Flash Help - Colour

M

Mackie

Suspended / Banned
Messages
265
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey guys, been doing my latest project and I'm having a bit of trouble with using flash. I'm using a 40D and 430EXII.

Basically I'm trying to achieve something along the lines of this.
Flash_by_paigey_pooh.jpg


I see it quite alot actually. There's like a circular part which is a little blown out but the colour of the wall etc is kept. Can anyone point me in the right direction to achieving this sort of effect? Is there an add on to the flash?
The only time i've got anywhere even slightly close to it, it just seems to blow out the fall completely and leaves it white, when i'd like some of the original colour there.

I also have wireless trigers if that's going to help me at all. Thanks alot.
 
You can adjust the zoom feature on the flash or use modifiers like snoots or grids to shape the flash.

Try reducing the power output so not to blow out the background..

You can use gels to colour the flash output....

You can cheat and do this in CS4, cross process and vignette....

Have a look at http://www.strobist.com might be something similiar to what you want....


:thumbs:
 
From the pic, I dont see any form of background shadow from the model, which to me would suggest there was some sort of flash of camera with a snoot/grid firing onto the BG to make the circular shape. Subject lit separately

Thats of course just my interpretation, could be way off - cant see her eyes to cheat :P

Also easily achievable in PP via vignette etc.
 
If you want a vignette background like that, it must be lit separately from the main subject.

Looking at that pic though, I would guess that it's been done in Photoshop, along with some other wacky colour processing.
 
there is definately a background shadow from the model..or my eyes are decieving me - looks like the light source is slightly camera right, with some kind of snoot
 
Your eyes must be decieving you dude as i can't make out any shadow.
Thanks for all your help guys, much, much appreciated.

Two little things, if I may..

1. What's the best way to go around doing vignette in ps? I've been left behind on it for so long now that I'm really back to the basics. I have CS4 so if anyone can push me in the right direction..?

2. Hoppy, hey. Could you give me a quick description of how this would be done. Where would you position the light for the background, what kinda power we looking at? Also about lighting the subject separately, would the light just not leak onto the background anyway?
 
Mackie said:
1. What's the best way to go around doing vignette in ps? I've been left behind on it for so long now that I'm really back to the basics. I have CS4 so if anyone can push me in the right direction..?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily the best way, but a quick and easy way is....

From the top menu in CS4 select -
Filter > Distort > Lens Correction.

Then use the vignette sliders to get the effect you want.
Also if you duplicate the layer (original image) then you can mask/change opacity/blend etc. to adjust/tweak the new vignette layer.
 
I agree with karfeef about the shadow. Looks like on camera flash as there is a slight shadow to the left of the model which would make sense with the camera in the portrait position. She's very close to the background which is why there's not much of a shadow. That also suggests to me the background was not sparately lit and, as others have said, the effect is created using software and lomo type action.
 
Mackie said:
Your eyes must be decieving you dude as i can't make out any shadow.
Thanks for all your help guys, much, much appreciated.

Two little things, if I may..

1. What's the best way to go around doing vignette in ps? I've been left behind on it for so long now that I'm really back to the basics. I have CS4 so if anyone can push me in the right direction..?

2. Hoppy, hey. Could you give me a quick description of how this would be done. Where would you position the light for the background, what kinda power we looking at? Also about lighting the subject separately, would the light just not leak onto the background anyway?
Click to expand...

Looking at it again, I think it might have been shot with a ring-flash close to a white wall. It's got that look to it. Could be on-camera flash. Then a vignette rather crudely applied in post processing - it's gone over her legs too. Either way it's not an effect I would wish to replicate :eek:

To get different light on the background and model, you have to light both separately and obviously somehow minimise spill from one to the other. Usual way is to position the main light close so that it falls off rapidly and doesn't affect the background much, and put a bit of distance between them to accentuate this. Depending how you postion your lights, you could put a flag on the main light (basically a shade, a barn-door or something) to physically prevent spill.

Remember the inverse square law which means that brightness reduces to one quarter (two stops) if you double the distance. So, if your main light was 1m from the model, even if the background was only 1m behind her (total distance 2m) the light would already be two stops darker. That's enough to make white appear mid-grey, and a grey background would be getting on for black. You can do pretty much anything you want with that kind of differential.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top