CC MY FIRST DECENT HIGH KEYS, PLEASE?

[jwilly1]

I have wanted to be able to pull off a good high key shot since I got serious about photography several years ago. With the help of my beautiful and patient wife, I think I have, hopefully at least, succeeded. Please rip these apart, if you would be so kind. Many thanks! I think..... Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

PHOTO #1

 

[jwilly1]

Screwed up the post! Photos are #1 through #3, top to bottom.

 

[Trever1t]

pretty good. #3 the detail is lost on her right arm a wee bit. Care to divulge your background lighting technique?

 

[jwilly1]

The background was lit with 2 speedlights, one on either side. They were shot in my basement studio, so the strobes were on a couple of stands with small silver umbrellas that were all the way up against the ceiling. The umbrellas were pointed at the middle of the background and set at about 30 degrees to the ground. The speedlights were maxed out and as close to the background as possible.

 

[gsgary]

How for was she from the background ? she looks too close and light is boucing off it

 

[tirediron]

Not bad! You've got the right idea for sure, but I think you could actually dial back all the lights a bit. As mentioned, you're losing detail along her hair, edge of her arms, etc. This is caused by the reflection off of the background, indicating your lights are too strong; ideally, you'd want more separation between the model and the background (as in 8-10'), but in a basement studio, that might be un-doable.

To get your background lights correct (assuming you don't have a flash meter), use the highlight preview on your rear LCD, and adjust the power until you just start to get a hint of 'blinkies'. You don't need to have the whole thing totally blown out.

As far as the key lights go, your lights are in a good position for a traditionally lit portrait, but not so much for a high-key shot. Notice the shadows forming under her eyes, and around her mouth? You want to eliminate those in high-key work, so bring your lights down so that the modifiers are square to the subject and at about eye-level. If you have small umbrellas, doing a true, high-key full body shot is going to be a challenge, due to the fall-off as you get toward the floor, but a bust shot is easy. If fact, I often do these with a single key light right at lens axis. I use a 50" SB, pointed right at the model and shoot with my lens literally along the side of it.

Keep practicing, you're 98% of the way there already, which is a LOT closer than most people get.

 

[jwilly1]

Not bad! You've got the right idea for sure, but I think you could actually dial back all the lights a bit. As mentioned, you're losing detail along her hair, edge of her arms, etc. This is caused by the reflection off of the background, indicating your lights are too strong; ideally, you'd want more separation between the model and the background (as in 8-10'), but in a basement studio, that might be un-doable.

To get your background lights correct (assuming you don't have a flash meter), use the highlight preview on your rear LCD, and adjust the power until you just start to get a hint of 'blinkies'. You don't need to have the whole thing totally blown out.

As far as the key lights go, your lights are in a good position for a traditionally lit portrait, but not so much for a high-key shot. Notice the shadows forming under her eyes, and around her mouth? You want to eliminate those in high-key work, so bring your lights down so that the modifiers are square to the subject and at about eye-level. If you have small umbrellas, doing a true, high-key full body shot is going to be a challenge, due to the fall-off as you get toward the floor, but a bust shot is easy. If fact, I often do these with a single key light right at lens axis. I use a 50" SB, pointed right at the model and shoot with my lens literally along the side of it.

Keep practicing, you're 98% of the way there already, which is a LOT closer than most people get.

Again, I can't thank the fine folks here for taking their valuable time to point the struggling guy in the corner in the right direction.

I was afraid that she may be too close to the background. I have had issues in the past with keeping the light even across the floor and up the backdrop, so I thought I would try moving her closer to the background. She was maybe 3 feet from the background. I metered the light on the backdrop with just the rear lights firing at f5.6. Then I added the two key light into the mix and metered her face at f4. My understanding from all that I have read is that the light on the model should be 1 stop below the rear lights. Is this true? My gut told me that the rear lights were too high, but when I brought them down at all, The backdrop was creeping back in. I guess I need to get her away from that backdrop a little farther next time.

I was using two 60" umbrellas for the key lights that were 45 degrees to either side of her and pointed slightly toward the ground. When you say square them off to the model, are you talking about the umbrellas pointing perpendicular to the backdrop, and right at her eye level? In other words, each umbrella would be immediately to the right and left of the camera?

I'm pretty confident that I could pull off a pretty solid upper body shot with high key. I guess that in my mind, if someone can pull off a full body high key shot, then they are a pretty darn good photographer. I want to be that darn good photographer. I see the images that the pros accomplish, and I push toward that until I figure it out. I guess I'm kind of warped that way. It's a good way to learn, though!

 

[tirediron]

2/3 - 1 stop above key is right where you should be. Some people shoot with background and key the same, but I usually shoot about 2/3 over. If you got a meter, then your life is easy. You're definitely on the right track and you've got the theory nailed; I'd say that 95% of your issue is lack of subject-to-background separation, and the other 5% is your positioning.

45 degrees off of lens axis is fine, if I were shooting with two key lights, I would probably bring them in to more like 30 degrees, but that's personal preference (and laziness on my part). Yes, set the brollys so that the face is parallel to the background (in other words, the umbrella shaft is parallel to the floor), and at eye level, 'though if you've got 60" brolly's you've got some flexibility. I was thinking you probably had 30-40" units.

 

[Scoody]

Those are high key shots alright! I go along with some of the others in saying you should have distanced her more from the background. You did nail the lighting on her though. I hope you are not offended if I ask, was your wife a high school or college athlete? Her legs have the look of an athletes not someones who just works out. My wife has legs like that from years playing high school and college volleyball and softball.

 

[jwilly1]

Those are high key shots alright! I go along with some of the others in saying you should have distanced her more from the background. You did nail the lighting on her though. I hope you are not offended if I ask, was your wife a high school or college athlete? Her legs have the look of an athletes not someones who just works out. My wife has legs like that from years playing high school and college volleyball and softball.

No worries. She ran cross country in high school, and still runs and walks alot. She is a keeper for sure.