Ah, I don't belong over here but I could use a bit of help. A doc friend of mine who - among other things - does laser surgery and some sort of procedure that actually removes fat from the body so that he is actually "sculpting" it is opening a new office and because as he says, "you have such a nice camera you must know all about photography" I got elected to help him with lighting. I suggested he get an expert to no avail. All of my work is outside with available light so I'm working off old books and some Internet research.
Basically he needs to do full body images before and after - front, rear, and both sides - of his patients. The background will be painted walls in a deep blue. Apparently this is a medical convention for photographs. He wants to take the photos as part of his intake consultation and they need to be of sufficient quality to plan how to do the work. The after photos are to document the results.
He's not much of a photographer but does have a Nikon D200 I think and will buy whatever lens is necessary. I know the textbook basics of lighting - main/fill/accent - but would appreciate any direction people here would be willing to share in how to set up a simple and relatively permanent stand-up studio.
If it were me I'd want it so everything is lit and visible. I would use 3 lights- one from the front and 1 at each side so that everything would be lit.
If you can rent it, i'd get 3 lights and 3 softboxes. Put one softbox above and in front to light the front and have the other 2 slightly behind the subject so provide rim lighting. I'm thinking that you don't want shadows where he might need to point.
Of course, this is making it a big deal but if you need to light a full body this will definately do it.
If you do go this route, there's a place you can rent White Lightning stuff for decent prices- if the doc is willing to do that then you're good to go.
Start with the goals and then consider lighting strategies.
What is needed here is symmetrical modeling with the light. An angle which reveals 3D shape but doesn't distort the natural symmetry. A centered lighting strategy, commonly called "butterfly" for the shape of the shadow under the nose it creates would be ideal. Because it it centered it will not distort the natural shape of the body and downward angle of the main or key light will mimic the angle of natural lighting resulting in modeling which seems natural. By comparison putting the main or key light on one side or the other would wind up making the body look asymmetrical. Crossed lighting, lights on opposite side will result in flat lighting with very dark shadows in areas neither light reaches.
The basic requirement is not unlike the "Photo with Santa" operations at shopping malls. They have a very simple but effective lighting set-up: a single studio light centered 3-4' over the camera mounted on a stand with a medium softbox on the light. He could do something similar with the light mounted to the ceiling and trigger with a Pocket Wizard. The advantage of that set-up would be its simplicity. The lighting would be consistent and so would the exposure; he'd simply need to point and shoot. Since butterfly is relatively flat and you'll want some shadows to define 3D shape you can probably get away with one light and no fill. If you find fill is needed and want to keep the equipment out of the way just bounce a second light off the back wall behind the camera (painted white). If you have enough space and want to increase the illusion of 3D you could consider rim lighting behind the subject.
The biggest problem you encounter may be space. Near / far distortion is a function of camera distance not lens focal length. For a full length shot you'd ideally want at least 8-10' to the subject to prevent distortion and 3 or more between subject and background. Move much closer than 8' and the optics of any lens will start to make the closer objects larger. That might be a good thing if he was doing breast enhancement, but not what is needed for accurate documentation.
Thanks for the responses. The emphasis here is on simple and a relatively permanent setup. The ceiling above is drop down so it would be easy to mount a softbox from above and trigger it with a PW. I assume I could power the light permanently by connecting it to a 110 source? Also, what size would "medium" be?
Tez, renting is not option as this needs to be permanent and the doc has to take the picture. Patients will be wearing minimal clothing. I had considered the 3 light approach but Chuck's sounds simpler though it may take side fill lighting to get it done.
As for distance, I think the office has enough room to do it. The 3 feet from the wall will be the hard part. How important is that distance? Chuck, I'll pass on the closer - larger paradigm to the doc. He doesn't do breasts but he does do fat removal. So move closer for the before and further away for the after
Robert
Sorry for the idiot level questions, but I really know nothing about lighting and am just stuck helping a friend.
Power to the light in the ceiling would be best done by putting a switched outlet up near the ceiling on a wall. That way the light can be easily powered on and off. That would be a trivial job for any electrician by tapping into any existing baseboard outlet.
If the room has white walls there should be enough bounce fill to suffice. Reflective panels on the end of the room where the patient will stand would also help.
A medium SB is typically around 24 x 32. He'd probably need to mount it sideways. Another option would be a 22" beauty dish. I use one for fill most of the time because it is compact and fits between camera and my 8' ceiling. The metal dish would also look more "clinical" and be easier to clean.
The issue with subject / background distance is shadow control. The darker the background, the less the shadows will be noticed. An inexpensive way to create a durable cyclorama (infinity curved) background is to use the back side of a sheet of seamless flooring. No construction is needed and it can be painted, washed, and repainted as needed. Less hassle than paper.
He should have a camera stand to keep camera position consistent. A rolling cabinet of sufficient height would be ideal as a shooting platform / camera storage solution. Just drill a hole in the top and mount and attach a tripod ball head with a 1/4" - 20" bolt. I do something similar when I need a tall tripod. I have a 1" x 6" board with a counter-sunk 1" long 1/4" -20 bolt. I attach the ball head to the board then clamp the board to the top of a ladder...
If you look at all of the medical before / after photos in ads, you will notice that the before shots are usually customer straight on to the camera, with flat (over the camera) lighting. They are usually shot without diffusers. On the other hand, the "after" photos are usually done with a portrait lighting setup, diffused, to make the image more "beautiful"
looking. Look in the newspapers and magazines and see what I am talking about. This will give you a starting point to expand from.
I got elected to help him with lighting. I suggested he get an expert to no avail. All of my work is outside with available light so I'm working off old books and some Internet research.