Model in Low Key Light C&C?

[cptkid]

Hello all

Heres a low key portrait shot with Sarah

Shot on D7000, 85mm, 1/125 @ F/11.

I found it very difficult to shoot in low key and keep the light flattering for a female. It probably could have benefited from a kicker light, but just one strobe was used in a 22" beautydish.

Would love some C&C on what I could do to improve this further?

 

[tirediron]

Flattering low-key shots for women have always been a challenge for me too; I much prefer to shoot high-key. That said, I think you've done a good job here. I like the way the lighting works and the only real nit is the fly-away hairs over her left eye.

 

[Derrel]

I pulled it into LR to investigate some ways to improve it further. Unfortunately, there is nothing below her face that has any light to speak of, so there's not much that can be done. Perhaps you could clone in a small catchlight in the eye on the left--that could be done, and would improve this I think. I agree that a second light would really have helped. I'm afraid this shot just does not have a lot going for it except for a well made-up woman in clear, sharp focus, shot with a good lens and a good camera.

 

[e.rose]

White balance looks a little too cool to me. As far as lighting is concerned though, nice job.

 

[gsgary]

Short lighting would have made her face look slimmer

 

[unpopular]

White balance looks a little too cool to me. As far as lighting is concerned though, nice job.

seems generally under exposed, no?

 

[cptkid]

I pulled it into LR to investigate some ways to improve it further. Unfortunately, there is nothing below her face that has any light to speak of, so there's not much that can be done. Perhaps you could clone in a small catchlight in the eye on the left--that could be done, and would improve this I think. I agree that a second light would really have helped. I'm afraid this shot just does not have a lot going for it except for a well made-up woman in clear, sharp focus, shot with a good lens and a good camera.

Yeah the entire rest of the frame is pretty much pure black. Thats the look I was going for.

I might try and clone a catchlight as you say, but as both of us have said, I think a second light may have given this a little bit more presence as a photo.

Here's another from the same session, a little les low key, and with a second light.

 

[JoeLeBean]

The 2nd shot is nice the only little detail which annoys are her teeth, IMO they distract a touch too much.

 

[e.rose]

White balance looks a little too cool to me. As far as lighting is concerned though, nice job.

seems generally under exposed, no?

Not to me. Just looks like he didn't blast her with light. And like the midtones are lacking a little bit of contrast. And like the white balance is too cool. I don't have any issues with how it was lit. She just looks like she's turning blue, which bothers me.

 

[cptkid]

White balance looks a little too cool to me. As far as lighting is concerned though, nice job.

seems generally under exposed, no?

Not to me. Just looks like he didn't blast her with light. And like the midtones are lacking a little bit of contrast. And like the white balance is too cool. I don't have any issues with how it was lit. She just looks like she's turning blue, which bothers me.

Yeah i just bought a new monitor, which hasn't been calibrated. I think that could be why its looking blue to you, because it looks fine to me, my calibration is most certainly off.

 

[DanOstergren]

My only issue is how there is zero detail to the dark tones of the photo. Perhaps a wider aperture would help bring some of the detail into the darker areas of the shot. I have good results for low key when I use a window with soft even light coming through as the light source, with a fairly wide aperture.

 

[cptkid]

In my opinion that kinda defeats the object of it being low key.

 

[JenR]

She is lovely and the lighting on her face looks nice. However, she is looking a bit like a head with no body here. Low key has lots of dark tones, not big areas of no detail at all.

 

[DanOstergren]

In my opinion that kinda defeats the object of it being low key.

I think you can still do low key while retaining detail, and in my opinion light and detail are of the highest importance in a photo, even in low key lighting. That lack of detail is just ruining any other good attributes of the shot to me. Something like this is what I try to go for when photographing a model with low key light:
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...menting-natural-light-sources-_mg_2711b-w.jpg

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/attachments/people-photography/47631d1371194365-experimenting-natural-light-sources-_mg_2746.jpg

 

[DanOstergren]

She is lovely and the lighting on her face looks nice. However, she is looking a bit like a head with no body here. Low key has lots of dark tones, not big areas of no detail at all.

Agreed.