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 p.1 #3 · Canon 40D + 430ex II newborn shoot | |
What makes the 3D modeling light creates look natural, or not, is the direction. The problem with on camera/hot shoe flash is the angle of the light relative to face winds up unnaturally low, creating very few shadow clues and highlight clues which wind up unnaturally low on the face.
The shape of adult faces with brow overhanging eyes makes a 45° downward angle an ideal one for modeling the face. It's a high enough angle to create the shadow clues needed for defining shape in the 2D rendering of the 3D face, but also low enough to get the light past the brow and into the eyes.
When lighting a face with any source, natural, flash, or a combination of both, pay close attention to how light the eye sockets are relative to the surrounding cheeks. Both the natural light and flash should ideally reach the eyes.
When flash is added to natural light as "fill" what it actually doing on a cause and effect level is overlapping the ambient light already modeling the face. If the ambient light is creating any modeling on the face, as it will in front of a north facing window or outdoors in open shade, the modeling is created by the "key" component of the light (e.g. what is streaming directly through the window opening ), but there is all a "fill component from the window, the light bouncing off the walls of the room and coming through other windows and hitting the shadows created by the "key" direction.
What willl usually happen when on camera flash is added driectly over a face modeled with the natual light is that the flash, if stronger and at the unnatually low angle, will overpower and cancel the more natural looking modeling of the natural light, resulting in the same overall flat look as with a flash only shot. So when using window light you'd be better off using a reflector rather than flash for fill. I've found 34 x 30 sheets of white foam core in the the stationary section at Target stores and craft shops stock larger sizes. But anything white will work. When using the reflector try to keep it as far forward as possible so the fill reaches the entire front of the face the cameara is recording. Fill placed to the side can get shaded, resulting in very dark shadows in open mouths, etc.
The solution to the flash cancelling the modeling of the natural lighting is to move it off camera to an angle similar to of the natural light modeling the flash. In other words, change the role of the flash from one of flat near-axis fill to that of a secondary "key" light which models the face. When all you have is a single flash in the hot shoe the way to change it's angle is to bounce the light. Not just randomly in any direction, but with thought given to the angle it will bounce off the nearby wall or ceiliing or backwards into a reflector placed above and directly behind your camera.
Consider for a moment that if you were to put a big white umbrella on a stand directly behind you aimed down at a 45° angle to the eye line of your subject, then swiveled the flash head backwards and aimed it's light into the center of the umbrella the net effect would be the same as if the flash was off camera triggered remotely. If you stand in a corner of a room facing into the room with white walls and ceilings and aim the flash backwards up into the corner behind, you'll get the same net effect as a larger modifier placed centered and above the camera: a dominant "key" modeleing at 45° downward angle, with lots of "fill" bouncing off the walls from sideways angles to lighten the shadows. The critical factor is understanding how the angle the light needs to bounce down off of whatever it reflects from relative to the face to model it in a natural way. The 45° downward angle isn't a rule engraved in stone, it is just a starting baseline for getting light past the brow and into the eyes while also creating the natural looking downward modeling similar to midday (10AM - 2 PM) light outdoors.
Look at where the catchlights in the eyes wind up. For natural looking modeiing the key light source (whatever it is) reflection on the eye (catchlight) should be on the upper half of the eye, between 10 and 2 on an analog clock face. The position of reveals the angle of the key light. If at 9 or 3 or between 3 and 9 in the lower half of the eye from a low key light the modeling on the face will be less natural looking. Again, keep that in mind regardless if the "key" modeling source is natura, flash or a combination— natural light at mid-day comes from overhead.
That said, lighting babies present some problems different from adults. The first is posing. Infant's can't hold up their heads. Commercial baby shooters will often use commercially available posing platforms that safely hold a baby up at an angle. It is also possible by using draping to have the mother hold the child from behind with hands under the draping out of sight.
A second consideration with infants vs. adults is that the shape of the face is different, rounder and without a prominant nose or brow. So where with an adult you need to be worried about how whether the brow is shading the eyes and which direction the key light angle is sending the nose shadow on a young baby's round face that's not critical. One of the simplest ways to light a baby is to put it on the floor in the mother's lap, with the mother covered with a drape like a sheet or blanket if you only want the baby in the shot, then shoot looking down at the same angle the baby is angled up in the Mom's lap with your flash aimed up at the ceiling over the baby. For more directional lighting arrange the shooting location so you can blounce the flash off the corner of the room (as mentioned above) or a side wall.
When bouncing be aware the color of the walls will change the color temp of the light. Because of that it is a good practice to have a 8 x 10 gray card and set Custom WB off it using the bounced light. Also as an editing reference put the card in a shot with the baby which will make it easier to objectively adjust the skin tone in PP.
For general candid shooting I would recommend gettting a bracket and OC-E3 cord. Like bouncing the idea behind the bracket is getting the flash off 0° relative to the face, closer to the more natural 45° angle that models, but also gets light in the eyes. That greatly improves the appearance of single direct flash shots indoors and out when shooting things like PJ style "Day in the Life of ____ insert kid name ____" sessions. Also later if you get a Master flash (580ex or 600ex series) and put it on the bracket you can use your 430ex as an optically triggered slave, which works quite well in most situations, with the Master on the bracket serving as centered near-axis fill (which is ideal for two flash scenarios).
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