Depth of Field/Focus in a studio setting?
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HoppyUK
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You mean, how do you get the exposure down so you can shoot at f/1.4 or something?
Yes, just using the modelling lights is one way, though you have to kill all other ambient, ie basically shoot in a darkened studio. Or popping a neutral density filter on the lens allows you to use flash and gets around the ambient problem.
Garry Edwards
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As above, and you can also fit ND gels over the flash heads.
HoppyUK
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Though you still have the problem of ambient light that way. Fine if you can darken the studio, or shoot at night.
Forgot to mention a slight problem with NDs on the lens is it obviously makes the viewfinder darker. Any more than two stops of ND and that might get difficult.
JonathanRyan
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Turn them down? Most modern lights go pretty low.
Garry can give you numbers on how that affects colour temperature but it shouldn't be horrid.
Garry can give you numbers on how that affects colour temperature but it shouldn't be horrid.
I'd use a wider aperture and turn the flashes down. If they are on minimum already you may be able to get ND gels for the flash heads.
Or if you have a longer focal length lens, get closer, that will make the DoF shallower at the same f-stop.
Jack Westhead Photography
Got my first attempt at boudior photography coming up in a week or so and was looking for threads on this.
So a four stop ND on the lens would stop effective focusing on D700 and turn the viewfinder so dark as to be unable to compose through the viewfinder ?
So a four stop ND on the lens would stop effective focusing on D700 and turn the viewfinder so dark as to be unable to compose through the viewfinder ?
Garry Edwards
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On a D700 fitted with a f/2.8 lens, you should have absolutely no problem - I don't.
But on some cameras, fitted with a variable aperture kit lens, autofocussing may be a problem.
saracenhouse
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If you want to get to a really wide aperture, you may struggle with studio heads. Quite often we'll just crank the modelling lamp up to full, ditch the trigger and set the white balance to tungsten to shoot with continuous light.
We get some really nice results with the lamps at around f/1.4 at 60th to 250th second, depending on the lamp, distance, modifier, ISO etc.
You could also use a longer focal length lens with flash as this would shorten the depth of field too.
We get some really nice results with the lamps at around f/1.4 at 60th to 250th second, depending on the lamp, distance, modifier, ISO etc.
You could also use a longer focal length lens with flash as this would shorten the depth of field too.