First time using studio lights

[jockwav]

I joined a camera club a few months ago & they have some lastolights,so this is the very first time trying studio lights tonight,any feedback welcome.
One of the members.

 

[jobartlett]

Not a bad first go at all. As you are looking at the picture on the right hand side over his shoulder is a lot brighter to the rest of the background.

Where did you have the lights vs where you had the subject?

 

[jockwav]

I had one light each side of the camera,there was a bit of shadow over his shoulder so i took that out in LR

 

[jobartlett]

There is a big difference in the colour of the background over each shoulder and you can see a 'join' above his head where the shadow meets the light.

It might be worth concentration one light on the background and the other light on the subject to give you a more rounded colour on the background


I think it's a great start to studio lighting. Well done

 

[boyfalldown]

It looks to me as if the variation on the background is from your PP. Its odd to have that distinct a divide on a BG and you've also left a few darker spots round his ear and shoulder. Do you think we could see a version with no PP

 

[Garry Edwards]

It looks to me as if the variation on the background is from your PP. Its odd to have that distinct a divide on a BG and you've also left a few darker spots round his ear and shoulder. Do you think we could see a version with no PP

As above. If you want useful tips on a photo, you MUST show people the photo as shot.

Even without seeing the real photo though, the point that jumps out and hits me is that you've been reading consumer photo magazines or looking to YouTube for advice... This gentleman clearly has a round face, but I'm willing to bet that it is nowhere near as round as it looks here. What you've done is to light it from each side, presumably because you've been told that this is a 'professional' lighting arrangement, and in doing so you have killed shadows and also lit both sides of his face, making it look much wider than it is.

 

[jockwav]

There is a big difference in the colour of the background over each shoulder and you can see a 'join' above his head where the shadow meets the light.

It might be worth concentration one light on the background and the other light on the subject to give you a more rounded colour on the background


I think it's a great start to studio lighting. Well done

Thanks Joanna,i will be back there in 2 weeks time & will have another go at it.

 

[jockwav]

It looks to me as if the variation on the background is from your PP. Its odd to have that distinct a divide on a BG and you've also left a few darker spots round his ear and shoulder. Do you think we could see a version with no PP

Yep your right i tried to use PP to sort out the shadows but not quite right,will have another shoot with it in a few weeks.

 

[jockwav]

As above. If you want useful tips on a photo, you MUST show people the photo as shot.

Even without seeing the real photo though, the point that jumps out and hits me is that you've been reading consumer photo magazines or looking to YouTube for advice... This gentleman clearly has a round face, but I'm willing to bet that it is nowhere near as round as it looks here. What you've done is to light it from each side, presumably because you've been told that this is a 'professional' lighting arrangement, and in doing so you have killed shadows and also lit both sides of his face, making it look much wider than it is.

Your spot on Garry,i have been looking at a lot of youtubes over the last couple of years,he does have a big round face.
I did light it from each side the 45 deg. setup but obviously not right,also from advice i have read on here about using that setup.
Anyway our next meeting is in 2 weeks time & we will have another go at it,i did not realize until we were packing up they actually have 3 of these lastolight 400,s so i could have had one light on the background.
The club got a grant a while back before i joined & they bought all this stuff,light stands the lot but they did not know how it worked until i got it going last night eventually.
I use speedlights for my own use,it is purely a hobby for me but it would be nice to improve with this as the use of the studio lights are FREE.
So this is the original photo from last night.

 

[Phil V]

Your spot on Garry,i have been looking at a lot of youtubes over the last couple of years,he does have a big round face.
I did light it from each side the 45 deg. setup but obviously not right,also from advice i have read on here about using that setup.
Anyway our next meeting is in 2 weeks time & we will have another go at it,i did not realize until we were packing up they actually have 3 of these lastolight 400,s so i could have had one light on the background.
The club got a grant a while back before i joined & they bought all this stuff,light stands the lot but they did not know how it worked until i got it going last night eventually.
I use speedlights for my own use,it is purely a hobby for me but it would be nice to improve with this as the use of the studio lights are FREE.
So this is the original photo from last night.

Apart from the lighting pattern, lesson no. 1 subject too close to the background. Everyone does it, and when they see how far away the regulars work they're always bemused.

Read the reams here about white backgrounds and try something more interesting as a starter. If the first thing I tried to shoot was birds in flight, you'd call me an idiot, and suggest I started with something simple, well lightings the same, and lighting a white background well isn't lesson one.

 

[jockwav]

Unfortunately there is not a lot of room in there,we can,t bring the subject 6ft. forward as there would be little room left to get the lights in front of him.
So i will just have to try something a bit different next time.

 

[Phil V]

Unfortunately there is not a lot of room in there,we can,t bring the subject 6ft. forward as there would be little room left to get the lights in front of him.
So i will just have to try something a bit different next time.

Drop the white BG, and you'll do yourself some favours, light from above and close and you could get a black BG if you're careful.

 

[mike weeks]

Unfortunately there is not a lot of room in there,we can,t bring the subject 6ft. forward as there would be little room left to get the lights in front of him.
So i will just have to try something a bit different next time.

Just how far are the lights away from him?

Most people make the mistake of putting the lights TOO FAR from the subject and the subject TOO CLOSE to the background

Mike

 

[mike weeks]

Why do I think the lights might be too far away? Look at the size of the catch lights, they are very small, so what modifiers did you have on the lights?

Mike

 

[jockwav]

Drop the white BG, and you'll do yourself some favours, light from above and close and you could get a black BG if you're careful.

Cheers Phil,will have a go at that next time.

 

[jockwav]

Just how far are the lights away from him?

Most people make the mistake of putting the lights TOO FAR from the subject and the subject TOO CLOSE to the background

Mike

In hindsight i think thay were too far away.

 

[Phil V]

In hindsight i think thay were too far away.

We didn't really need to examine the catch lights, the lights should have been visible in the original un cropped image.

 

[jockwav]

Why do I think the lights might be too far away? Look at the size of the catch lights, they are very small, so what modifiers did you have on the lights?

Mike

As i said at the very start of this thread i have never used studio lights before,not even touched one,as for modifiers i take it you mean brollies & the such.
They were reflective brollies shot at 1/125 F8 ISO 1OO

 

[jockwav]

We didn't really need to examine the catch lights, the lights should have been visible in the original un cropped image.

You can,t see the lights in the original shot i,m afraid.

 

[Phil V]

As i said at the very start of this thread i have never used studio lights before,not even touched one,as for modifiers i take it you mean brollies & the such.
They were reflective brollies shot at 1/125 F8 ISO 1OO

If you've got softboxes, they're a better option in a small space. What are your other options?

 

[jockwav]

I have shoot thru brollies & also 1 brollie type softbox.

 

[Phil V]

You can,t see the lights in the original shot i,m afraid.

That's what I mean! They should have been close enough that they're visible on that shot.

Although, as Garry said, just one

 

[jockwav]

Well in 2 weeks time i will be having another go at it & see what happens,if it works fine if not i might just leave it there & stick to my own speedlights.

 

[Phil V]

Well in 2 weeks time i will be having another go at it & see what happens,if it works fine if not i might just leave it there & stick to my own speedlights.

I'm sure you'll be able to make it work.

 

[jockwav]

I'm sure you'll be able to make it work.

Thanks for your help Phil,will give it another go.