Studio Lighting Setup Still Not Right

danieljamesphoto

danieljamesphoto

Suspended / Banned
Messages
403
Edit My Images
No
No matter how many videos I watch or shoots I do, I just can't get my lighting to be continuous with the results.

My studio is in my new house and the available space is around 10.5ft x 11ft roughly (a bit more space to go back but i'm planning a changing area at the back)

Please see the attached image to the thread to see the setup I try to use, using Elinchrom 500s with card attached to just light the background and a softbox at the front.

Rough settings being used ISO 100, 160, f/10

Any suggestions as to if my lighting isn't set up right to get a white background or my settings could be off?



normal shoots get around 3-5 people in them
 
What's your specific problem? Can you post a couple of samples?

Even with home made modifiers, the setup should be uber consistent, is any part of the cam on an auto setting (except focus)?
 
Basically your subjects are going to be too close to the background. You need at least 6-8 ft and preferably more between the background and your subjects.
 
EdBray: bah put bluntly, the trouble is, with bigger groups if the backgrounds further away they wont fit in properly if you get what I mean?

cyclone: I'll post a few in a bit yeah, I mean very very rarely do I get a shoot go awfully wrong and its usually just some PP work then its fine but im trying to reduce/remove PP work as much as possible to get it right in-camera
 
danieljamesphoto said:
EdBray: bah put bluntly, the trouble is, with bigger groups if the backgrounds further away they wont fit in properly if you get what I mean?
Click to expand...

Yes, there are trade offs with most things, but if you want white background shots with little PP then you need some seperation between the subjects and the background, otherwise you find your subjects being lit by reflected light from the background and causing loss of definition on the edges.

You asked, I explained, if you need a bigger background so be it! :p
 
danieljamesphoto said:
EdBray: bah put bluntly, the trouble is, with bigger groups if the backgrounds further away they wont fit in properly if you get what I mean?
Click to expand...

That's why studios need length.

Watching the Zack Arias webcast on CreativeLive the other weekend, he happily got 5 people onto a 9ft white seamless with the aid of a 70-200mm lens, and the subjects were a good 8-10ft from the background. :)
 
ianbarber said:
Buy a Lastolite Hilite, this way you can have the subjects as close to the background as you like.

I have the 6x7 Hilite and even at 6 inches from it, No shadows are visible

Ian
Click to expand...

It's not about the shadows, it's about the light spill.

Yes the Hilite does better than blasting a white background with light, but you still need some seperation between the background and the subjects to prevent loss of edge detail by stray light!
 
As Ed Bray has said (more politely than me) you've set yourself an impossible task. You need a bigger background and more space.

You need more space to avoid unwanted light spill onto your front subjects, and you need a bigger background because it will get 'smaller' because of perspective (although of course if you have enough shooting space then a longer lens will help with this).

Also, you'll struggle to get even light distribution on the background unless you use white reflective umbrellas or softboxes to light it, and without them you'll be tempted to compensate for the uneven lighting by cranking up the power too much, which in return will increase the other problems...

See the videos in this thread
 
I use a very similar setup to what you have there, and i've had to do quite a bit of photoshop to get my photos right for the white background, your background looks exactly the same as mine with the exception my train is quite a bit longer, unless yours is folded in half that is, as has already been said the answer is move the subjects away from the background, and you will be able to expose the subject better, it looks like you have a fair bit of room to play with there, i don't so will be trying the Hilite, although not sure how much better this will be :)
 
yeah i'm thinking of getting a thickish white blanket to throw over the beams at the top to widen the background for bigger shoots, get a white perspex or mdf board down for the floor and bring everything back as far as possible, add another foot on ideally.

Oddly though this latest shoots gone fairly well, the guy even had a white shirt on and it didnt burn out, not pure white in the middle but 5 mins of careful dodging will sort them no problem :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top