Lighting setup

matrosov

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Ok back for more education. Setting up backdrop and trying to play with some slave flashes. As usual I am doing something wrong because I am totally blowing out everything. When slaves fire I get this. When just the off camera flash fires I get this. And the set up is this. And all I am looking to do is fill in the shadows and get some even light going. So as usual thank you for explaining where I am making idiotic mistakes. :).
Specifically where in the world those slaves should point and where in the world that off camera flash should go.


PS the best I could get was the last one.
 

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First of all why are you at ISO 800???? 2nd I think the max synch speed for the D5100 is 1/200 not 1/250 but I may be wrong on that. Still you have a lot of room to slow it down. I'm assuming you don't have a light meter to set your lights, so simplify the set up. There's others more qualified on directing you that will hopefully chime in, but to get you started here's a suggestion. Do away with those back lights. Lower your softbox height slightly, and use a large white reflector on the girl's other side (camera left), angled to bring light back in on that side. Switch your camera to full manual. Set your ISO to 100, set your aperture if possible to about F/8, then adjust for ambient light to about 2-3 stops under. You might have to open the aperture slightly if the shutter gets to slow (say below 1/60). Take a test shot, and evaluate, look at your histogram and adjust your aperture up /down, adjust the power level on your softbox, or both, and try again. The ideal histogram will show a bell shape tapering to each side, but not extending up either side. Once you've mastered this type of lighting - then start to add back your other lights.
 
First of all why are you at ISO 800???? 2nd I think the max synch speed for the D5100 is 1/200 not 1/250 but I may be wrong on that. Still you have a lot of room to slow it down. I'm assuming you don't have a light meter to set your lights, so simplify the set up. There's others more qualified on directing you that will hopefully chime in, but to get you started here's a suggestion. Do away with those back lights. Lower your softbox height slightly, and use a large white reflector on the girl's other side (camera left), angled to bring light back in on that side. Switch your camera to full manual. Set your ISO to 100, set your aperture if possible to about F/8, then adjust for ambient light to about 2-3 stops under. You might have to open the aperture slightly if the shutter gets to slow (say below 1/60). Take a test shot, and evaluate, look at your histogram and adjust your aperture up /down, adjust the power level on your softbox, or both, and try again. The ideal histogram will show a bell shape tapering to each side, but not extending up either side. Once you've mastered this type of lighting - then start to add back your other lights.
Thanks a lot smoke. I have no clue why ISO is 800. I was shooting manual and ISO on the back of LCD was displayed at 100. Have to dig in the menus maybe there is an auto option there. Don't have a reflector to put on the other side so was trying to fill in the shadows with those slave strobes but they proved to be way too bright. I didn't have on camera flash it was in that softbox on full manual at 1/8th power. Going back to experiment with your setting now, thanks again.:)

P.S. ISO auto sensivity control was on set to 100-800 range. Turned it off
 
. Don't have a reflector to put on the other side

Anything white will work, poster board, white sheet, white paper taped to cardboard. I keep foam core in black and white, it doesn't have to be fancy
 
. Don't have a reflector to put on the other side

Anything white will work, poster board, white sheet, white paper taped to cardboard. I keep foam core in black and white, it doesn't have to be fancy
Do I keep that softbox at 45 degree to the subject or bring it to the front and just turn it 45 degrees?
 
Do I keep that softbox at 45 degree to the subject or bring it to the front and just turn it 45 degrees?

Think of your floor as a clock, if the girl is at 12, ando your camera is at 6, then move your softbox to about 5, pointed at the girl, slightly above and angled down slightly. You will need to play with the reflector location, but somewhere between 7-9.

And check your menu to see if auto iso is on
 
DC_051.jpg looks good....f/11 at X-synch speed of 1/200 second...the background attachment shadow "places her" in front of a seamless backdrop.

Not sure what you want to get, really. if you want s clean, white background behind her, I would put a slave flash aimed straight back at the papper, at her mid-back height abnd about 3 fet behind her.

One big issues is using a wide-angle lens from TOO CLOSE--this is caudsing a wide anglke of view behind your daughter, and the foreground science proiject is "running off the paper:.

This would be better shot from 2x the distance, and a longer lens length. DSC_051 was shot at 32mm focal length: it would be far better to move the camera farther away, and use the 50mm end of that 17-50mm zoom: that would narrow the angle of view BEHIND her....and would "keep the shot on the background paper".

The first shot is wayyyyy over-exposed. As SMoke mentioned--stay away from AUTO ISO and stay away from 800 ISO if the shots are too bright.
 
@Derrel glad to see the calvary has arrived to take it to the next level!
 
@Derrel glad to see the calvary has arrived to take it to the next level!

You gave him good advice too, Smoke, RE "if the girl is at 12, and your camera is at 6, then move your softbox to about 5, pointed at the girl, slightly above and angled down slightly. You will need to play with the reflector location, but somewhere between 7-9." and the reflector tip.

I used to work a lot of half-width bakdroppapper rolls...very tricky unless the focal length is quite long and the camera-to-subject distance is rather long as well.
 
@Derrel appreciate the kind words, but I was starting to reach the limit of my knowledge, completely missed the focal length.
 
Specifically where in the world those slaves should point and where in the world that off camera flash should go.
What kind of slaves are those? How do they fire? Is there some kind of adjustment to the power level? You say the softbox is at 1/8 power, but those slaves appear to be at full power. You probably need only one of those on the backdrop.

Double check all your settings, including the shutter sync speed and the ISO. If you have any more available space, move your subject away from the backdrop. Set your camera at about the height of your subject's chin.

Lacking a light meter, you can set each light group separately by doing test shots. No model at this time, just get the lights right first. After you get the lights adjusted, call in your model.
 
Specifically where in the world those slaves should point and where in the world that off camera flash should go.
What kind of slaves are those? How do they fire? Is there some kind of adjustment to the power level? You say the softbox is at 1/8 power, but those slaves appear to be at full power. You probably need only one of those on the backdrop.

Double check all your settings, including the shutter sync speed and the ISO. If you have any more available space, move your subject away from the backdrop. Set your camera at about the height of your subject's chin.

Lacking a light meter, you can set each light group separately by doing test shots. No model at this time, just get the lights right first. After you get the lights adjusted, call in your model.
Thanks designer those are JTL 1010-S25Ms They have a light sensor I guess so they fire when the speedlight fires. I was trying to use them to eliminate the shadows my guess the are too bright for the purpose. Back to experimenting.
 
DC_051.jpg looks good....f/11 at X-synch speed of 1/200 second...the background attachment shadow "places her" in front of a seamless backdrop.

Not sure what you want to get, really. if you want s clean, white background behind her, I would put a slave flash aimed straight back at the papper, at her mid-back height abnd about 3 fet behind her.

One big issues is using a wide-angle lens from TOO CLOSE--this is caudsing a wide anglke of view behind your daughter, and the foreground science proiject is "running off the paper:.

This would be better shot from 2x the distance, and a longer lens length. DSC_051 was shot at 32mm focal length: it would be far better to move the camera farther away, and use the 50mm end of that 17-50mm zoom: that would narrow the angle of view BEHIND her....and would "keep the shot on the background paper".

The first shot is wayyyyy over-exposed. As SMoke mentioned--stay away from AUTO ISO and stay away from 800 ISO if the shots are too bright.
Thanks Derrel for another good lesson. Will play around with it today some more.
 
And another dumb question since you guys are so gracious. Seamless paper do you let it hang off the entire roll or do you cut the piece you need and clamp it to the bar? It wants to run away from the roll for me.
 
JTL 1010-S25Ms

Ok I understand now. With an output of 25WS they were not the cause of blowing the background. That was likely caused by incorrect exposure settings. However your use of them was also wrong. As Derrel suggested place one behind her pointed toward the paper, and would suggest a modifier on it as well (softbox or umbrella). I would still suggest you set up using just your softbox and a reflector until you learn how placement, distance and intensity will affect your exposure.

I let the paper hang off the roll. Use a clamp, tape whatever it tries to roll. A trick used occasionally depending on the size of your roll - take a rinsed and dry plastic soft drink bottle, cut the top and bottom off, cut slit up the side, then cut it in half to make two. Spread it open and slide it over the roll.
 

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