish itself. Angle I've read should be around 45 degrees which is what I used. Distance was pretty close and I got some smooth light, maybe too much so. What distance do you recommend? It's a 22" dish. Thanks!
Link to my Smugmug site
Thanks for posting as this is a great way to learn something new and follow along.
Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
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Sorry about the double watermarks.
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Second shot over the shoulder is divine Joel!
Thanks, Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
Phil, $3 say's it's white!
Moderator of the People and Go Figure forums
My Smug Site
Moderator of the People and Go Figure forums
My Smug Site
Out of curiosity, what was the deciding factor for the purchase of a beauty dish vs. a soft box of a similar size?
My exact thoughts. Though if you wanted to portray a 'darker_____'(fill in the blank) then , well done too!
Thanks, Phil! See below.
Sorry guys. Pay Phil $3 each and don't pass go. :giggle Out of fairness, I threw you a curve here. The first two are thunder-gray. I switched to a white background later when that third shot was taken. All the shots have varying degrees of background lighting so pretty much impossible to tell which is which just by looking.
Thanks, Alex. Yeah, I think I overdid it on the shadowing. I used 45 degrees as recommended by Scott Kelby and regret not trying other angles now. Fortunately they respond quite well to lifting the shadows a bit.
Thanks, Bryce. I have a smallish octabox but wanted to experiment with better contouring using the beauty dish. I am discovered it's a much higher learning curve than a softbox for this reason.
Yeah, it's not a bug is a feature! I like the eye shadowing on some shots, but not so much the others. A better reflector might have helped here too. Live and learn. The BD is definitely something that's gonna take a lot of time to master.
Link to my Smugmug site
Link to my Smugmug site
I like!
Phil, you win!:D How would you like that $3?
Joel, very lovely Model to try out this BD with, great work!
Thanks for the offer - how about B&Hphoto discount? Wait - I can't afford to buy anything right now anyway. Good fun!
I only asked about the background because I am such a rookie with studio portraits.
No training in the area and can't seem to find a really good book or website on it.
Phil
"You don't take a photograph, you make it." ~Ansel Adams
Phil
Just a suggestion - and trust me, I haven't always followed this advice myself. But if you're going to experiment with new gear on a paid client shoot, wait until the end, tell them, and offer to shoot it some test shots for free. If they like them, it's a bonus. If they don't, nothing lost for you. Just an idea anyway. I got the Paul C Buff parabolic umbrella and did a catalog shoot with it for a client once and I messed that one up big time!
Portland, Oregon Photographer Pete Springer
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Ah thanks for cutting me slack.
On the portraits, what is it exactly that you cannot seem to find help with. What component part of portrait work is buggin you?
Thanks!
He Pete, thanks so much for the info. Your suggestions are invaluable to me at this stage. The beauty dish is white and I did use the diffusion sock for this. Plus I indeed had it quite close, maybe 18"? Are you judging this by the softness of the shadows, or something else? I'll try further away next time.
When you said "gridded strip dome", did you mean gridded strip box? I definitely need something else, either a 3-section or parabolic reflector, or more lights. So I'm very open to your suggestions.
This was just a TFCD shoot, but I still like to do my best on them. I think we got some OK shots, but I still have lots of room for improvement. The BD is definitely a powerful tool with a high learning curve. I also recently got an 86" PLM which I used on a previous shoot (see my "Teaser" thread), and that went so well that I guess I got cocky on this shoot. The model is happy, but I do wish I could have done better for her.
Thanks again for checking in. I really appreciate it.
Link to my Smugmug site
Link to my Smugmug site
On girls that don't have great skin use a bit less extreme angle...then every little imperfection won't pop out.
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Thanks, Zoomer. As I'm going through the rest of shoot I'm seeing how right you are.
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You may cost me a beauty dish this winter.
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