Lighting For Tattoo Photos

[Big Mike]

The G11 has a hot shoe, does it not?

Get an accessory flash that can tilt and bounce the flash off of walls and/or the ceiling. You get the crispness of a flash photo, without the harsh look of direct on-camera flash.

The shop I work in has red walls and a lot of black. It might not be good for bouncing light around. Do you think using a hot shoe flash with a diffuser would work just as well?

If so, if I use a diffuser over the flash, do I have to fiddle around with the camera settings to get it to work?

A diffuser would help, yes...but you need to realize that just putting something small over the flash, won't really help. What you are looking to do, is enlarge the light source and get it farther away from the lens (changing the angle, so that it doesn't directly bounce back to the camera). If your area is too red, then maybe get a reflector and bounce the flash off of that. All you really need would be a white sheet of something (foam core board, fiber board, even a white sheet etc.)

As long as you get a 'dedicated' (E-TTL) flash, you won't have to fiddle around too much. The flash & camera can figure out how much light is needed, whether your bounce or shoot direct etc. Although, you should still learn a bit about the camera settings like aperture, ISO and shutter speed.

 

[doziergraphic]

nice artwork on the tats.

 

[tom beard]

Big Mikes suggestion about a flash is good. For most of them, you can get a separate plastic diffuser that slips over the flash head which will soften the light. Could you clean up the work when it is finished and dry it, then photograph it before putting the Vaseline on. Tom Beard

 

[fokker]

Id seriously steer away from any flash suggestions for this scenario (compact camera, questionable ability to bounce the flash, always shooting in the same environment). Just do as mrshaleyberg suggested and get a cheap clamp light with some sort of diffuser (homemade softbox or an umbrella). I t doesn't matter if you have to rig it up with gaffer tape or something like that, it doesn't sound like you will need to move it around much. It will give you good results, just make sure you get the white balance right in the camera and don't use the built in flash.

 

[kundalini]

Further on to what Big Mike mentioned about bouncing off something white..... if you get an external flash thumbsup, you can reverse fire (swivel the flash head 180°) it onto your something white. This will increase the size of you light source, creating a softer, more diffused light.

 

[Derrel]

You do tats, you have cash.

2x Lumopro LP160
1 radio transmitter
2x radio receivers
2x light stands
2x umbrella adapters
2x Westcott 43" shoot through umbrellas

I think that's it.

Fire flashes from left and right with the correct setting. ****ING masterpiece.

*****ridiculous.

 

[Emilymarie]

I don't know how things work up there in Canadia..... but here in the good ole US of A you would more than likely be able to write that stuff off as a business expense.

Just sayin.

 

[Village Idiot]

You do tats, you have cash.

2x Lumopro LP160
1 radio transmitter
2x radio receivers
2x light stands
2x umbrella adapters
2x Westcott 43" shoot through umbrellas

I think that's it.

Fire flashes from left and right with the correct setting. ****ING masterpiece.

*****ridiculous.

No it's not.

 

[fokker]

Yes it is - the OP is trying to get decent photos of tattoos, not become a professional studio photographer :er: There is no need to spend anything more than a few bucks on a constant light source and some kind of homemade or cheap modifier.

 

[Village Idiot]

Yes it is - the OP is trying to get decent photos of tattoos, not become a professional studio photographer :er: There is no need to spend anything more than a few bucks on a constant light source and some kind of homemade or cheap modifier.

Hot light? Like one where they'll have to shoot with long shutter speeds or high ISOs? I didn't think they wanted crap quality.

And the list with the speedlights is my no means a professional setup. They could get along with one speed lights, and the rest of the setup for under $200.