Playing with rim lighting. Too much???

[twocolor]

I've been playing with some rim lighting. Did I overdo it?

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[kundalini]

Nice photos.

When I hear the term "rim light", I always envision a light from behind or maybe above the subject.

 

[rub]

I think that the lighting comes across better in the B&W. In the color shots, the hair light seems too yellow for the rest of the image. Maybe a result of too much - like you asked, or just the wrong type of light?

 

[Azriel]

Those are all really well done, especially the last

 

[twocolor]

Nice photos.

When I hear the term "rim light", I always envision a light from behind or maybe above the subject.

well, you've got hair light that comes from the top softly lighting the subjects hair, this is a nice way to give separation from the backdrop. There is also a backdrop light that does some separation as well. Rim lighting lights the "rim" of the subject. So, this light is coming from behind the subject, directed at them - it's almost even with the backdrop - giving a mild "spill over" of light. At least that's what I understood each of their uses were.

 

[kundalini]

Nice photos.

When I hear the term "rim light", I always envision a light from behind or maybe above the subject.

well, you've got hair light that comes from the top softly lighting the subjects hair, this is a nice way to give separation from the backdrop. There is also a backdrop light that does some separation as well. Rim lighting lights the "rim" of the subject. So, this light is coming from behind the subject, directed at them - it's almost even with the backdrop - giving a mild "spill over" of light. At least that's what I understood each of their uses were.

Right, that was my point. It seems from these that your "rim light" is actually coming from their right ear, in some cases right and above..... not as you (and I) say, from behind. Perhaps I'm missing something. Is your rim light too subtle and your side light too dominant?

I still like the photos. :hugs:

 

[doogan]

I think these are gorgeous photos; starting with the
boy sitting on the box, they seem to get better as
I scroll down. This lighting appears to work better in
B/W, but maybe it's just personal taste. (I love a good
B/W shot.) I don't think the rim lighting is overdone, and
I think the parents would love these images. I especially
like the very last shot of the older girl.

http://www.dreamworldimages.ca
Pet Photography Business
Child Photography

 

[Big Mike]

Rim lighting, accent lighting, kicker....just words. Light is light and you can light your subject how you want.

I think this is well done. It might be a tad heavy on a couple of them, and the color difference might be an issue but overall, I think it's very good.

My test was to try to forget that you are asking about rim lighting and look at the portraits. If my attention was first drawn to the brighter rim lighting, rather than to the model's face/eyes....then I'd say it was too much....but these all pass the test.

 

[Nicholas James Photo]

Yes they were over done - a bit - but that is good in my opinion, I'll explain my thought process on this comment.
Big Mike is right - light is light, so names really are unimportant
By "over doing it" we can see how the angle of different lights effect the subject, then by gradually toning down that light source we can perfect the image. If you work from the other direction and gradually increase the source, it could take an age to get it right.
The main thing is that the photos are great, and a bright light source often works with children......
I often work in a darkened room, using modeling lights, to see how light works from different angles.... this is helped along by my long suffering wife sitting there for hours (her words) a few minutes (my words).

 

[Lyncca]

These look really great. I think they are bright, but for kids, I love that look. I'm no professional on studio lighting, but getting all of that and the kids to be interactive takes talent

 

[GeneralBenson]

I would agree with Mike that it's definitely too hot in some of them, and I think the fact that it's seem warmer than the other lights, is what bothers me. I typically see rim light as being color neutral to the overall lighting, or often a bit cooler.

Rim light to me, is anything that come from behind the subject and hilights any edge of the subject. But looking at these photos, I feel like rim light from the side works better when it hits the edge of the face/neck/ears, and not so well when it hits just the side of the hair. The last few of the girls, the rim light only highlights the side of their hair, and a little too strongly. It looks to me, like if the light is only going to hit the hair, it should be coming from a little higher angle. When it highlights the face, I think it looks nice from the side.

I think the one of the boy in the glasses is the best one.

On of the other things, I notice, especially in some of the wider shots, is that your rim light doesn't seem very controlled. On a few, it is spilling all over their shirts and pants, which I think is too much. Maybe some more careful feathering with barn doors/snoots/grid spots would help. Sometimes it works best to actually shoot hte light over their head, and let just the feather kiss them on the cheek, so it falls off pretty quickly down their neck and torso.

 

[twocolor]

I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for their very helpful thoughts and/or tips. I keep coming back to these, some days I love how they turned out and somedays I do feel the hot spots are too much. I went and played with all the lights out (that doesn't sound good! ) and played with the modeling lights. That helped out quite a bit. I wish my hubby would take "minutes" to give me a good subject!

Quick question, I've used my barn doors, and my snoot. I am not quite sure what the purpose of the grid is. Can someone explain that to me?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Josh66]

I am not quite sure what the purpose of the grid is. Can someone explain that to me?

It makes the light all go in a nice straight line. Kinda like a spot light. It doesn't diffuse out to the sides as much.

 

[Christie Photo]

Rim lighting, accent lighting, kicker....just words. Light is light and you can light your subject how you want.

I think this is well done. It might be a tad heavy on a couple of them, and the color difference might be an issue but overall, I think it's very good.

Yup. I call it a skim or a kicker.

And it is very nice. It MIGHT be just a bit much in some, but only a tiny bit. And yes... it's a bit on the yellow side. I'd definitely rather have it than not.

You're gonna love it on full and 3/4 length portraits.

Good goin'!

-Pete

 

[platano]

I think that the lighting comes across better in the B&W. In the color shots, the hair light seems too yellow for the rest of the image. Maybe a result of too much - like you asked, or just the wrong type of light?

Agree +1