beach bikini shoot (C&C welcome)

[xzyragon]

Got a friend to model for me at the beach. Is there a way to make direct light from the sun less harsh without putting your model in shade? And do you guys use color filters on your flash to make it a more natural color? I had a couple good shots with the flash behind her to make her "pop out", but I cant seem to figure out how to colorize the flash light in post.

Anyways, here's a couple of the shots so far...

IMG_2698 by christophercoxphoto, on Flickr

IMG_2707 by christophercoxphoto, on Flickr

 

[Restomage]

If you're going to go the all natural look, I'd recommend using a gold reflector. It will help you control the direction of the light a bit better. Other than that I'd recommend using speedlights or strobes to mimic the sun and use the sun behind her as a hair light.

 

[ronlane]

Got a friend to model for me at the beach. Is there a way to make direct light from the sun less harsh without putting your model in shade? And do you guys use color filters on your flash to make it a more natural color? I had a couple good shots with the flash behind her to make her "pop out", but I cant seem to figure out how to colorize the flash light in post.

Yes, there is a way to make the direct light less harsh, use a handheld diffuser from a 5-in-1 and shoot low to hide the shadows.

 

[xzyragon]

If you're going to go the all natural look, I'd recommend using a gold reflector. It will help you control the direction of the light a bit better. Other than that I'd recommend using speedlights or strobes to mimic the sun and use the sun behind her as a hair light.

yeah a couple other users have mentioned picking up a reflector. And when I put a speedlite behind her, it lit her up nicely, but the flash was white, as opposed to the gold-ish color of the sun. I wonder if I covered the flash with an orange or yellow filter if it would help.

 

[Designer]

Is there a way to make direct light from the sun less harsh without putting your model in shade?

How about a little shade? Use a "scrim". This is probably something you can make on the cheap using some dark, open-weave fabric held on a light-weight frame that you can mount on a light stand or have someone hold it between the sun and your model.

 

[kundalini]

yeah a couple other users have mentioned picking up a reflector. And when I put a speedlite behind her, it lit her up nicely, but the flash was white, as opposed to the gold-ish color of the sun. I wonder if I covered the flash with an orange or yellow filter if it would help.

They're called gels. Roscoe is a good source. To get the warm color you're after, look for a CTO. They come in 1/4, 1/2 and Full.

If you're going to go the all natural look, I'd recommend using a gold reflector. It will help you control the direction of the light a bit better. Other than that I'd recommend using speedlights or strobes to mimic the sun and use the sun behind her as a hair light.

My opinion of gold reflectors is not too good. I feel they are too strong and can make your subject appear jaundiced. There are covers that are stripped with gold/white and gold/silver which are much more natural looking for the skin. Lastolite is a source with their TriGrip reflectors.

 

[xzyragon]

yeah a couple other users have mentioned picking up a reflector. And when I put a speedlite behind her, it lit her up nicely, but the flash was white, as opposed to the gold-ish color of the sun. I wonder if I covered the flash with an orange or yellow filter if it would help.

They're called gels. Roscoe is a good source. To get the warm color you're after, look for a CTO. They come in 1/4, 1/2 and Full.

aaand they're super cheap too! I'll pick up a set tonight for my flash. I'll get to play around with different colors too

If you're going to go the all natural look, I'd recommend using a gold reflector. It will help you control the direction of the light a bit better. Other than that I'd recommend using speedlights or strobes to mimic the sun and use the sun behind her as a hair light.

My opinion of gold reflectors is not too good. I feel they are too strong and can make your subject appear jaundiced. There are covers that are stripped with gold/white and gold/silver which are much more natural looking for the skin. Lastolite is a source with their TriGrip reflectors.

I'd imagine if you had a neutral reflector, it'd reflect a similar color to whatever the lightsource is. But thanks for the recommendations! Definitely looking into Lastolite

 

[kundalini]

I'd imagine if you had a neutral reflector, it'd reflect a similar color to whatever the lightsource is. But thanks for the recommendations! Definitely looking into Lastolite

If you find a “neutral” reflector, please provide the link. Otherwise you will find basically 4 reflector colors; white, silver, gold and black. From that are variations of the theme. White provides a softer light. Silver brings out more specular highlights. Gold adds a warming effect. Black removes light.

Here's a nice little video about shooting portraits at the beach using reflectors and difussers.
http://www.lastoliteschoolofphotography.com/using-the-skylite-rapid-system

 

[Edsport]

Any better?

 

[Braineack]

That edit looks unnatural and dull. My eyes expect a warm setting sun. The problem with that shot comes from the flash camera right that's lighting up her face and leading to a purplish hue from mixing a light source at around 2000-3000K with the flash closer to 6000K.

All it really needs is a bit of selective color balancing focused mainly on her face to remove the purple coloring on her checks/forehead from the flash.

 

[BGeise]

I find her right hand to be distracting. She must of had most of her weight on it causing her veins to be so pronounced and not very lady like or sexy

 

[xzyragon]

Any better?

I liked the warm coloring, it's just she had reflections on her face that I couldn't get rid of in lightroom, along with a strange coloration on the shaded side. I'll try doing something like this and adding some warmth to it and see if I can get what I want.

That edit looks unnatural and dull. My eyes expect a warm setting sun. The problem with that shot comes from the flash camera right that's lighting up her face and leading to a purplish hue from mixing a light source at around 2000-3000K with the flash closer to 6000K.

All it really needs is a bit of selective color balancing focused mainly on her face to remove the purple coloring on her checks/forehead from the flash.

Hopefully that's what adding a gel to the flash will solve. But maybe it's time to make a foray into photoshop?

I find her right hand to be distracting. She must of had most of her weight on it causing her veins to be so pronounced and not very lady like or sexy

She was just skinny and had pronounced veins, but I do agree with you. I'll try and have her hold her hands at an angle next time to hide that. I'm still very much a nooby, but I'm trying to pay a lot more attention to setting everything up and then snapping a couple photos, instead of just having the camera out and just snapping candid after candid. Plus it's way easier to go through 60 photos instead of 300.

 

[FITBMX]

They're called gels. Roscoe is a good source. To get the warm color you're after, look for a CTO. They come in 1/4, 1/2 and Full.

Thanks! I already bookmarked there site!:thumbup:

 

[FITBMX]

Your photos look like a good start to me!