Show us your setup!

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Archive 2008 · Show us your setup!

shatterkiss
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p.1 #1 · Show us your setup!

So it struck me the other day that some of my most popular/trafficked images on Flickr! were setup and behind the scenes shots. Personally, I love seeing how people arrive at the final images and how everyone works, so I thought it might be a fun exercise for everyone to share their own!

So show us an image or two, a shot of the setup you used to get it and give us a little explanation!

Sep 15, 2008 at 10:38 PM

shatterkiss
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p.1 #2 · Show us your setup!

I'll start!

Over the weekend I had a model I'd worked with once before, Donna, come back to the studio for a test shoot. Turns out she was just signed by Click Models in Boston and is hurrying to build a full portfolio but isn't thrilled with some of the other folks she's been shooting with. This was a casual test: just the two of us, no team, she just threw some clothes in bag and came over, did her own hair and makeup once we decided what to shoot.

We shot a simple beauty look quickly, since I already had the lights set up for it. Then we moved on to a concept I'd been playing with that morning with another model:

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There's three heads in use there on two packs, all positioned in a row behind her. Two Profoto D4 heads are pointed back at the camera with the zoom reflectors on the narrowest settings, the third is between them and lower pointed at the background with just the bare bulb. One Lastolite reflector and a larger reflector panel, both white, are to camera right bouncing light back onto Donna. Here's the setup shot:

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We moved on to shoot some outdoor setups outside the studio, both strobed and natural light, then moved back indoors for a simple beauty/portrait look. This was really simple, one of my go-to setups for reliable light.

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I built a clamshell setup for the light on her, a Mola Demi dish high with a medium softbox low. The dish is maybe 2.5' from her face and angled towards her chest, the softbox is maybe 4' away from her. I placed a third head with just the zoom reflector about 3' away from the background to get a light hotspot - she's hiding it from the camera.

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We played around with one last setup that didn't really yield much, then called it a day! All said and done, I think we got 4 different looks/setups in about 3.5 hours and that was my second shoot of the day.

You can always find behind the scenes stuff on my Flickr! site as well: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shatterkiss

Sep 15, 2008 at 10:42 PM

Jame Washingto
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p.1 #3 · Show us your setup!

I'm a huge fan of your behind the scenes shots on flickr. I'm a huge fan of what you do with one light. The next time you're in LA and need an assistant or a knowledgeable gawker, let me know.

Sep 15, 2008 at 11:27 PM

Numfar
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p.1 #4 · Show us your setup!

Simon - your top setup is almost identical to mine in this shot - I quite like it, but I struggle to get a goodly amount of flare in the lens sometimes - very hit and miss for me.

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Sep 16, 2008 at 04:47 PM

shatterkiss
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p.1 #5 · Show us your setup!

Gorgeous shot, Brent! I actually like yours quite a bit more than mine.

You're right about the flare, though. In fact, in that morning's test I actually rotated through several different lenses to observe how different the flare was between them and was really surprised at the results. Not only was it more pronounced in some lenses, but there were dramatic differences in color, length, shape and definition. I think that, in setups where I want intentional flare, my lens choice will end up being more about achieving that flare than other compositional criteria.

The next step, once I get the free time to play with it, is going to be testing strobe angle and reflector type to see what kind of effects they have on flare and blooming.

Sep 16, 2008 at 05:08 PM

jcolman
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p.1 #6 · Show us your setup!

A couple of models, two photogenic studio strobes and a speedlight.

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The lights have been moved but this shows the modifiers I used for the above shot.

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and finally, a behind the scenes shot from a commercial I directed a while ago.

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Sep 16, 2008 at 05:27 PM

pauelv
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p.1 #7 · Show us your setup!

shatterkiss: Re clamshell set-up:
Would I be able to achieve somewhat the same lighting using just one soft-box above and a reflector below? I'm trying to learn more and understand studio photography.

Thanks for sharing your set-up. Very interesting.

P

Sep 16, 2008 at 05:35 PM

Numfar
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p.1 #8 · Show us your setup!

shatterkiss wrote:
Gorgeous shot, Brent! I actually like yours quite a bit more than mine.

You're right about the flare, though. In fact, in that morning's test I actually rotated through several different lenses to observe how different the flare was between them and was really surprised at the results. Not only was it more pronounced in some lenses, but there were dramatic differences in color, length, shape and definition. I think that, in setups where I want intentional flare, my lens choice will end up being more about achieving that flare than other compositional criteria.

The next step, once I get the free time to play with it, is going to be testing strobe angle and reflector type to see what kind of effects they have on flare and blooming.

I'd love to know your findings. I shoot Canon primarily, and in my experience, the 85mm 1.2 II is not very good for keeping the flare. The 70-200 f/2.8 IS is reasonably good, but you have to be firing the light right into th lens, and then the colour of the flare isn't great.

I have yet to find one that I really love - I even purchased a 55-200 just to try it in this set up, but returned it when results weren't great.

what lens did you use above? I'd be interested in sharing findings on this.

Sep 16, 2008 at 06:49 PM

shatterkiss
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p.1 #9 · Show us your setup!

That lens above was Nikon's 17-55/2.8 AF-S - it's basically my workhorse lens.

It's not exactly a comprehensive or scientific comparison, but I went back and pulled two shots of the same setup with different lenses from that morning's test:

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Both were cropped exactly the same, so the focal lengths were reasonably close, and they were batch-processed from Lightroom with the same settings. The 17-55 did have a hood on it, however. Still, I find it interesting how differently the two lenses handle the same shooting situation. If I have time, the next time I'm in the studio, I'll run every lens I can get my hands on through that test - I'm really curious to see which one's the champ.

Sep 16, 2008 at 11:55 PM

Numfar
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p.1 #10 · Show us your setup!

This is my favourite ultra-high end set up for getting close to something like a Holga shot. Throw enough light down the barrel of an expensive lens and high end sensor, and random goodness starts to happen. =)

I have an old MF 35mm nikor that I should try it out with on the D3. And I can run a lot of Canon's through the same test.

I also find placing the front reflector in different places really changes the look - also, the material used for the reflector makes a huge difference. Right now, I'm partial to those $2 space blankets you buy at Walmart all folded up. Unfolded and taped over foamcore, they make awesome reflectors - both gold and silver too.

Below, on the other hand, is an actual Holga shot using a very similar set up...

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Sep 17, 2008 at 12:37 AM

shatterkiss
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p.1 #11 · Show us your setup!

pauelv wrote:
Would I be able to achieve somewhat the same lighting using just one soft-box above and a reflector below? I'm trying to learn more and understand studio photography.

You definitely could, though I think it's a less effective setup for achieving those kinds of results. Numfar should weigh in - if you look at his work you'll see that he's a way better beauty photographer than I am.

The way I was lighting, the top light and bottom light are less than one stop apart - that's really tough to do with a reflector, especially when the key light that it's reflecting is so close to your subject. You can certainly get a broader portrait look using a reflector for the bottom half of a clamshell setup but it isn't going to give you that same luminous and glowing look that you see in a lot of beauty imagery or portraits from folks like Jill Greenberg or Martin Schoeller. That look is all about using multiple soft lights at exactly the right angles of reflectance.

Sep 17, 2008 at 02:45 AM

pauelv
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p.1 #12 · Show us your setup!

Thanks for the reply, I think I understand what you're saying. I'll try to visit you're Flickr for more inspiration sometimes.

Pau

Sep 17, 2008 at 11:50 AM

Deezie
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p.1 #13 · Show us your setup!

Excellent thread. More pictures, please!

Sep 17, 2008 at 11:20 PM

Jonathan H
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p.1 #14 · Show us your setup!

That's a Mola 23" Demi beauty dish up high on a boom, with two more heads, one left and low to highlight the shoes, and one high to the right for a rimlight.

Unfortunately, I'm on the road for the next week with my laptop and don't have any of the finished production images with me to post, but I do have this already on Flickr. This was a test shot before the model sat in.

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Sep 18, 2008 at 12:26 AM

dlew308
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p.1 #15 · Show us your setup!

From a class I'm taking...I'm learning ^_^

2 gel'd strobes and a beauty dish above

Sep 18, 2008 at 12:42 AM

garyroach
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p.1 #16 · Show us your setup!

Love this kind of stuff. But, there is something I've always wondered about. How do you get locations to shoot? Who do you approach? Will some places let you shoot test shots or do you have to rent the location? Thanks.

Sep 18, 2008 at 03:13 AM

Jonathan H
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p.1 #17 · Show us your setup!

Every location is different. Some require huuuuge permit fees. Others don't. Others will let you shoot as long as you can provide a certificate of insurance and sign an indemnity clause.

The best approach is just to stay on the level and ask. Look for a PR or media relations office. Smaller or independent organizations are often a lot more receptive to some form of "barter" - I usually offer a couple 16x20 prints as long as whatever I'm shooting there is appropriate to offer.

Sep 18, 2008 at 05:26 AM

garyroach
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p.1 #18 · Show us your setup!

Jonathan H wrote:
Every location is different. Some require huuuuge permit fees. Others don't. Others will let you shoot as long as you can provide a certificate of insurance and sign an indemnity clause.

The best approach is just to stay on the level and ask. Look for a PR or media relations office. Smaller or independent organizations are often a lot more receptive to some form of "barter" - I usually offer a couple 16x20 prints as long as whatever I'm shooting there is appropriate to offer.

Thanks, Jonathan.

These are the kind of details that are absolutely essential, but aren't widely known unless you are a working professional.

Sep 18, 2008 at 04:14 PM

big-e
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p.1 #19 · Show us your setup!

set up for Sunday
i will post after to compare

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Sep 19, 2008 at 09:39 AM

Jonathan H
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p.1 #20 · Show us your setup!

Translation for the above

:

Top right: "Rear kicker light, facial fill (courtesy of the reflector) and an outer hair light."

Top left: "Background flash"

Center: "Hair light"

Bottom left: "Giant white umbrella (170cm) without reflector, key light."

עמי, קבלתי את ההודעה שלך לפני כמה ימים אבל לק היה לי את ההזדמנות לענות. אני מקווה שלא הרסתי את הענין בדיאגרמה שלך!

Sep 20, 2008 at 03:45 PM

big-e
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p.1 #21 · Show us your setup!

תרגום מדויק כל הכבוד
חג שמח
עמי

Sep 20, 2008 at 03:51 PM

big-e
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p.1 #22 · Show us your setup!

O.K pic of the set

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and samples

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I used one more box on the floor in front

Sep 21, 2008 at 08:46 PM

Thats Fresh
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p.1 #23 · Show us your setup!

thats alot of lights for that type of end shot.

Sep 22, 2008 at 03:55 PM

jcolman
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p.1 #24 · Show us your setup!

Thats Fresh wrote:
thats alot of lights for that type of end shot.

Not really. I use pretty much the same setup for for most of my "talking heads" video shoots. I also use a similar setup for portraits as well.

Sep 22, 2008 at 06:12 PM

Carmen Miranda
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p.1 #25 · Show us your setup!

The lower fill catchlights look like "eye goobers" to me.

Fortunately, that's an easy retouch.

Good luck.

Sep 22, 2008 at 06:24 PM


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