How should I light this folks?

[treeman]

Ok, I consider my self pretty experienced when it comes to lighting, but I've never lit anything this big before, and is leaving me feeling a little uncertain about this and just need some reassurance.
I've plenty of experience of working with and lighting horses with flash, so thats fine, just not this many!

This is what I need to do.

Imagine the scene, outdoors, a total of 8 horses in a row facing me head on, with a man standing in the middle holding 4 horses each side. That in itself is no mean feat, as getting 8 horses all looking at me at the same time is gonna be interesting! However to add to the mix and for effect, I need/want to light this.
I've got enough powerful portable flash, but I'm uncertain on how to position them. I want the light fairly flat and want to avoid cross shadows, which I may get if I position lights at 45 degrees either side of me. So I was thinking of using two strip soft boxes (130 x 90 cm, horizontally) either side of me slightly higher and pointing straight towards the horses, and possibly a third light (small Octa box) directly above me pointing at the guy just to pick him out a bit in case he gets too far back behind the horses heads.

At the end of the day, its not a big deal if it doesn't work, as I know the guys gonna be happy with a straight daylight shot anyway, just thought it would look pretty awesome if I can do it

Should work….shouldn't it? :shrug:

 

[stuart anthony]

8 horses and flash mmmmmm, do you have a quick escape root.

I should check with trainer first, if you ever go to the races there are signs warning against flash.

just read you have experience with horse and flash

 

[Garry Edwards]

Given the distance involved and the use of softboxes, you'll probably need quite a lot of power. But the idea of 2 overhead lights makes sense to me, although 1 would probably be better. Is there any reason why you can't use a single softbox set high up?

Best of luck with this. Horses are my least favourite subject - get just one horse with the weight on the wrong foot, or 1 ear in a slightly wrong position and the shot's useless...

 

[Marc]

If, as I'm thinking, they're polo ponies, then not just ears and feet but just hope no-one is stick and balling nearby!

Can't help you I'm afraid Mark as I've only done it with half as many horses and in summer light.

 

[treeman]

Given the distance involved and the use of softboxes, you'll probably need quite a lot of power. But the idea of 2 overhead lights makes sense to me, although 1 would probably be better. Is there any reason why you can't use a single softbox set high up?

I should be fine with the power (using Ranger RX 1100Ws) and shooting without the front diffuser on, just the internal one.
My thinking was that the 1 box wouldn't throw enough light. :shrug: I'm estimating that the distance I need to cover left to right is 10m, shooting from about 8m away. I suppose I could do the maths, just thought 2 boxes should definitely cover it?

If, as I'm thinking, they're polo ponies, then not just ears and feet but just hope no-one is stick and balling nearby!

Actually not this time, I think everyones cleared off to Argentina! He's a four in hand, champion carriage driver with Lippizaners. I'm not sure whether they'll all be Lippizaners, I hope so, but I know he has at least four of them

 

[Garry Edwards]

I should be fine with the power (using Ranger RX 1100Ws) and shooting without the front diffuser on, just the internal one.
My thinking was that the 1 box wouldn't throw enough light. :shrug: I'm estimating that the distance I need to cover left to right is 10m, shooting from about 8m away. I suppose I could do the maths, just thought 2 boxes should definitely cover it?
QUOTE]

Well, a beauty dish would produce a lot more light than a softbox (not actually true but it would spread far less). Removing both diffusers from the softbox(es) would help too, and I'm not sure that you need any diffusers for this type of shot anyway and even one diffuser will spread the light widely.

 

[Marc]

Well now I'm insanely jealous!!

 

[Tyke Tiler]

I'm with Garry on this one mate, an overhead lightsource or at least just above the headline of the horses and angled downward:

If you light head on, your image is most likely going to look a little flat due to lack of interesting shadow definition. If the lightsource comes from a higher angle, you still get your shadows

A beauty dish would do it but as the subject matter is more than large, I'd be inclined to go for a large octabox, say 170 to 200 cm.

The stand or boom would have to be a very sturdy one, none of your 200 quid Manfrotto booms that flims if you as much as look at it funny, in fact it doesn't necessarily have to be a boom, just a very tall stand, a real heavy weight jobby that can take a lot of weight and also contend with a breeze as your shooting outdoors. See if you can hire from somewhere, light a light rentals etc, as the strong stuff costs a fair whack.

I always have counterweights on the stand as well as someone holding it nicely.

An octa coming down and putting the shatners up of eight hosses is not on your Christmas list, so have total faith in whichever stand you go for.

A couple of side lights could also work for definition purposes but the positioning would have to be spot on lest they cast a nasty shadow on the next horse.

A direct overhead light would look superb for low-key but much harder to pull off as putting a light, a big one, directly above something as tall as a horse would certainly require a heavy weight boom.

BTW, If I was stood in front of 8 horses I'd be pooing much more than the illustration, but I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here

 

[treeman]

Thanks Tomas, that's pretty much where I'm at now too, though my biggest Octa is 175 x 175cm so we'll see how it goes. I'll adopt yours and Garry's approach as No.1 plan then for experimentation, and if I get time, I might try using two rectangular softboxes to cover the full width without to much height, same angles as you and Garry suggested, just a wider spread :shrug:

As for stands falling over, I'd covered that by persuading a spare groom to hang off it for a while.

Not worried about being in front of the horses, worked with them all my life, been kicked, bitten, thrown off, rolled on, but never run over….yet!
Anyway might make a great shot!

If there's still snow on the ground on Saturday, could make for an interesting shot anyway, the horses are white

Thanks folks for your input, consider myself now reassured