Upcoming shoot with my daughters - need some portable lighting

Theantiquetiger

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I am planning a serious photo shoot with my daughters in a month or so.


This is a room in the Nottoway Plantation I shot last week. I've done talked to them about shooting in this room with my daughters and it is OK, I just can't bring in huge equipment (that I don't have anyway). I will be using a soft box over my speed lite, but I want a couple small, battery powered lights to help curb any shadows. I am thinking something along the lines of a powerful flashlight with a soft box on them. Is there something like this or something I could make?

Edit - test images from today

Here are some test shots I took of the room today. I set a custom white balance to the wall of #'s 1,3, & 4. #2 was the other end of the room, so the WB is a little off. These were taken at high noon. The windows are East #1,3, & 4/West #2


whiteroom1 by Theantiquetiger, on Flickr


whiteroom2 by Theantiquetiger, on Flickr


whiteroom3 by Theantiquetiger, on Flickr


whiteroom4 by Theantiquetiger, on Flickr
 
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Well, I didn't get any replies yet, so I went shopping.


I bought two of these. Anyone use these? Worth a damn? I check their website, they are sold out, so I had to buy on ebay.


F198B73D.jpg
 
With that kind of ambient light...why use flashes? That room is beaming with light already
 
Yeah. I would not use flash at all in that room. Beautiful room. You have built in reflectors from the walls. Just shoot earlier in the day and not at after dark. I would do a custom WB too or use my Expodisc for this one. Anything to save time in post.
 
If you need anything, a large reflector or would be it (a couple of sheets of Coroplast or poster-board will be great). That's a beautiful space and those LED lights will clash horribly with the existing ambient unless you gel the Hades outta' 'em.
 
With that kind of ambient light...why use flashes? That room is beaming with light already
I am just worried about hard shadows.

Just bounce the flash (off everything) and there won't be anything to worry about.

Bounced off the ceiling, the light will be primarily coming from above, off a right-angle wall, it will be coming in at an angle to your subjects, and if you bounce off the wall behind you, it will be coming in straight at them, but I can't imagine there will be any harsh shadows.
 
The photo is probably a timed exposure, done on a tripod and the has had the crap photoshopped out of it...I seriously have my doubts that it's even 1/5 as bright as it look in "the photo". Yes, it has some windows in it.
 
Watch out for reflections. Did you notice you can see yourself in the mirror in that first shot?

I actually DO use flash indoors WHENEVER there is a window to the outside in the frame. That's because "outside" is "sunny 16" exposure and "inside" is... well... a lot less. What I want to do is boost the exposure inside so that it's (preferably) within a stop of the outside exposure. That way the view out the window isn't just blown out.

I see the EXIF on your first image is ISO 320, f/9, and 1/20th. If you could get ISO 100, f/9 or 10 and 1/200th then the windows would look fantastic. Otherwise you're going to have bright over-lit and likely blown out windows like you have in these sample shots. Basically you need to bring up the light by about 4 1/2 to 5 stops. If you shoot in mild overcast (even though you're indoors) that will cut the outside light by about a stop and make it easier to light inside.

The trick is the light fall-off with flash in a large room. The farther away the flash (from the subject) the more gradual the fall-off. If the flash is too close to the subject then the fall-off will be too quick and your model will look bright but the rest of the room will look dark.
 
Watch out for reflections. Did you notice you can see yourself in the mirror in that first shot?

I actually DO use flash indoors WHENEVER there is a window to the outside in the frame. That's because "outside" is "sunny 16" exposure and "inside" is... well... a lot less. What I want to do is boost the exposure inside so that it's (preferably) within a stop of the outside exposure. That way the view out the window isn't just blown out.

I see the EXIF on your first image is ISO 320, f/9, and 1/20th. If you could get ISO 100, f/9 or 10 and 1/200th then the windows would look fantastic. Otherwise you're going to have bright over-lit and likely blown out windows like you have in these sample shots. Basically you need to bring up the light by about 4 1/2 to 5 stops. If you shoot in mild overcast (even though you're indoors) that will cut the outside light by about a stop and make it easier to light inside.

The trick is the light fall-off with flash in a large room. The farther away the flash (from the subject) the more gradual the fall-off. If the flash is too close to the subject then the fall-off will be too quick and your model will look bright but the rest of the room will look dark.

Yeah, I saw myself when I got home. Kind of glad I did it, so I will remember not to do it next time.

Thanks for the advice. I should have moved the settings around, I was just shooting in AV priority f/9 (figured it would be around the best f-stop)
 
Those floors are awesome. You could pick up a nice reflection in them. I picture something high key in the love chair cornered by the two windows. Probably not the look you're going for with your daughter though. Either way I'm sure the pictures are going to come out really nice. Beautiful location.
 

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