I have a shoot tonight with a pair of models who are bringing over some designer apparel - it'll be a fashion shoot. I'm just getting started - so I have not done any fashion shots. The models are well aware I'm new and are fine with it - thankfully. Smile They've both known one another for years - most of the shots will be individual, but they want a few together as well. I'm really looking forward to working with them as I've talked to them a few times now and they're both actually intelligent (gasp!) and sound like they'll be a ton of fun. I just wish they were not in such a hurry!
Our goals for tonight are (in this order, as we may not accomplish all)...
- Head shots
- Fashion shots
- Low-key shots on black
Will probably do the first two on a white background, whiting it out in many of them. I just got a beauty dish yesterday and being my wife worked last night, had zero time to play around with it. I did finally get my ceiling covered in the basement last night (just in the area I'm shooting in) with white foamcore - so that should help some.
I'm looking for some advice on setup...I'm a bit rushed today as I have a major project at work - otherwise I'd be at home working some kinks out. So any lighting setup tips you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
I have 2 AB800s and a 580EX II I can use as a slave. I also have a pair of large shoot-thru umbrellas, a pair of large brolly boxes, a giant foldable softbox, medium shoot-thu and silver umbrellas and honeycomb grids. Of course I have a few white.silver reflectors and plenty of foamcore.
Well - I'm not sure that the white foamcore is such a good idea. The whole point is to control light and with that stuff on the ceiling light will be ricocheting everywhere. I'd be sticking black up there instead. I notice you said they're in a hurry. Since this is new to you I'd try my best to put the brakes on and have some sort of system to document at least the minimum for each shot: light placement (like height, distance from subject, modifier type), additional modifier types and placement (like if you use flags, reflectors etc), light power level, measured light level at the subject and background. Otherwise how will you learn from the experience? If they have good skin I'd recommend working with a single light and beauty dish for the modifier - you've probably practiced the change one variable at a time rule at work. Lighting is no different. Next down the line is the grids, then brolly boxes. Last would be the shoot thru umbrellas. Why? Because they go in order from most control to least control. The shoot thru's will give pleasing results but that's because they're light shotguns. You won't learn as much from them. Grids actually control more than the BD but they require more skill and pre-visualization IMHO - but hey - they're sure fun to play with - especially with dramatic and low-key lighting. Other suggestions - have a few simple props on hand; a chair, an ottoman - the best are ones that give them something to do with their hands. Hands are always problematical. Get some of that slinky shimmery cloth from a fabric store - tell them to play with it. Girls can and will do some cool stuff with slinky cloth.
Good luck!
Jon
Thanks Jon. I have some black foamcore I can clamp to a boom arm to place above my subject when I don't want light reflecting.
My wife will actually be assisting tonight and I already have a pad of paper ready for her to take notes on some things - setup and items I need to get to make the subsequent shoots better.
Ok. Are you looking for setup ideas? What quality of skin does your model have, because if she has high quality skin, use the beauty dish, its a much contrastier light than the boxes.
For headshots, I like a beauty dish about 1-2x its diameter from the subject, farther away the light gets more contrasty (sometimes desitrable), closer and you lose shadow definitions. Make sure it is above and aimed down, approx at a 45 degree angle.
For the shallow depth of field natural light look, drop your flash power as low as you need to so that you meter about f/2.8-4 for an 85mm lens, depending on the lens and the quality of bokeh, you could use a smaller fstop (for longer lenses). Be careful with your focus on this though, as you must ensure the eye closest to the camera remains in sharp focus.
I dont know a thing about how big your space is, so I don't have any real advice about 3/4 or full body shots.
Keeping the flashes on axis, one above the head of the model as key and the other just below for fill, is a configuration generically called "butterfly" for shape of the shadow created under the nose. It is a very flattering pattern for subjects with slim-symmetrical faces (which most models have) in full face or action poses. In full-face poses it creates symmetrical modeling of the face. For action shots it minimizes distracting / unflattering shadows on the face of a moving model with the head turned to the side. Since both lights are also aimed at the background it will also be evenly lit. See http://super.nova.org/DPR/Technique/ButterflyVariables.pdf Click on the WWW button below other tutorials.
For more static oblique views short lighting for dark backgrounds and low ratio broad lighting on light ones is more effective for making the front of the face contrast the most with the background; which helps pull the eye of the viewer into it.
For short lighting put the key light about 45 from the centerline of the nose. If you stand directly in front of the light you should see a perfect oblique view from the side opposite of the one the camera sees: where you want the light is on the front of the face and in the eyes, both of them, so if you stand in front of the key light you should see just the front of the face and all of both eyes.
For broad lighting on a white background aim the key light on the side of the head facing the camera putting the front of the face in shadow. The trick using fill on the front of the face so the shadows are just a bit darker than the highlights. That combination creates contrast between the far side of the face and the bright background and pulls the view from brighter wide side of the head towards the front of the face; more or less the flip-side of short lighting. In both cases it is the contrast with the background, not just what is brightest, which attracts the eye. On white backgrounds color contrast of the warm skin is actually more of a factor in attracting the eye than the tonal difference.
