first real attempt at a photo shoot. C&C please.

[dannylightning]

I got a second speed light, stopped at the store and picked up a black bed sheet this morning and hung it up, I got my mom to be my model since no one else seemed to want to do it since they are all scared of a camera for some reason.

Any ways what do you all think for the first attempt, I don't know much about lightning and what not but I think these turned out descent except for some shadows from here hair,

My mom is hard to work with, you tell he to take one step back and she takes 4 steps back and 2 steps to the right. or you tell her to turn her body a little to the left and she turns around completely so my main concern is how you guys feel about the lighting. I dont really know what I am doing here as far as lighting with speed lights.

 

[Heather Koch]

I know probably the same as you about lighting, but from the looks of it, your lights may have been to high? Creating shadows around her hair. Did you use two lights? and reflector?

 

[dannylightning]

No reflectors, I did use 2 lights, both were roughly at the same height as her head, the one on the left side of the photo ( her right ) one was slightly higher than her head but not by much.

the light the right side of the photo ( her left) was more beside her instead of in front of her which ma have been the issue with that shadow.

 

[Heather Koch]

No reflectors, I did use 2 lights, both were roughly at the same height as her head, the one on the left side of the photo ( her right ) one was slightly higher than her head but not by much.

the light the right side of the photo ( her left) was more beside her instead of in front of her which ma have been the issue with that shadow.

Thats probably where the issue lies. My first indoor photoshoot was with my sister for her senior pictures, 2012. I used two white sheets and created my own reflector with cardboard and tinfoil. Used two desk lamps and overhead lights and DIY'ed a diffuser for my on-camera flash. Worked alright, but lighting is definitely important and getting it right, can be difficult.

 

[dannylightning]

here is a photo of how I had the lights set up, I think i moved the one on the left hand side of the photo ( her right ) but the other light was in this position.

I got the punching dummy out to do a few test shots on before i had my mom come down. there is a pool table down there and the one light was setting right in front of the pool table, If I wanted to have that light more in front of the subject I would need to set the light on the pool table which I could easily do.. maybe i will give that a try.

 

[Heather Koch]

Yeah just test a bunch of different setups and figure out what you like best.

 

[dannylightning]

I also had my cameras flash on I-ttl mode and full power by mistake.. I though it was on manual and the lowest power but I must have change it back and forgot I did that, that might have been a issue as well. I am gonna give it another go with the lights positioned differently and my on camera flash on the right setting to trigger the speed lights.

 

[Heather Koch]

Sounds like a plan, let me know your positioning and share some results.

 

[KmH]

Light modifiers, like umbrellas and softboxes, make a light source seem larger.
The larger the light source the softer the light is, and the more diffuse shadow edges are.

How Light Modifiers Work | LumiQuest

 

[dannylightning]

Well I got both of my parents down there and that was not easy, between them blinking, talking and acting goofy, most of the photos turned out horrible due to crazy facial expressions.

I moved the lights so they were more in front of them and well I got one pic of them that I like. still some shadow issue though but in different spots. a larger light source might help out a bit, I was thinking about getting a few cheap umbrellas to play around with

there is one more that not that bad either so Ill post that one too

 

[pgriz]

More or less willing subjects? Check.
Main and fill? Check.
Now you have to figure out how to tame the harsh shadows and tone down the contrast. For that you need a larger light area, either by bouncing the light, or using diffusers, or tools such as softboxes or umbrellas.
Then you have to put the shadows in the right place by moving your lights around - it's the shadows that reveal the texture, the shape, and the volume.

 

[dannylightning]

What do you guys thing would be my best option for diffusing the speedlights and not spending allot of money preferably under 100 bucks.

I hear those gary fong diffusers are pretty nice but I not not sure how they would work for this kind of thing. 2 of them would cost over 100 bucks and unless they are really that good I would not want to spend that much money on them.

A set of umbrellas is what I was thinking of trying since you can get umbrellas pretty cheap but I kind of worry it might spread too much light which might not be a good thing when trying to get a black background like this.

 

[tirediron]

Part of the issue is your lights are too LOW. Photographic light (for basic portrait lighting) should come from slightly above, since that's where we're used to seeing most things lit from (sun, overhead room lights, etc). Shooting this sort of work bare-tube is challenging, and you've done a respectable job of it, but an umbrella or two will make it much easier. When you get them (or raid Mom's Tupperware drawer for a couple of instant speedlight diffusers), raise your key (main) light so it's above and angled slightly down, about 30 degrees off of the lens axis, then bring your fill in just off the lens axis, slightly lower, and about 2/3 - 1 stop below the key light. Use that as a starting point and adjust as necessary. You'll find that you're getting much nicer images with little effort.

 

[tirediron]

...A set of umbrellas is what I was thinking of trying since you can get umbrellas pretty cheap.

Skip the Fong Dong - it diffuses, but does not make your light source any larger. A pair of convertible umbrellas in 43" or similar size will do nicely. For $100, you can pick up good quality Photoflex or similar units, or hit eBay for $10 cheapies just to play with.

 

[DanOstergren]

Your light source is too low.

Yes, we are used to seeing light from above due to sun and overhead lighting, but I do not believe that is a good reason to set it up that way. Lighting from above the subject helps contour their face, bringing out their cheek bones and giving structure to the face. It essentially mimics a makeup technique called contouring, which is widely used because it looks good. If your lighting can compliment someone in the same way that contouring does, you are on the right track.