Whilst I have little to no right to critisise peoples' photos on this site, I just wanted to draw attention to a lot of photos like these (ignoring the subject matter as that's personal and I have no problem with that (I take lots of photos of my cat)); with the large amounts of money that have been spent on a lot of lighting equipment and sometimes even whole studio space... The lighting on this photos and many like it is very "boring", it looks like you could have just shot this with the available light from the room lights. The light's very boring and it just makes the photo look like any ordinary snap shot.
Again, I'd rather not post this, but it just ticks me off a bit that a lot of people are spending vast quantities of money on this equipment and not using it to its fullest potential. For example, here's a photo that was shot using one flash and a brolly... Yes, it is mine, but the one I was going to post was shot by someone who I believe frequents here and I'm not sure if he'd like me to use it as an example:
Whilst I know it's not a great photo and I really wish I had a reflector in there, I still only shot it in my dining room with the wall as a B/G, or to put it another way, it only cost me £35 for the lighting setup.
If the idea of spending all the money to get a good setup is for presentation; to project a certain degree of professionalism then, yeah, you've got me there, but still, do you understand what I'm saying? I mean, I'm not full on knocking the photography, I'm just a little baffled by the amounts of money spent and how that money is used.
Sorry... I'm pretty sure I'll regret posting this come this afternoon.
As a newcomer to photography and to studio lighting myself, I occasionally make that "dream list" and would usually end up with 5-6 lights and assorted modifiers. But I'm honest enough to say that I wouldn't know how to use that setup effectively.
I have 2 digipoppers for main and background and 1 foamboard. Thats enough for me.
hello guys, i just got my new AB lights(2x B800) and some other accesories. i'm so excited can't wait to post some results. i'm having a hard time figuring out how to deal with the mounting bracket for the reflector kit.
thanks to everybody on FM who have contributed to that wonderful forum, thank you JohnE...
Best regards from Haiti
Its pretty amazing to realize that this single thread has been alive for almost 18 months... almost 1400 contributions to the thread and approaching a million views.
Aside from those eye-opening stats, this one thread shows just how much the unselfish sharing of everyone's skills and ideas have help and inspire others.
My hat is off to all those that have given of themselves and all those that have taken the plunge and have put this information to use and have created their own studio, big and small.
JohnE wrote:
Aside from those eye-opening stats, this one thread shows just how much the unselfish sharing of everyone's skills and ideas have help and inspire others.
My hat is off to all those that have given of themselves and all those that have taken the plunge and have put this information to use and have created their own studio, big and small.
Kudos to you all.
JohnE
Well said, JohnE! Now... post some more of yours! They've been quite an inspiration to my studio-building efforts.
I assume that you posted your comment in order to get some response so here goes.
The type of lighting used in an image is really dependant upon the subject matter and the intended viewer of the image. The lighting in your photo would not be appropriate for a baby or child. It is meant to be edgy and disturbing, not peaceful and innocent.
Yes I agree with you that some of the photos here are a bit flat, I would not say boring, they are basic portraits and not meant to be much else. The folks that post here, it appears, are just getting into studio lighting and trying to learn the techniques associated with it. Hopefully others that are more skilled will step in and offer some sage advice.
Lets take the 2 photos as an example, the one you posted and the one of the little baby in blue. First the baby shot, while evenly exposed is just a touch on the dark side. Babies and smaller children should be taken in a little higher key to accentuate the softness and innocense. Next the addition of a rim light would greatly enhance this image to where it would pop a bit and not be as flat. Once those few things are taken into account you have a nice saleable image that any parent or grandparent would love to have. No it isn't going to be put in Vogue or up to the level of someone like Anne Geddes, but it is not aimed at that.
Now lets examine your image. First look it appears soft in focus, has a color shift towards green, and is way to dark on the shadow side. As you say it needs a reflector or some fill. The contrast seems to be a bit too much and the forehead looks to be blow out and overall looks a bit boring or cliche in style also there is way too much black with no detail. Overall needs a bit more work.
Yes you can take a picture with a little or a lot of equipment, in the end it is the skill and technique that counts. Having the right tools makes it easier to obtain the image you want in the most efficient way. That being said, I would not slam folks for wanting to purchase nice equipment to use, or a nice space to shoot in. I would however attempt to help them if I see something that is not quite right if I was able to. We are all learning all the time. That is what makes photography such and interesting hobby and occupation. There isn't a day that goes by when you can't learn something new and improve upon what you already know.
Finally... I get to add my .02's worth! Not really a studio... using the restaurant of an Atlanta hotel.
Here's the setup for scene 1. One AB800 w/large softbox mounted high, camera left. A silver reflector on the camera-right side for a little fill. Oh... no post processing at all, so be kind.
And one of the test results....
For the second scene, I moved the AB800 camera-right and a little lower, no fill. It needs to look like a seedy nightclub. Another test shot...
P.S... PocketWizards make it oh so much easier! Any ideas on how I could make this better in the future?
I would use some flags up high to control reflections on the background metalic rectangles. Also, you need a bit of light from a kicker down low. The volume of light is a bit down.
On the second shot if you want to make it look like a seedy night club I would cut the light way back. It is far to bright for the seedy look. I would also use a vignetter to darken the edges or do it in photoshop. Also get a smoke machine and smoke up the air a bit if you want really seedy. Perhaps a gridded spot aiming at one of the persons heads to give them a little rim light may make it a little more dramatic instead of an overall flat light. Put a few of the people in shadow to increase the drama.
Thanks for the opportunity to share with others of like mind...
I have a modest table-top still life studio that keeps me busy. Now and again I feel drawn to snap a portrait. Usually informal, my longest session was still less than 2 minutes.
Make it fun, put on some medium calypso and always allow your subjects, when more than one to interact with the others on the downside of the shoot.
Fast calypso is not recommended, since everyone starts shaking it, now that's another thing.
This is my first post, pardon me but I don't know where and how the photos fit into this post. Bear with me.
Dr Bongo D
I bow at the Lotus feet of my Beloved Sat Guru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi
Studio construction still in progress but getting closer. This is after the 2 phase of install and construction. Just finished painting and hardwood floors. Next phase, built in cabinets and desk unit along wall to right of this image.
I love the wood floors. I'm stuck with commercial carpet in my studio. Last night my wife and I painted my lobby, that leaves my office and the bathroom left to paint. Once things are done I'll post the "after" pictures.
