Another portrait session

[doziergraphic]

Much happier with my results here. But not sure I'm there with the lights. These were run through Elements.

I realize they all seem to have the head tilted the same way, but I do have more I haven't edited yet. Just noticed the head tilt as I was loading these. Other than that, I'd def be interested in lighting comments, etc. thanks!

1. This one would have been better vertical, but my backdrop was wide enough to get the wingspan and vertical length. He loves it. Gave him one smiling also.

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

[RobNZ]

As you know this is an area I am working on at present as well, overall I think they all look pretty good, im sure others with more knowledge and experience than myself will chime in so we can all learn, the one thing that did stand out for me was the background brightness of No.1, may have been the look your going after, nothing wrong with that but to me its a touch too bright perhaps?

PS: If they were mine, I would be stoked with results like that, good job

 

[reznap]

White balance on #2 and #3 looks warm to me.

Your light looks a little softer than it was in the shoot with the blonde girl.

First one's my favorite. Looks good to me, but I have a LOT to learn about studio lighting and I have very little experience with it (some with OCF and softboxes/umbrellas but that's it really).

 

[burgo]

the second and third ones - I don't like the lighting in those ones. Maybe it is the white balance

 

[JasonLambert]

#1 could be a bit brighter. With the high key background the subject looks a little dark.
#2 He has a spot blown out on his cheek and the other half of his face is in dark shadow.
#3 Just about nailed it. A few areas seem a little blown out. Your best one IMO.
#4 Again blown out in spots and a bit dark on the other... Especially where the eye and the bridge of his nose come together.
#5 Nice... Only gripe is that I would like to see a little more light in his right eye. Good catch lights but the rest of the eye is lost to darkness. I do like the use of a hair light though.

As far as the catch lights go, You did a good job with them with the exception of #1. It looks like you got pin lights instead.

What size soft box were you using? A larger box on you key light and moving it a little more toward the camera left will soften the light a bit and add a more uniform look while still keeping the depth of the face.

Overall, I like them! Good job.

 

[sobolik]

No lighting comments. There is only one thing wrong with these photos. The shirt and the golf club are an unlikely pair. It looks posed as if someone who never golfed a day in their life was given a golf club to hold in a studio session. Yes I have seen people golf in those kinds of shirts but it is still not a match. The result is a lame phoniness feel to it. Otherwise they are just fine.

 

[ChevyBaby]

These are much better than the gal! You know that and i can see how happy and confident you are with them. I'd maybe decrease the light power just a tad to give him a smoother look, maybe use a diffuser or beauty lamp.

Very nice! :thumbup:

 

[doziergraphic]

Thanks everyone. Trial and error is getting me there. Still trying to make my 24"x36" softbox on the key light work. Those spots on the checks are giving me fits. I have that softbox, and two other flashes that have umbrellas. With this shoot, I did not use any umbrellas and only used the Key light softbox, reflector (to the right of subject) and a flash on the background. I'm also trying to find that balance between background blow-out and consistent white. If i don't blow it out I get a pinkish cast.

Also on these I did not adjust the white balance at all because I usually overdo it or calculate it wrong, so I just ran through Elements and did the generic Auto Light, Auto Contrast and Auto Color. I realize that may be lame way to do it, but they come off better than if I try to customize them myself (i assume that will come in time).

Thanks again one and all! More subjects coming in the next few days.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I still strongly suggest a manual white balance of your camera when using lights.

What was your distance for your softbox? A 2x3 should be ideal at 5 feet from the subject.

Do you meter your lighting with a meter for incident lighting?

 

[gsgary]

Shot 5 is the best, we have shadows, knowing how to use shadows is more important than knowing how to use light shadows create form

 

[doziergraphic]

moved the box around quit a bit. Not sure on the distance but was trying to get right up to him on most of them. Going to start videotaping my sessions to refer to because i take 200 shots and impossible to log them all with setup.

I don't yet use a light meter, just taking shot by shot and making adjustments.

other note - I also cleaned up the background in a couple of the white shots with the brush tool to make sure it was even.

thanks again!

 

[ghache]

The first one is my favorite!
I think you really nailed the lightning on that one!

 

[doziergraphic]

What size soft box were you using? A larger box on you key light and moving it a little more toward the camera left will soften the light a bit and add a more uniform look while still keeping the depth of the face.

I'm considering a 36x36 Octogon to use instead of the 24x36
OBPZ3 Flashpoint 36" x 36" PZ Octabox. White interior

or maybe the 36x48
SBPZ90120 Flashpoint 36" x 48" PZ Softbox.

- any thoughts?

 

[JasonLambert]

What size soft box were you using? A larger box on you key light and moving it a little more toward the camera left will soften the light a bit and add a more uniform look while still keeping the depth of the face.

I'm considering a 36x36 Octogon to use instead of the 24x36
OBPZ3 Flashpoint 36" x 36" PZ Octabox. White interior

or maybe the 36x48
SBPZ90120 Flashpoint 36" x 48" PZ Softbox.

- any thoughts?

My thoughts... Get them both! Getting the octabox first and then then 36X48. this would make for a nice set-up. The octabox as key and the 36X48 for side lighting. The 36X48 will give you less spill on the BG (when needed) and is large enough to light a person from head to foot.

Here is just an example of one of the images taken with that set-up.

SG107687b&WSIG | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[GeorgieGirl]

moved the box around quit a bit. Not sure on the distance but was trying to get right up to him on most of them.

You might be a bit too close and that is why the cheeks appear lit up. Girl had the same thing too...Maybe this is why. Put gaffers tape or duct tape on the floor for each of your lights if you don't already, and mark a one foot ahead of, at, and one foot further back and you will begin to see the images change. The markings will help you record you data. The mark should be the approximate vertical location of the bulb itself, not the location of the edge of the soft box.

So a 2x3 ideal is 5ft. A 3x4 ideal is 7ft. Plus or minus is how you will see the changes closer and further can make without changing the f/stop as you move the light.