shatterkiss, I have visited your site and contributed to those hits. All I can say is they have been very helpful and thanks. For us trying to learn these setups are just a wealth of information
pauelv wrote:
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? P
I don't have any set-up shots of the following, but here is an example of what you just described; a medium softbox positioned horizontally above the model aimed downward with a silver long oval reflector underneath that for the shadows:
I've got an Alien Bee hoisted up about seven feet on a boom that stays exactly where it is at all times. I've got the AB set at its lowest power setting (1/32). I've got a mark on the floor where the model stands and if I have her stand perfectly straight and then have her tilt her head upwards a little, she's looking at the middle of the softbox. Distance from tip-of-nose to softbox is about 38 inches. Since I use this lighting setup the majority of the time, I know as soon as I get the camera out that my settings are a consistent 125th at f/2.8
Shatterkiss,
Is that a boom you got on that BD or an extension arm? Kinda hard to see in the setup image. Thanks.
shatterkiss wrote:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
dasmodul wrote:
Shatterkiss,
Is that a boom you got on that BD or an extension arm? Kinda hard to see in the setup image. Thanks.
That's just a grip arm mounted to the c-stand. I don't really use booms as much lately unless I need to get a lot of extension...for just getting things up high grip arms are so much more convenient.
Great lighting el-hoppy.
Butterfly lighting is the use of the light source above the subject (like you have) but when you add the reflector/light coming from below to fill shadows, that is termed a clamshell setup.
I like this kind of lighting. However the background is not to my liking. Too close to model and dress in tone and brightness.
The shadows on her thighs are distracting particularly since the dress is so short. Her left arm looks like it is detached from her body and closer to the camera. Face and shoulder appear to have been post processed but legs and arms do not. And finally, her left thigh looks to be a bit darker than right, probably lighting and angle of leg.
I'm sure many would agree with your thoughts, but I don't think he posted his pix for critical review. He was merely showing everyone his setup - which one can learn or not learn from it. Perhaps your comments would be better suited for PM the next time around.
