Using A ND Filter In Studio Portraits?

[smoke665]

Am I missing something????? Just perusing an online course in lighting from The School of Photography. Thought it might be something I could benefit from but at about 2.50 into the preview the guy talks about the need to add a 3 stop ND filter?????? I can't see the reasoning for not just adjusting the lighting power??? What am I missing????

 

[Braineack]

He said he was shooting at 2.8, it's possible he couldn't bring his lights down low enough to do what he wanted.

 

[Derrel]

GOTTA' get that shallow depth of field... there is something appealing to having one eye in focus and the other eye out of focus... and who wants the nose in focus?

 

[zulu42]

Everyone knows that's the only way to do the bokeh

 

[Braineack]

GOTTA' get that shallow depth of field... there is something appealing to having one eye in focus and the other eye out of focus... and who wants the nose in focus?

you can do it!


DSC_7727 by Braineack, on Flickr

 

[smoke665]

Okay so you lose image quality with a piece of glass, so you can shoot wide open under lights. Yeah that makes sense now.....not.

 

[vintagesnaps]

What are you missing?? Look at his portfolio, at a glance it seems mediocre at best. The so-called 'school' (which is NOT any sort of actual school as far as I can tell) seems to offer what is in the UK 'A' level, but apparently that's equivalent to high school, possibly college prep.

These to me seem to be be basic, so-so high school level courses. It could be it's comparable to adult continuing ed. courses here which are only for personal learning and enrichment.

I'd find something better than this guy, who like many others has figured out to promote himself all over the internet (AKA 'internationally'). edit - And I was done a minute and a half in after seeing the example of the blonde model with a bland expression and no hair styling; if those are examples of his best work, why bother?

 

[zulu42]

You turn your aperture in, you turn your focus out, you do the hokeh bokeh and you blur yourself about

 

[smoke665]

@vintagesnaps and @zulu42 but if you do it with a British accent doesn't that make it legit?

 

[Derrel]

"A" is the first letter in the alphabet, so A-level instruction would be first level, right?

 

[Derrel]

A three-stop neutral density filter makes it so much easier to see through the camera. It takes those 150-watt modeling lights down to hallway night light levels!

 

[smoke665]

A three-stop neutral density filter makes it so much easier to see through the camera. It takes those 150-watt modeling lights down to hallway night light levels!

Well that's so you can also use your nifty night vision goggles!

 

[petrochemist]

I guess he must have very poor quality lights and no space to move them back
My first studio flash only had two power settings full & half power, but even with that I've never had any need for ND filters indoors.

FWIW A-level stands for Advanced-level following on from the Ordinary levels, but if it's anything like the BTEC course in photography my daughters just finished it will have very little photography in it.
My daughters course was more about how you can play with prints cutting them & weaving the strips, or layering them with little spacers for a 3D finish!

 

[malling]

Why would anyone use ND for indoor portraits?

Just like why would you use f 2.8, for portraits? do you like half of the face out of focus?

I have never truly grasped the concept of tight dof with location portraits, then you can just as well shoot indoor. It’s actually a good thing that you can see the background as it benefits to the story of the picture, why on earth would you want it to blurry out.

 

[petrochemist]

Why would anyone use ND for indoor portraits?

Just like why would you use f 2.8, for portraits? do you like half of the face out of focus?

I have never truly grasped the concept of tight dof with location portraits, then you can just as well shoot indoor. It’s actually a good thing that you can see the background as it benefits to the story of the picture, why on earth would you want it to blurry out.

Many people don't have a convenient studio, and even if they do the interesting person they want to photograph probably wouldn't want to relocate... 'Just as well shoot indoor' is frequently not an option!

If the background adds to the image it doesn't make much sense to 'blurry it out' but often it's a distraction and often when it does add it becomes distracting if fully sharp, a slightly blurred background can hint at the location enough to provide the story. Like so much of photography a balance is required!