Fill Flash

[Finste]

Hi,

After much mucking around I've decided to make a concerted effort to learn flash lighting. I've done the 'Strobist' stuff and I'm not too keen to the results. As a technique it seems more like a bag of tricks to me.

Anyways, I've read through this forum and have a question regarding fill-flash. In much of the excellent material Garry Edwards puts out, he states that fill should be on the camera axis, above or below the camera. (I think in one pdf he stated that if you do anything else you don't know what you're doing!). I get the principle of 'filling in the shadows' behind this idea but can't reconcile it to product photography where fill is from above and slightly behind. It can't see the shadows from the camera's point of view. Both can't be correct or is the former idea just a bit too strict?

I'm not trying to get at anyone here, just trying to understand fill flash for product photography that conflicts with what seems to be best practise.

Regards...
Steve

 

[Garry Edwards]

Intresting question - makes a nice change

Firstly, when I say that the fill light is always from the camera position I'm talking about photographing people mostly - but not exclusively.

The thinking behind this is as you've already identified. The fill light HAS to be at the camera position to light all of the subject as seen by the lens. By doing so it adds a bit to the key light and adds the same amount to shadow areas - but, in terms of percentage it adds far more to the shadow areas. If the light is placed anywhere else it not only is not a fill but it becomes a second sun, which inevitably produces unnatural results.
Marc Gouguenheim, who is by far the best fashion & portrait photographer I know, recently got himself a Lencarta ringflash which he uses as a fill light simply because it's in the perfect position (completely surrounding the lens). He tells me that he normally uses it at very low power, but that's just his style - he likes high lighting ratios.

I take your point about different lighting positions in product photography but what you say isn't actually right. The STARTING position when lighting many small products is usually a large softbox above and behind but that is often the KEY light, with the fill light placed on the lens axis. And when the above/behind light isn't the key light then it's usually a backlight (the key light might be say a spotlight or a honecombed light somewhere else) and although the above/behind light might act as a fill to some extent that isn't its primary purpose.

I suppose the main difference is that product photography lighting is required to show the subject as its best and doesn't necessarily have to look natural. Portrait/fashion lighting should look natural.

Hope this helps

 

[Finste]

Hi,

Ah, I see. Different genres, slightly different ways of going about it.

Regards
Steve