Derrel
Mr. Rain Cloud
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2009
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- 48,225
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- USA
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- www.pbase.com
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
I would try using the reflecting umbrella as my main light, and the 20 inch softbox placed right next to the camera, as close as you can get it, and aimed straight ahead, at camera height. That is the classic way to do on-axis fill lighting.
You could also try using just one, single umbrella to light the people. If the room is small, and the umbrella is large-ish, that might provide a nice 3:1 or 4:1 lighting ratio that would look "professional" and quite good.
In my experience, a 20-inch softbox is not large enough for a half-body portrait of an adult standing person, unless there is enough room to back the light well away from the person. A room of 12x8 is quite small. In rooms of that size, the walls themselves, and the spill lighting that comes out of umbrellas, acts as a defacto light source. That is why I am suggesting that only one umbrella might be ample. If the ceiling is low, the ceiling can act as a bounce card from spill light that exits the umbrella at the sides; much of how a light source performs in a small room depends upon the EXACT, specific light modifier and on the reflector that is on the flash head. And on the way the flash tube disperses its light. Some people have flash units that have tiny, little doughnut-shaped flash tubes that ride wayyyyy back inside of their reflectors and are very very small; other brands of studio flash have BIG, LONG,massive flash tubes and or Pyrex shrouds or frosted domes, that extend almost four inches, and which blast light out in an almost "bare bulb" manner. I am going by what I am seeing from your test photos...
You could also try using just one, single umbrella to light the people. If the room is small, and the umbrella is large-ish, that might provide a nice 3:1 or 4:1 lighting ratio that would look "professional" and quite good.
In my experience, a 20-inch softbox is not large enough for a half-body portrait of an adult standing person, unless there is enough room to back the light well away from the person. A room of 12x8 is quite small. In rooms of that size, the walls themselves, and the spill lighting that comes out of umbrellas, acts as a defacto light source. That is why I am suggesting that only one umbrella might be ample. If the ceiling is low, the ceiling can act as a bounce card from spill light that exits the umbrella at the sides; much of how a light source performs in a small room depends upon the EXACT, specific light modifier and on the reflector that is on the flash head. And on the way the flash tube disperses its light. Some people have flash units that have tiny, little doughnut-shaped flash tubes that ride wayyyyy back inside of their reflectors and are very very small; other brands of studio flash have BIG, LONG,massive flash tubes and or Pyrex shrouds or frosted domes, that extend almost four inches, and which blast light out in an almost "bare bulb" manner. I am going by what I am seeing from your test photos...
