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Archive 2014 · Speedlite Flash Photography

davidluke
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Speedlite Flash Photography

Hi. I was wondering if it was possible to create a harsh flash look like the reference below with 1 speedlite.

If so what the the settings I need on the flash unit and on camera. I am using the sony a7 and sony speedlite HVL-F60M.

http://www.jaredthomasphotography.com/studio

Thank you for the help.

Dec 18, 2014 at 02:08 PM

gene2632
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Speedlite Flash Photography

It would be a challenge because what you are seeing is high contrast on white background. When I do something like this I typically use at least 2 lights just to blow out the white background. One single light would just create shadows unless you used a soft box on it and then it would not be enough to blow the background out.

Dec 18, 2014 at 05:55 PM

c. eless
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Speedlite Flash Photography

I think you could do it. Judging from the catch lights in the first image it looks like there was only one small light source. In the images that I looked that everybody had their back up against the white background so there is no way to light it separately. You could try it with flash on camera but I think I would use a flash bracket in order to have the flash a little bit above the camera and overexpose about half a stop. Good luck, post your results.

Dec 18, 2014 at 08:20 PM

Paul_K
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Speedlite Flash Photography

c. eless wrote:
I think you could do it. Judging from the catch lights in the first image it looks like there was only one small light source. In the images that I looked that everybody had their back up against the white background so there is no way to light it separately. You could try it with flash on camera but I think I would use a flash bracket in order to have the flash a little bit above the camera and overexpose about half a stop. Good luck, post your results.

Agreed

Could be done with one speedlight (although the pictures you show as an example are obviously not shot with just one speedlight, so your result may very likely not be identical).

Forget about using a softbox, the very nature of that type of light source (large diffused light source, even if the light is more directed then when eg using an umbrella) contradicts the harsh shadows you're after.

In my experience a single speedlight could be not be enough to have an large background lit evenly completely though, so putting a small(!) beautydisk or small reflector with a metallic coating (for creating the harsh nature type of light) on the speedlight could be an option.

Keep in mind thought that the distance between the lightsource and the subject influences the way it works out (the further away, the more a point light source it becomes, and the closer, the softer).

As you can see the models are leaning against the background, and the spill of the light creates the very slight fill which prevents the shadows from clogging up completely.

Here's an example, shot with a simple halogen film lamp (no Ianiro redhead or blondie) used with an standard reflector from my studio flash (with a hammered aluminium reflective surface) I had adapted to mount the lamp on http://www.pbase.com/paul_k/image/121732318

I by choice had the contrast enhanced in post for the final print (scan, picture originally shot on cross processed slide film). Of course you can achieve that effect in digital by steepening of flattening the curves in the exposure and contrast during post afterwards.

Dec 19, 2014 at 06:15 AM

davidluke
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Speedlite Flash Photography

I think you are correct. I'm going to try this with the bracket. Thanks!

Dec 19, 2014 at 12:13 PM

davidluke
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Speedlite Flash Photography

Thank you all and one I am done I will post results.

Thanks!!

Dec 19, 2014 at 12:13 PM

tjk60
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Speedlite Flash Photography

How about some non-linear thinking? Get a couple lights like

http://www.lowes.com/pd_458094-49296-FU2402-2_4294565964__?productId=50056887&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=

And use these to 'blow out' the backdrop?

Dec 20, 2014 at 02:27 PM

davidluke
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Speedlite Flash Photography

thanks for the reply and the suggestions. I ended up using my speedlite and it seemed to turn out okay. Check out the link below to see my shot. Let me know what you guys think.

https://flic.kr/p/quBS6J

Dec 22, 2014 at 12:29 AM

gene2632
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Speedlite Flash Photography

It is ok..but only ok. Looking at the rest of your work and listening to what you were trying to accomplish, I think you would have done a better job with more light on the background to get it to go pure white and maybe some light from the back to highlight her hair.. but remember, this is my opinion.....and nothing else.

Dec 24, 2014 at 03:57 PM

Paul_K
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Speedlite Flash Photography

gene2632 wrote:
It is ok..but only ok. Looking at the rest of your work and listening to what you were trying to accomplish, I think you would have done a better job with more light on the background to get it to go pure white and maybe some light from the back to highlight her hair.. but remember, this is my opinion.....and nothing else.

Disgree, I think the result is pretty decent considering it was shot with only one speedlight without extra reflectors etc (from what I gather).

Especially disagree bout the supposedly necessary extra light on the background and the hairlight.
Already the shadows are getting more fill and consequently are less contrasty as in the pictures the OP referred to in his original posting. Adding a hairlight is absolutely not in the style of those pictures either, so completely out of place.

I think picture https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidluke/16085256005/in/photostream/ comes closest to the intended result. It would just need a bit more contrast, deeper shadows, and slightly burned out highlight/skintones (which BTW would also brighten/whiten the back ground up a bit) which could all be done in post processing (I downloaded the image and tried for fun) , and it would be on it's way

Dec 24, 2014 at 07:34 PM

davidluke
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Speedlite Flash Photography

Thanks for the response. What do you mean by burned out highlights/skin tone?

Thanks

Dec 24, 2014 at 10:12 PM

gene2632
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Speedlite Flash Photography

"Disgree, I think the result is pretty decent considering it was shot with only one speedlight without extra reflectors etc (from what I gather)."

That is my whole point...to really accomplish what the OP said he was trying to do requires more than one speed light. The effort is a good one but maybe it is my newspaper/jouralist background that wants it to come out of the camera pretty much ready to go and not requiring a lot of post processing work. Like I said, it is just my own feeling. It is not a bad effort, it is actually a good effort if you are limited to one light. I just don't think using just the one light does it justice, especially after seeing his other images.

Dec 25, 2014 at 01:13 AM

Inga
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Speedlite Flash Photography

Looks like you got pretty darn close to replicating what you were going for. Looking at the samples you were trying to emulate, I fully believe it's a single hard light source (like a strobe with a basic reflector, but a speedlight would work fine too). The rest of the look was in the post processing IMO. I think that you could have come even closer to the desired look with a bit more contrasty / heavy PP. Looking at the rest of your images in Flickr you lean towards more subdued and faded processing, the opposite of what the samples show.

Dec 29, 2014 at 08:33 PM


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