Headshot Matthew Boyce

[Pallycow]

cgibson, used an umbrella and softbox, maybe will set farther frum subject next tyme.

You get softer light two different ways.....

#1 A larger light source
#2 a closer light source

How is moving the softbox farther away going to help? What size softbox/ umbrella? How far away were they already?

Que?

further away = less light thus softer highlights?

moving the light further away will make it a harsher light. imagine the sun vs a softbox. softbox up on the face a foot away, nice soft light. sun, a million miles away...harsh crappy light. Extreme analogy, but the point remains the same. the further away the light source the harsher the light.

 

[runnah]

You get softer light two different ways.....

#1 A larger light source
#2 a closer light source

How is moving the softbox farther away going to help? What size softbox/ umbrella? How far away were they already?

Que?

further away = less light thus softer highlights?

moving the light further away will make it a harsher light. imagine the sun vs a softbox. softbox up on the face a foot away, nice soft light. sun, a million miles away...harsh crappy light. Extreme analogy, but the point remains the same. the further away the light source the harsher the light.

But the OP said he had a reflector to counter act the shadows. Maybe I need to spend more time in the studio.

 

[cgipson1]

You get softer light two different ways.....

#1 A larger light source
#2 a closer light source

How is moving the softbox farther away going to help? What size softbox/ umbrella? How far away were they already?

Que?

further away = less light thus softer highlights?

Thanks Runnah...

But it is wrong! lol!

 

[runnah]

Que?

further away = less light thus softer highlights?

Thanks Runnah...

But it is wrong! lol!

Don't you ever correct me on camera!

 

[cgipson1]

Thanks Runnah...

But it is wrong! lol!

Don't you ever correct me on camera!

 

[pixmedic]

if you cant/don't want to move the lighting closer with the diffuser you used on this shot, you can also use a larger softbox or shoot through umbrella to soften the light more.

 

[cgipson1]

How to achieve soft lighting for portrait photography

What makes light soft?
One thing, and one thing alone makes lighting soft: size. It is not about how bright the light source is, nor how diffused the light source is, nor anything else. It’s all about size. The larger the light source, the softer the light. This explains why the (horrible) photographers at the department-store photo studio your wife forces you to shoot their flash units into umbrellas. The flash unit itself is only a few inches wide, but when you shoot it into an umbrella, it becomes 43 inches (sorry, I don’t do metric, but I’m sure you know what an umbrella looks like) in diameter! Making the light large makes it soft. The same is true with the relative size. If you’re shooting a portrait of someone and the light is too hard, do you put the flash closer or further away from the person? It may surprise you that the answer is to put the flash closer to the subject. When the light is closer, it seems larger than if the light is further away. This relative size of the flash also affects softness.

 

[Pallycow]

Maybe I need to spend more time in the studio.

yup...come down to bangor and you can hop in the studio and test all kinds of things out....

 

[runnah]

yup...come down to bangor and you can hop in the studio and test all kinds of things out....

Give that blonde a call and it's a date.

 

[Pallycow]

yup...come down to bangor and you can hop in the studio and test all kinds of things out....

Give that blonde a call and it's a date.

lol...which one? lol I assume you mean the boobs one... I should be shooting her again soon, in the next month or so.

 

[runnah]

lol...which one? lol I assume you mean the boobs one... I should be shooting her again soon, in the next month or so.

Ooo, I keep meaning to pop in when I am up your way. I assume the studio is on site?

 

[Pallycow]

lol...which one? lol I assume you mean the boobs one... I should be shooting her again soon, in the next month or so.

Ooo, I keep meaning to pop in when I am up your way. I assume the studio is on site?

Yeah, it's adjacent to the shop

 

[LouR]

I would do a headswap-place #1 onto #2, warm it up and run a light burn over his face.
I'll remove it if you ask.

 

[twocolor]

He's got a halo behind his head on the second image that needs to be fixed as well.