Just starting out. Interested in shooting talent (models, actors). But my photos look flat. Help me?

[Village Idiot]

It's probably better if you start with just one light and learn the basics and go from there. Start here:

Strobist: Lighting 101

This applies to speedlights off camera or large studio lights. Basically a light is a light is a light. Certain factors can change the color, heat, and brightness, but the photons striking their target will be emitted the same and act the same from any light source.

 

[Derrel]

In the beach shoot, all I saw were 1) a 22 inch beauty dish on a monolight, and some type of portable power. Plus hair and makeup and two assistants, maybe three. In the shots where the model "pops", he's using a pretty common technique of shooting later in the day, and deliberately under-exposing the sky and background, and then using the flash unit's power adjustment to get the right exposure and look on the foreground and subject. By making the background DARK, the subject advances, or "pops!".

Light advances, dark recedes. It's ages-old. In your shots, you have everything at more of less the same brightness. If you want images that look dramatic, and which pop!, you need to LIGHT things, so that there are some tonal differences. A big, huge, broad wash of soft, reflector fill with a mushy, direction-less main light source creates nothing but low-contrast, shadowless lighting, which is very dull, visually. The shot of the blonde has a shadow on the neckline of her sweater, because the reflector is in effect, a main light coming from underneath her chin, and it looks,well, dull and oddly lighted. You want pop, and three-dimensionality? You need to either LIGHT UP some stuff, or take away some light from major parts of the scene, to create a darker background.

 

[tecboy]

This is what Derrel is talking about. I used Yongnuo flash. The challenge part is to get the right camera setting.

 

[Village Idiot]

Can even do this with one light. Basically you just asked how to add contrast to your photos. This photo use a second strobe for fill, but it's subtle and you can get away without it.

 

[astroNikon]

cost of equipment = not too much
knowledge of how to use = priceless

 

[mcap1972]

I'm just starting out in the world of photography. I want to focus on fashion, models, and actor headshots. I was told I need to invest in professional equipment, most important being the camera (full frame). But most full frame cameras are very expensive and out of my budget. Right now I'm using a Canon Rebel T4i with kit lens. My photos are not looking the way I want them too. They look flat. I've tried everything, even using the pop up flash. What are the best camera settings to make your photos come alive? I found this video on YouTube and it really caught my attention, the photographer is using a $599 Canon 60D (which I'm told has the same 18mp sensor as my camera), yet his images pop off the screen and are glowing.... How is this possible?



Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

-Megan

I think you need to pay more attention to your lighting setup. Try to get/borrow a ring light and experiment.

 

[Village Idiot]

I think you need to pay more attention to your lighting setup. Try to get/borrow a ring light and experiment.

Except that the OP is trying to make their photos not look flat. A ring light will do the opposite.

 

[KmH]

The opposite of 'flat' is 'pop' and pop is all about using light effectively - be it using available light or making the kind of light you want from a direction you choose.

By making light you have way more options and way more control than if you rely on available light.
BTW - All light is 'natural'.

Photographic Lighting Equipment: A Comprehensive Guide for Digital Photographers

Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It: Learn Step by Step How to Go from Empty Studio to Finished Image (Voices That Matter)

Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter)

Direction & Quality of Light: Your Key to Better Portrait Photography Anywhere

On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography

Off-Camera Flash: Techniques for Digital Photographers

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography

Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography

 

[frommrstomommy]

I'd say work on your editing skills and look into lights like mentioned. I'm still terrified of lights lol so I'm not much help there but I will say that learning to work with the natural light around you and editing in post can take you a long way. There are a handful of "natural light" photographers I follow who do amazing things in post.

 

[Vince.1551]

On top of all those you need to learn photoshop


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[IntrepidB]

A great photo is almost always the result of the equipment combined with the planning and the photographer's skills (this includes post processing).

You can get a medium format Hasselblad and it will still take ordinary photos if your lighting is poor. A better camera will be sharper and have lower noise on higher ISO, but no camera body will make the photos you want if the lighting is not adequate.

My suggestion to you is to get adobe Lightroom or some other similar photo editing program. Using the tools provided you can improve the photo so much, I can't remember the last time I used a photo straight out of the camera. There's always some adjustment on exposure, contrast, clarity, white balance etc that can be done to improve the image.

Also, get yourself an external flash (not the small ones, get something that can rotate the head in all directions) and try bouncing the light using (white) ceiling and walls, a simple white wall behind the camera can be extremely useful to diffuse the light.

 

[rickgerhart]

Adobe light room is my favorite app for adding punch to a photos. Shoot raw and you'll be amazed at how good you really are when you open up your images in literoom. Its been said before ...move your flash off camera. One other thing your images don't appear real sharp...remove any filters, why...put a $20 filter on a $500 lens whats the lens worth now? $20.

 

[wfooshee]

Notice that even in full daylight they're using LARGE powerful lights!! That lets them put the light where they WANT it, not just where it happens to fall. It also increases the contrast between the subject and the background, which is most of what you're thinking of as "pop," probably.

And there'll be some work on the computer after the shooting, too.

 

[Forkie]

I have a confession to make.

When you said you were just starting out and your pictures didn't pop and a couple of people asked you to post your pictures, I was expecting crap. That's bad of me. I know, I'm a judgmental pig. I hold my hands up and take my punishment

If you're interested in headshots, you're pretty much there. These headshots are AWESOME.

There's a lot to learn when moving to using off-camera flash and I would encourage you to learn it when you can, but your natural light shots are damn near perfect and all they need is a little push in post processing.

I hope you don't mind (if you do, I'll remove this straight away), but I had a play with your first image:

All I did, was darken the shadows around the sides of the face, where there would be natural fall off and highlight the cheekbones, forehead and chin where light would normally naturally fall. I brightened up her eyes a smidgen and then brightened up the image a bit as a whole. If it was my own image, I would spend more time on just smoothing out the skin, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a saleable headshot. An actor in London would pay somewhere in the region of £150 for this shot alone.

Don't be discouraged by not being able to afford lighting yet. This is great work, Megan.

 

[KmH]

Megan has not logged in again since the thread was started 4 months ago on September 17.

As mentioned light quality and direction is the key to making high quality photogrtaphs.
Using only available light can mean having to compromise on the light quality and direction or wait a long time for the light quality and direction to be right for your shot. That's why photographers often use a studio and lights the photographer has total light quality and direction control over.