Origami Crabs; how's my lighting?

[inkista]

I'm just beginning to learn some of this lighting stuff. Nothing particularly exotic, here, just a tabletop macro using a homemade light box and two speedlights. Any suggestions on improving the lighting set up? Should I try balancing the light more evenly from both directions? (BTW, I'll take folding critique, too. It was my first time with this model so I had to use 10" kami.)



Canon Rebel XT. EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM Macro.
iso 100, f/9, 1/125s. Handheld.
580EX on the left, 430EX on the right. E-TTL, no compensation. Triggered with ST-E2.

[Nicole]

Wow, those are some elaborate crabs. Single sheet of paper or several? I don't think I've folded anything quite that complex... All my books are elsewhere though, so all I remember by heart are the more simple ones.

I actually quite like the lighting setup, but I suppose you can take that with a grain of salt because I often like uneven lighting when it's done on purpose.

[Murtasma]

how did you light this scene? The crab on the right had to much direct reflection the crab on the left is perfect.

[Marmalade]

I think the light on the left needs to be brought up and the light on the right down. But that could just be because the light on the right is too much. Maybe a different angle on the light so it is not as harsh.

On the paper folding - wow! I can only make a paper hat.

[yokolok]

i think the lighting positions are okay...

did you use anything to diffuse the light? and I assume the paper used what white which is probably why one came out too bright...

[clockdoc]

It is very difficult to accurately judge the angle of your speedlights when there is no modeling light. You have a multitude of surface area and angles facing the camera/lights so there is a chance some plane/surface will end up reflecting more light.
Have you tried the same shots with one light coming from the rear and a white bounce card in front with a hole for the camera lens? Watch out for lens flare! Also, try some colored gels on the speed lights to see where the different speedlights are actually illuminating the surfaces.
Nice work on folding the paper crabs. Even though one is "hotter" than the other, the shot is still a nice record of the art.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by Nicole

Wow, those are some elaborate crabs. Single sheet of paper or several?

Oh, single sheet. One square no cuts is the default these days. I think the only time I've not folded single square no cuts is when I've folded an equilateral triangle no cuts, or done unit origami.

I don't think I've folded anything quite that complex... All my books are elsewhere though, so all I remember by heart are the more simple ones.

Hell, I sometimes have problems remembering a crane. I just rely on the books to remember for me. I also am content to be a folder and not a designer. Hard enough just to fold some of the stuff that's out there these days. Those crabs are John Montroll, who still designs things you can fold out of 10" kami (regular origami paper). The Tanteidan crew--like KAMIYA Satoshi or HOJYO Takashi--design things that require 30" sheets of specially made paper that's thin enough and strong enough to stand up to the abuse. If you have a friend who's into orgami--do yourself a favor and ask if they like doing complex models before giving them packets of the 6" kami.

I actually quite like the lighting setup, but I suppose you can take that with a grain of salt because I often like uneven lighting when it's done on purpose.

I like it, too, but it was more a happy accident.

Originally Posted by Murtasma

how did you light this scene? The crab on the right had to much direct reflection the crab on the left is perfect.

Originally Posted by Marmalade

I think the light on the left needs to be brought up and the light on the right down. But that could just be because the light on the right is too much. Maybe a different angle on the light so it is not as harsh.

Actually, I think the crab on the left is dark, and I really like the light on the right crab. I tried balancing the levels a bit more, but it became kind of matchy-matchy with even weight on both crabs, no strong focal point, less folding detail, and blown highlights showed up. Maybe I shouldn't have used a black background or folded out of white paper. Maybe I should try moving one light source closer to the front or to the top(although side lighting is probably going to get more surface detail). More experimentation is definitely in order. At any rate, here's the basic setup I used:

Originally Posted by yokolok

...did you use anything to diffuse the light?

Yeah, I've got tracing paper on the sides of my homemade lightbox to do the diffusion.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by clockdoc

It is very difficult to accurately judge the angle of your speedlights when there is no modeling light.

Yup. I'm still wildly guessing a lot of the time. Thank god for digital.

You have a multitude of surface area and angles facing the camera/lights so there is a chance some plane/surface will end up reflecting more light.

Which is exactly what happened.

Have you tried the same shots with one light coming from the rear and a white bounce card in front with a hole for the camera lens?

Ooo! That's a cool idea. I don't know if there's room in my box for that, though. It's only about 12" on the side. Next time I'll build a bigger one.

Watch out for lens flare! Also, try some colored gels on the speed lights to see where the different speedlights are actually illuminating the surfaces.

Another terrific idea. Even if I gelled only one of them, it would still give me a better idea of what's actually going on. I think I'm more confused by what the light on the left is doing. The effect of "hotter" light on the right is pretty evident. What's weirding me out a little is that the brighter light is the 430, not the 580. I should probably switch from E-TTL to Manual power ratios for a while just to figure out what's going on, huh? [grin]

Nice work on folding the paper crabs. Even though one is "hotter" than the other, the shot is still a nice record of the art.

Thanks! I gotta say, my respect for studio and product photographers who do this for a living has gone way up...

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by inkista

Those crabs are John Montroll, who still designs things you can fold out of 10" kami (regular origami paper). The Tanteidan crew--like KAMIYA Satoshi or HOJYO Takashi--design things that require 30" sheets of specially made paper that's thin enough and strong enough to stand up to the abuse. If you have a friend who's into orgami--do yourself a favor and ask if they like doing complex models before giving them packets of the 6" kami.

That is some impressive stuff!

[inkista]

No kidding. Kamiya is frightening--he does models of Final Fantasy and Hayao Miyazaki characters. His book has diagrams for folding a Chocobo (and a Gandalf). I'm dying for Hojyo to publish a book of his human figure models. The Angel Gabriel model is breathtaking.