Photobooth style photography help

Overread · Mar 9, 2017

So here's what I've got

2 90cm softboxes plus stands
2 flashes (intending to make this two 600RT - mk1 or mk2 - plus controller)
Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 - Tokina 35mm f2.8 macro
7D

1 background (unknown size and specifics as its what my brother has sourced).

The intent is to setup as modestly/small as possible for photobooth style photos. So I'm wondering how you'd approach this with the above kit and if there's anything you'd add to it if there was a significant bonus to the overall quality/ease of working.

At present I'm looking to add the wireless flash setup at the very least*. I am wondering if a 3rd flash would be of benefit, but honestly I think that might be adding too much complexity and bulk to the setup unless an on-camera flash would help.

After that my concern is focal length, working distance and crop-factor. My 7D is great outside; but this is inside and preliminary photos of the room is to happen in do not give me a feeling that I've a huge amount of space to play with. The 35mm I've listed above is my only shorter focal length prime that's suitable whilst the 24-70mm is my only zoom in that suitable range.
My only consideration here is to add a second hand 5D original to the setup (because they are affordable/cheap now). Of course the 5D would really only be bringing fullframe to my setup - the ISO range isn't going to be a vast difference to the 7D and with the lights shouldn't be an issue anyway = whilst its AF is something to be desired compared to the 7D; but should be more than capable for what's required of it in this.

So how would you set this up - would you make any changes or alterations. Are there any things to keep in mind (like balancing one flash to be weaker than the other to give a slight off-set of lighting and thus some shadows). Do I want the flashes and boxes high to give a light that aims downward a little (copy-catting sunlight lighting); would it be worth considering umbrellas (they are cheap/affordable - I've already got brackets with the stands to hold them - and umbrellas would be a bit less imposing space-wise compared to softboxes.

* I'm aware that there are cheap studio lights that I could get instead that would do the job; but I think for this the output of a speedlite is enough; plus the flashes have use beyond just this event, otherwise I'd not even consider adding them .

Derrel · Mar 9, 2017

Photo booth? or mini-studio? How you set this up depends a good deal on the actual size of the shooting and posing area and the background available. Use whatever ISO is needed to deliver a good, small f/stop like f/11, for adequate DOF, and for posing flexibility for two people, or even three people.

If you have a mini-studio type deal, you can get the flash and modifier to five feet or so distant, which will give EVEN light fall-off across the width or height of the frame area for whatever camera you have; six feet would be better, to keep the light EVEN, and not hot on one side and dark on the opposite side.

If there's a good reflecting surface opposite the main light, there might not be any need for a second light unit. Using two, connected or synchronized lights, each at half- or quarter-power, would allow faster recycle times, which might be useful if the guests are in charge of triggering their own photos or wish to shoot rapid-fire sequences.

I think speedlight power levels at ISO 500 or 640 or 800 ought to be adequate, no need to go to more-powereful studio flash units as long as the camera ISO level is not too low.

If you're in a tight space situation, I might skip the softbox, and just aim one speedlight into the "V" made by two large Foam-Core boards, and allow that to be the main and fill light source, as well as the "walls" of one corner of the so-called booth.

Overread · Mar 10, 2017

I was thinking f8, but f11 might be a bit safer to work with.

I might also have picked the wrong term on photobooth - essentially its me taking pictures of people so no worries about people needing to pick up the camera themselves.
White foamboards sounds like a neat lower tech option, though potentailly a little less durable.

As for space I'm really not sure as I've only seen one photo (And that's the rooms marketing one with a table and chairs in the middle of it) and not scouted out the location myself to know really how much room there is to move around or to set things up.

Derrel · Mar 10, 2017

I agree, f/11 is a safer option, considering how close the camera might be to the subjects. If the ISO is nudged up a bit, even f/13 might be a safer option, and could allow just that little bit of extra DOF for two- and three-person shots. As far as some of the other issues your OP had, yes, umbrellas ought to work fine, and tend to cover a large-ish area pretty well with not quite so much need for precise aiming, whereas softboxes tend to have a narower lighting angle.

I was think of the USA type of photobooth, where people are in literally, a big box. As to lighting ratios: one main light at 30-40 degrees to the left of the camera will create a nice shadow of the nose, and about 2 feet or just a little bit higher than the subjects' head height, will cause the nose shadow to form that "loop shadow" that creates what is called modified Paramount lighting, or loop lighting, that way of lighting peopole generally looks good on most faces. This is easy to create with a smallish softbox, like a 28 x 28 cheapie, or a small umbrella, like a 32 incher.

Not sure if you'll really need fill light if you light the above way, but if you do add fill light, I think it belongs right next to the camera, on-axis, aimed straight ahead. You can ratio it to about a 3:1 by having the main light at Full power, the fill at Half power, and both the same measured distance.

The biggest problem I envision with two umbrellas or two softboxes in a fast,fluid scenario is over-fill lighting. So...maybe just set up one large-ish light camera left, and flood the area with the light from the two flashes, so you have a big swatch of soft, diffused light sweeping across the shooting area from 6,7,8 feet away, so there is fairly even light that does not have much fall-off from the left side of the set to the right side of the set.

I dunno...if this is for an event, the expressions and the poses and the goofing off are the important things to capture, more so than the lighting ratio or anything else.

tirediron · Mar 10, 2017

Having done quite a bit of this at events your style of lighting depends (IMO) mainly on whether or not these are going to be fairly controlled poses, or more "jump in front of the camera". If you're going to have 2-3 minutes to pose them and it's going be no more than 2-3 per group, then a traditional off-axis key & on-axis fill works well. If it's going to be more casual, than I would recommend going for an even, albeit less interesting, flat lighting with lights equally off-axis & equally powered.