CharleyL
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 p.1 #7 · First time flash user. Seeking advice on Godox v480/X3 nano vs IT32/X5 | |
Your next big step in photography is learning photography lighting. Each time that you get a new light and modifier, take the time to experiment, at first just aiming it at, preferably, a gray backdrop or wall. See how large the light spot or shape is at different distances, and different power levels. Also try adjusting it to bounce (reflect off the ceiling and walls, or other large relatively flat surfaces. Reflecting the light from one flash can give you a second source of light, slightly less bright, but also softer edged (less defined). Notice the reflected power level and shape after it bounces off of different surfaces angles, and distances, and the angles needed for the light to bounce off of the surface and onto your subject. Do this each time that you get a new photography light source. Doing this will give you a good feel for how to use that light or modifier to get the light needed for your desired photos. Spend some time reading through www.strobist1 and 2 and then trying some of the examples in them. Strobist is a little outdated now, but it's FREE and you will learn a lot of the basics from it. Don't hesitate to try all this shooting volunteers as you will learn even more about working with animals and people while learning more about your photography and photography lighting. Stay with one light source at first, and learn how to position it to get the image that you want. Shadows, or faint shadows produce depth in a well lit subject for a good portrait of them. So, too much light that eliminates all or most shadows in a portrait does not produce an interesting result. But there are other kinds of photography, like jewelry photography, where minimizing shadows may produce a better shot. Watch what the pros do for each kind of lighting. Look at magazine photos and try to figure out where the photographer's lights were located and what kind of light was used. Study their work and then try to see if you can reproduce your own version of it. Not an exact copy, but a shot of someone or something with similar lighting and shadows, maybe someone that you know and is willing to pose for you for several hours while you experiment with your camera, lighting, their positions, etc.
Many of us "Pros" keep a skeleton in our closet. Not really a skeleton, but a mannequin like used in the stores. When no one else will pose for you, and you want to try a lighting idea, or just to have a human figure there that won't move for hours while you try different lighting, sometimes can be very helpful for your learning experience.
Linda, my present mannequin, has been here in my home studio for about 7 years now. She is fully dressed with clothing that I purchased mostly at the local thrift shops, and she has several wigs, so "sisters", when I get tired of looking at the same plastic , a change of hair can sometimes help. "She" could have been a "he", but I decided that having a female here would be a little more interesting to have here in my home studio. She isn't a sex dummy, just a female form with the right shape for a pretty young adult woman, but no sex features, and she was the cheapest mannequin that Amazon was selling at the time. She will hold a pose for as long as I need her to, but doesn't have all of the joints required to bend much, so she just mostly stands there. A little head, arm, or waist movement is about all that is possible. But for adjusting the lights and then trying a few "Test Shots" every now and then, she has been handy to have around. Of course, a living human could do more poses, but when you can't get one to pose for you, this can be workable. At my age, most living women want nothing to do with me anymore, nor I with most of them.
Experimenting like this will make you a better photographer rather quickly, but I have a warning - Photography lighting and the lights and modifiers used is a rapidly changing ar in themselves. What you learn today will help you learn new things tomorrow to make you an even better photographer than you might be today, but the lighting keeps changing, so you need to experiment and learn more about these "new lights".
The warning comes when you realize that there seems to be no end to what you can learn about photography and lighting. I've been taking photos and experimenting with lighting for photography and video since the early 1950's, and I'm still learning. But this is great, because when I learn something, I can quickly become board, if there isn't something new to learn. I am still learning photography and lighting and haven't lost my appetite to learn even more. It has been a wonderful experience that has kept me interested and hungry for more for my entire adult life. Learn by doing, by reading, and by talking to others who seem to be able to answer your questions. Come back here with your questions when those around you don't seem to have the good answers. Most of us who have been doing photography like to help those with reasonably intelligent questions. Do your home work, but ask when you can't find the answer. Someone here will be happy to help if you ask intelligent questions and have not found the answer yourself.
I check in here often, but there are also PMs (private messaging) that becomes available to you after you have made a few posts to prove that you aren't a robot.
Charley
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