My First Model Shoot C&C

[Christie Photo]

The lighting/exposure is terrible. Especially in the first one.

Well... to expand on this a bit...

One might consider the lighting SO FAR is fine IF you think of the light you've used is just the skim, or kicker light. Now you need to add a fill and main light.

There's much more to lighting a shot like this than merely having adequate light. Each and every light should have a purpose, creating a desired effect.

Think of it a starting with a blank canvas. Each time you add take a brush and add some paint, you're adding to the composition. Since this is done with light in our medium, approach it the same way.

Start with general illumination... the fill lighting. This will be flat, shadowless light, making a record of the entire scene.

Then, add a main light (or key light). This light will provide shape to the subject. Position it so it lights the more important parts of you subject. Start with a light that is twice the power of the fill light. You can then increase or decrease the output to achieve the lighting ratio (or lighting scheme) you want.

Now add other lights, like on the background, hair, skim, etc. This first photo appears as if you've turned off the main and the fill, making a shot with only the skim.

I hope this is helpful.

-Pete

 

[bgaideski]

thank you all for your great comments. the inconsistant white balance comes from me tweeking the image in photoshop. almost all of the pictures came out with a yellow tint, which was my fault because i didnt adjust the white balance and i was mainly using shutter priority.

i do have a tripod, its not a great one, i use it once in a while, but didn't on this shoot. i will practice keeping my camera in the same spot, and direct the model more. i think that will help too.

Pete: I will be taking your advice and approach lighting a different way then i am used to. It seems very informative.

I'm going to start looking into lighting solutions that will work best for me. thanks again for all the great info.