Dim lighting issue and white balance?

chachilove · Oct 5, 2011

Hello, I don't really know if this is the right place to post this question but
I do a lot of in studio fashion/model photographing, but I'm not a pro so my results have been somewhat less than successful. Basically my lighting setup is 4 clamp lamps without hoods and 100 watt reveal light bulbs. I don't use the built in flash on my Canon EOS Rebel XS 1000D because I think it looks cheesy so I usually use the"Av" function and set it randomly and sometimes I get lucky with a decent shot.

I recently got a tripod and that is really helping, but I find that when I have subjects in dark clothing the photo looks over exposed and when I have the model wear light clothing the photos are very dark, this is both on same camera settings and lighting conditions. (really confusing/frustrating me)
I recently bought a grey card to help me calibrate the custom white balance on my camera but I can't say that it has helped improve my white balance.
I also have difficulty setting my light in place so that I don't get cast/drop shadows when I want shadowless.
I'm considering buying softboxes to help eliminate shadows, I don't want to make something at home, it's kind of a big investment so I'm hoping someone can advise. I need something big because I don't always do shoulders up I am typically doing full body.

I hope that is a clear explanation as I don't know all technical terms to express what it is I'm trying to achieve, and its probably so basic that it seems ridiculous to ask but I am really dumbfounded so thanks for reading.

tirediron · Oct 5, 2011

Soft boxes will definitely help reduce shadows, but any sort of diffuser placed between the light and subject will do that. You won't find speed rings that will attach to your current light fixtures, so you may want to consider just finding a way to hand large panels of translucent white fabric in front of them.

All of that aside, I would strongly suggest hopping over here and reading some, or better yet all of their excellent tutorials, especially those on the camera operation, metering and exposure.

Derrel · Oct 5, 2011

You need to look into what is called "scrim lighting". Also known as "panels" or "diffusion panels". Scrim Jim and California SunBounce are two of the top brands, and they have some videos associated with them on-line. If all you have are continuous lights, scrims or panels are the absolute MOST-versatile light modifiers ever designed, especially when you want to light full-body shots. 48x72 inch tall panels covered with white,reflective fabric are super useful as reflectors to lighten shadows, and to bounce a LOT of light around. Panels covered with semi-transparent white fabric will allow youj to shine lights through them, and to create a wide variety of softness, based upon how far the light is from the fabric when it is shined through AND on how close the panel is to the subject. Two 48x72 panels, clipped or taped together, make a V-flat that is super-useful. You can make these panels using PVC pipe and elbow joints. V-flats are self-standing too!!!

If you want to learn about how to use "panels" or scrims, try Google searching for the Dean COllins educational DVD set.

The classic dark clothes/images look overexposed, light clothes/images look dark is a classic example of Canon's dumb, color-blind light metering. Learn to use your light meter manually, or buy a Nikon camera that can actually meter and measure the COLOR of the objects in the scene, as well as their reflectivity levels, to get the right exposures based on the COLOR values it sees, including human skin tones.