Hedgecoe Flash Portrait Project #1

jcdeboever · Jan 1, 2016

Hegdecoe's lights were old style as well, so maybe that makes a difference. No catch lights in girls eyes in #2. Poop. I am a little stumped on reflector. Maybe I will get a doll or something and really attack this tomorrow. Kids are over it already. Hopefully I am not wearing y'all out but I am learning a lot... I think.

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Derrel · Jan 1, 2016

You are doing VERY well for just starting to try portraiture with one light! "Rome wasn't lighted in a day."

Learning lighting from diagrams in books or from the web/net can be a bit tricky; there are a number of difficult to define variations that can significantly alter how a set-up needs to be positioned. Different beam-spreads, different modifiers, different grids, different everything.

If you look at on-line lighting diagrams, MANY of them will show reflector positions that are way too far behind the subject's face; placements that will illuminate the shadow-side shoulder and shadow-side ear in an unflattering way, and which will also illuminate the nose to a weird degree. A basic rule of thumb is that the reflector needs to be in front of the sitter's placement!

On the internet one will encounter many lighting diagrams that will show incorrect or useless lighting placements, placements that just simply do NOT work...stuff often drawn up after the fact, from memory, or worse, drawn by illustrators for authors, or drawn by computer software programs by people who really do not fully understand actual, best practices, or nuance. You'll typically see references to this issue only from observant, master-level lighting instructors.

Different lights can and do cast different beam spreads; flood lights can easily have 65 degree beam spreads,all the way up to 110 degree beams, so it's possible to get a catchlight from a 110-degree beam spread light that's wayyyyyy off-axis! If it's a BRIGHT light, say a 250-Watt quartz lamp, the eyes will have brilliant catchlights.

You are undertaking something that is not especially easy to do without an on-site mentor to show you some of the nuances. In the solo shot of your granddaughter in Post #15, the light is positioned at a good height to give a 1 o'clock catchlight, but in the dual shot, her head is turned down, and her eyes do not reflect the light; it's a near-miss for her, but fine for the boy. This is why in the other thread, me and AKUK are stating that a speedlight is not the ideal tool for learning how to light...you just do not have the visual feedback to literally see what the light is doing, as people move, pose, and re-pose, and so on.

jcdeboever · Jan 1, 2016

Derrel said:
You are doing VERY well for just starting to try portraiture with one light! "Rome wasn't lighted in a day."

Learning lighting from diagrams in books or from the web/net can be a bit tricky; there are a number of difficult to define variations that can significantly alter how a set-up needs to be positioned. Different beam-spreads, different modifiers, different grids, different everything.

If you look at on-line lighting diagrams, MANY of them will show reflector positions that are way too far behind the subject's face; placements that will illuminate the shadow-side shoulder and shadow-side ear in an unflattering way, and which will also illuminate the nose to a weird degree. A basic rule of thumb is that the reflector needs to be in front of the sitter's placement!

On the internet one will encounter many lighting diagrams that will show incorrect or useless lighting placements, placements that just simply do NOT work...stuff often drawn up after the fact, from memory, or worse, drawn by illustrators for authors, or drawn by computer software programs by people who really do not fully understand actual, best practices, or nuance. You'll typically see references to this issue only from observant, master-level lighting instructors.

Different lights can and do cast different beam spreads; flood lights can easily have 65 degree beam spreads,all the way up to 110 degree beams, so it's possible to get a catchlight from a 110-degree beam spread light that's wayyyyyy off-axis! If it's a BRIGHT light, say a 250-Watt quartz lamp, the eyes will have brilliant catchlights.

You are undertaking something that is not especially easy to do without an on-site mentor to show you some of the nuances. In the solo shot of your granddaughter in Post #15, the light is positioned at a good height to give a 1 o'clock catchlight, but in the dual shot, her head is turned down, and her eyes do not reflect the light; it's a near-miss for her, but fine for the boy. This is why in the other thread, me and AKUK are stating that a speedlight is not the ideal tool for learning how to light...you just do not have the visual feedback to literally see what the light is doing, as people move, pose, and re-pose, and so on.

Yeah, my buddy left for Arizona so I am kind of on my own. But heck, y'all are giving me some pretty good direction. I will stay the coarse. You should have seen the first round of pics....yuck...embarrassed.

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tirediron · Jan 1, 2016

jcdeboever said:
... You should have seen the first round of pics ....yuck... embarrassed.

Mehh... nothing to worry about. Everyone started at the beginning at some point. I'd say you're doing well.

Derrel · Jan 2, 2016

Here's what I would do, for about $8. Get one of these 5.5" dia. clamp-on work lights. Loosen the screw that pinches the collar onto the ball-joint thingamajig, then mount the tensioner onto the umbrella shaft, or wire it on with some soft twist ties, or DIY/McGuyver It with whatever it takes so it rides underneath the umbrella shaft and position it so that the light's beam spread fills the umbrella bowl with the light beam, and put a 100-Watt bulb in there, or whatever the brightest bulb you can get to fit an Edison base socket like this one. That will get the eyes to close down a bit, LIGHT up the umbrella, so you can literally see where the catchlights are, where the shadows fall, and so on.

Portable Clamp-On Light 5-1/2" Reflector - - Amazon.com

If you work in a somewhat darkened room, you will then be able to preview and continuously monitor the lighting effect. First, raise or lower the main light so the nose shadow is where you want it. Look for decent catchlight pattern in the eyes for some eye-sparkle, as I call it.

With this light, you can see what the effect is as the light is moved to 1) the proper height and then 2)as the light's position is moved through an arc on the floor.

This is how to light people. Height, and arc. The rest is super-flexible.