one light setup

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derrycity

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phil
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hi all i just got myself a lencarta 300 studio light and a stand and brolly i.am going to try a family shoot with just one light any tips on where i should position this one light to the side or more to the centre
santa might be bring a second light head.
thanks.
 
This is a tricky one because there are so many options.

If you come in from the side then you have some deep shadow, especially on the faces, which might look good but if there's no spill onto the background (or the background is black) then it may be a bit too moody.

You could light pretty much from the camera position but raised a foot or two above. If you're shooting centrally then this will give you maximum coverage from the flash but position it too high and you might create some hefty shadows under the eyebrows.

You could light from a low position but it might look a bit 'hammer house of horrors' if you're uplighting. :)

Do you have any reflectors that you could call on to bounce a bit of light back in?

I'd ask Garry Edwards - he knows his stuff in this respect :)
 
specialman said:
This is a tricky one because there are so many options.

If you come in from the side then you have some deep shadow, especially on the faces, which might look good but if there's no spill onto the background (or the background is black) then it may be a bit too moody.

You could light pretty much from the camera position but raised a foot or two above. If you're shooting centrally then this will give you maximum coverage from the flash but position it too high and you might create some hefty shadows under the eyebrows.

You could light from a low position but it might look a bit 'hammer house of horrors' if you're uplighting. :)

Do you have any reflectors that you could call on to bounce a bit of light back in?

I'd ask Garry Edwards - he knows his stuff in this respect :)
Click to expand...
Flattery will get you everywhere:love:

Seriously though, yes - as a starting point, high up and directly in front of where the subject is facing is both logical and flattering to most people, and specially women. It's logical because most of the light we see is from above and it's flattering because it creates those much-needed shadows under the nose and under the bottom lip, and also creates emphasis on the cheekbones, defining the shape of the face.

If the shadows are too strong, move the light closer. If they are still too strong for your taste, put a white reflector below to create some fill in the shadow areas. No reflector? Use a piece of white paper.

Don't be afraid to experiment and to ignore my suggestions, that's how we all learn. And be very ready to ignore suggestions that involve having a light in the Rembrandt position - it takes the right subject and a good deal of skill to pull it off. It worked for that nice Mr. Rembrandt, but he could control shadows, nose sizes etc very much more easily with his paintbrushes than we can with our cameras.
 
thanks for the feedback i,ll post the end results
thanks
 
Lots of variables. Not least the size of the group and the effect you want. But in general as far from the group as you can reasonably get it. This will even out the lighting front to back.

Unless you are short of power or want to do something "creative" I wouldn't worry about a second light.
 
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