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I've started playing with my 2 light setup some more.
Sam grudgingly obliged me once again this time with a red on red test. Do these shots work? I'm still very naive in the use of studio lighting.





Cheers

Hahaha Matt - love the 3rd one, who taught her that pose?
Seriously - I like #1 and #3 (#3 perhaps has a bit too much harsh shadow too but it's not major)- I think you have begun well with this new lighting system you are using.
#2 however I think the shadows are too harsh around sam's face (her right hand cheek) and on the opposite (left) the shadow created by the colour and button line of the shirt. Over all though, I think the red on red works - you have a load of potential mate!

I like the lighting in the first 2, they are great. The pose in the 3rd is great, but lacks the punch the other two have from the lights. Overall it is a great start, and has plenty of potential!

the red on red i really like but there is something about the lighting that a find too harsh. Too much contrast for my liking and too many details lost in the shadows.

Here's a site that I found recently with some interesting stuff on portrait lighting.

http://www.montezucker.com/content.html?page=7

And... yet again I'm going the other way...

#1 - It's got the "oh not another test shoot" look. Lighting - a little too hot without having the contrast in #2

#2 - Contrast/strong lighting works for me, though I like portraits like this... and it's a trademark of your work.

#3 - the muted colour is fine in a profiled colour space (ie in a browser that supports AdobeRGB and Photoshop) looks fantastic.

#2 and 3 get the thumbs up.

More rim lighting (is that light facing the camera or the background?) - get that light to shine through the edges of her hair, for that 'angelic hair' look, moreso towards the top of her head.

Other than that - great images, very sharp, nice poses. The third one cracked me up, perhaps it shouldn't.

Personally I dislike the undersaturated/faded colour look, but it seems to be your trademark - so I'd say stick with it, you have it refined!

all very good....... but on a commercial level the front light is too hard and too strong, making the shadows lacking in detail, either move the front light back, or defuse it more to get softer shadows and add a reflector as it would help also.........

I like the 3rd one the best. The first two, the rear lighting is great but just the shadows are a bit harsh.

Btw, is that your shirt

i like the more natural pose of the second shot ... makes me try and think "what is she thinking"

[a bit like that mona lisa pic]

Onyx wrote:More rim lighting (is that light facing the camera or the background?)

Neither. It would be a light pointed at the subject, usually from the rear, aimed at (say) their back and shoulder area, or perhaps their hair, in order to highlight their shoulder and separate it from the background. Probably should be very slightly over exposed, and it provides a "rim" around the edge of the subject of the photo.

Matt, the lighting is way too harsh; are you using it direct and undiffused? You need to soften it quite a bit. Move it further from the subject, and introduce something between the light source and the subject.

Perhaps turn the primary light around and point it into a silvered or white brolly, for instance, noting of course that this action will affect your exposure.

The background lighting too is too harsh, and it looks to me as if there's very little distance between Sam and the background, with the light source sandwiched in between, probably jammed up against her back.

Again, the light source needs to be more diffuse, further from the subject, and probably truned down a stop or two. For the moment, to me, it's just little more than a hot spot.

2nd one work best
kow what your aiming ofr and your on a god start, only comment woudl be to make yourself a makeshift snoot fo rthe flash head so you can arrow the light
in number 2 the face is lit nice but too much of the body is showing, narrowing the lgiht would give more emphasis on one part which is what you need for this type of moody portrait.
Also good to not someof those really nice fashion shoots utilize more than 2 lights in most cases small point lights to light up cetain areas of the model which looks cool, see Troyt Coburn's work on DLM

we shoudl get togehter and see what we can do with my extra sb800 in your setup

gstark wrote:Matt, the lighting is way too harsh; are you using it direct and undiffused? You need to soften it quite a bit. Move it further from the subject, and introduce something between the light source and the subject.

The main light was fired through my homemade softbox, about 4 feet away and powered down to 1/16th. It definately needs softening, and I think I've reached the end of the homemeade bits and pieces. I am thinking that an umbrella would create enough diffusion and softening.

gstark wrote:The background lighting too is too harsh, and it looks to me as if there's very little distance between Sam and the background, with the light source sandwiched in between, probably jammed up against her back.

Exactly right. I tried the light source further away, with the head zoomed to the max, but couldn't achieve the halo effect I was after. I need to move Sam further from the wall and then might be able to put the source midway between the background and her.

Thank you for the comments everyone - I really appreciate any help you can give me on this. The overall consenus then is that the lighting is too harsh, creating hotspots and heavy shadows. I'm going to revisit this then taking on board all your comments.

Matt's Maxim - double the number of lights and you double the problems

excellent i really like the contrast you have in there and good poses!