HOW I GOT THE SHOT 3 FOR 1

I missed last month of "How I Got The Shot" so this month I'll throw in a 3 for 1.

I have been trying to show examples of easy shots with very little equipment that anyone can do. Here is a set of different shots with basically the same principle and setup with slightly different settings. All where metered prior to shooting and then adjusted for the look I wanted. Remember a light meter as well as your Auto and P mode will all give you a starting point for your creation. Find that starting point and then adjust the shutter and f stop to see what happens.



On this one I put the light beside me about 10-12 feet from the model and I had my assistant hold the reflector about waist level next to her. That blended the light and took out the shadows.



This one was shot pretty much the same way except I used a larger panel and angled it so it would mix the natural and strobe lights. This not only lit her well but kept the backgound nice and saturated.




This last on was shot with a reflector only that was about 10-15 feet away. I used the silver/gold side because of the distance and it also helped smooth her skin tone out to bring out her eyes.

GREAT SHOTS WITH BAD LIGHTING AND KEEPING THE ACTION

I have done a tutorial about layer blends before and the one in the demo there is not a great difference in the before and after. Here is one that is. At a high school game with the worst lights I have ever seen on one end of the field I took the following picture. Now keep in mind that this was set to ISO 1250 on a 40D with a f/2.o 135 prime and it was at f/2. I wanted to keep the action so I set the Shutter Speed to 500. The first is the original shot.

When I brought it into photoshop I did a duplicate layer and with the levels brightened it until everything was seen clearly>ok> I then went to the layer pallet and chose blending options from the drop down menu>general blending was set to 97>Advanced blending was set to 78 and the final result was the second photo.

I captured a larger image with a screen capture software so it is a little off but I wanted you to see clearly and going though PS would have made it to large. So don't give up on those dark images and use your SS to stop the action.

HOW I GOT THE SHOT

I love the look of a softbox, don't you. Any one can do it and it looks great for males and females alike. This was done with a 2 light system but it can be modified for 1 light and softbox. You will need to replace the white v-cards with a silver bounce panel.

I placed the subject about 6-8 feet infront of the blackout cloth to make sure I do not have any light spills because of the v-card panels. Oh by the way, I am using the term v-card panels for the bounce panels because everyone knows what they are. What I really used was a couple of $1 cardboard presentation boards made by Elmer Glue. They really work pretty good and if you lose one no problems I got a case of them around here somewhere.

Anyway, after placing the subject where I wanted him, I metered the shot that I want. I was shooting ISO 100 and the metere said I should go for 1/250 at f/10. Because of his complection I opened up a little and started at 1/125. I had a medium softbox pointed directly 90 degrees to the side.

For the second light here I put up 2 v-card panels diectly to his other side that could wrap around him from front side to back side. For this one I aimed the small strobe directly at the board instead of him. This would pick up some soft spill wrap around light that would create the mood I was looking for here.

Here is the lighting diagram I used for this one.



Play around with this set up. You will be amazed at the range you can get from it. Turn the small light toward him to create the butterfly lighting effect. Turn off the small light and get that mean, don't mess with me look.

MODIFYING LIGHTS WITH UMBRELLAS

Modifying lights are fun. It takes very little to change the mood of a scene by adding or taking away umbrella’s, reflectors, white panels or any number of things you can get your hands on.

Take this shot below. Each shot was taken f/10, 1/125 at ISO 100.



The first was taken with one light with the silver dish that came with the unit. As it should, it comes across as a wide spot; throwing dramatic shadows. This can be used to show a number of things but I mainly think about evil, sadistic, terror or meanness. This lighting technique really requires the subject not to smile because of the shadows it cuts, throws or creates. It closes down the rear lighting for that extra touch. If I were to shoot a burglar outside before he breaks into your house this is the light I would choose to cast the character.

However, this could also be a good use to outline the body. Showing the curves of women or muscles of a man highlighting the form. The light will cut in and allow you to paint with it to really create a piece of beauty and art. if your going to do this please use a solid background.

Let’s add a second light in #2 (middle). The same settings were used, just metered for the two instead of one. Now lets look at this one. It has a more friendly lightings but still hard. Notice both shadows on each side of the nose. It does though still give texture to the image by hiding the folds and the curves. The same metered light is given to this shot but even the background has picked up some light to give it a snapshot look.

For the last shot, the lights did not change an inch, not one thing on the settings. What we did is put on a 60 inch umbrella for each (2) head. Look at how much more the spread of the light is compared to the second one. We can see everything behind me easily even the photos on the mantel looked metered right. It gave me more depth and a longer range into the image. This light would be good for almost any type of portraiture and will give you a large enough spread to capture the backgrounds a make them apart of the image. It works well for the backdrop portraits because it cuts down on the shadows and delivers a good even light. It will also work on things like weddings, clubs and social events where you want to get the location in it as well.

Play around with it and see what you can get, keeping the setting the same.

HOW I GOT THE SHOT

This is one of the easiest shots to produce and it is also one that can create a very dramatic effect.

First, I was challenged by the harsh afternoon sun. We were at a school so I took him to the breeze way to cut the direct overhead light. I positioned the subject were I saw color behind him. Noting that the final image will look better when: the color behind the subject enhances the clothes, skin and feel of the shot.

I could position the camera with-in 6 feet of the subject, which I did. However, the bright sun I needed to kick into the shot was 12-15 feet away. I had a assistant walk out to the heavy sun and position the 36 inch circle reflector back at the subject. Be careful and understand that the sun is bright and it is uncomfortable for the model. Try to angle it so that the model does not have to squint. Still, keeping in mind the areas you need to fill.

I like to work with the reflectors because:

1. You see what you are getting.

2. For me it makes a more pleasing and contrasty background, allowing all the colors to come through.

3. It is easy to place, easy to handle, it’s light and requires no portable lights, cords or battery packs.

4. Anyone can help you - Friends, Family, Bystanders, Anyone – no experience required.

5. You can bounce the light in or if no shade is available you can hold it above them and have a shoot through diffuser.




Now the shot: I liked the background but wanted to keep the focus on the subject because that is what this shot is all about, right. In AV mode I set the f/stop to 2.8. I was about 6-8 feet away which would give me a long enough depth of field for him. I let the camera set the shutter speed which on this one was 1/3200 seconds. (Note: Don’t ever worry about the high Shutter Speed).

If I had wanted more detail in the background, I personally would have gone with f/8. But I knew the sidewalk was going to blow out (white) on this shot. He was a long way from the reflector so I chose the silver side for distance and because of his skin tone he could take the more direct light. I always shoot in groups of 3’s with the focus being on the eye closest to me.

Give a reflector a try, it only cost about $40 and it has endless possibilities.

HOW I GOT THE SHOT

For this post I will show you how I made this shot and what I learned in the process.






The setup:

1 large red rug (not roled out all the way)
2 large wicker baskets
1 large potted plant
1 carry basket with 2 sides
1 teddy bear
1 doll bed mattress
1 blanket







The door was opened all the way to allow for the natural light to come in and fill the area the 2 side window blinds were opened. Afternoon sun not direct light.

One large basket was set up for the baby with the mattress and blanket to cover with. The second basket was placed behind him as a background. I did not worry about the room because it would not show in the shot. The large plant was set up behind him to add color and texture to the top crop. The 2 sided basket was placed just beside him for balance and a contrast of greens with one green plant and the other side held a stuffed panda (still dark fur with a splash of white) just incase the shot went wide or I wanted a different angle.

I placed a baby doll in for the test and ISO 100 f/4 @ 1/60 produced a very flattering creamy light with a bounce panel placed beside it (silver side).

The Baby was placed in the basket and we began to shoot. Two things were immediately wrong was I did not account for the the movement of the baby. Mainly the speed of his hands and head.

I got a small monolight from the studio and added a touch of light at it's lowest settings. I had my oldest daughter put her hand in the basket and continued to shoot until the color and spped were to my liking. What suprised me is the amount of light that was poured into the shot to capture all those wiggles and giggles.

What I ended up with was ISO800 f/2.8 and 1/400. All this was done with the natural light, monolight and a bounce panel to get the light the way I wanted.