Lighting Diagram Feedback

[scootermcq]

I have been messing around with portraits (as you may have seen with the numerous threads) and I have come up with this diagram that seems to work for me.

Does anyone see any errors or have suggestions based on this diagram?

Thanks,

Scott

[oldwolf]

Don't see anything wrong. What color is the background? Do you have barn doors on the background light?

[scootermcq]

Background is a blue velour type material.

The background light is a speed light, so I do not have barn doors, but it is snooted.

[oldwolf]

Cool. I'd probably put something about the snoot on the diagram in case someone else looks at it and looks at the end product and wonders how you got the light to look the way it did.

[Benji]

Scott,

You will get rather flat lighting using the above diagram, and it needs a hair light. Also photographers who don't use a fill light will find they will get dark shadows under the chin and around the ears on people with long hair. Below is my typical four light set up. Note the angle of the main light in regards to the position of the subject.
Also note that the fill light will fill in any shadow that presents itself to the camera because it is very near the camera. The diagram shown is what I used to produce the portrait shown, except for the addition of a background light which was snooted and gelled and positioned at camera left rear up high and aimed down so the light source skimmed across the corrugated barn roofing panel.

Benji

[scootermcq]

Benji:

That kid's senior picture rocks!

I can see what you mean. If you were stuck with 2 light and reflectors for right now, how would you set it up? More lights to come, but right now it is not in the budget.

[SilverBullet07]

Originally Posted by Benji

Scott,

except for the addition of a background light which was snooted and gelled and positioned at camera left rear up high and aimed down so the light source skimmed across the corrugated barn roofing panel.

Benji

Would have never thought of a roofing panel as a backdrop. How did you come up with that idea?

[Benji]

Originally Posted by scootermcq

Benji:

That kid's senior picture rocks!

I can see what you mean. If you were stuck with 2 light and reflectors for right now, how would you set it up? More lights to come, but right now it is not in the budget.

Scott,

I would position the main light as shown in my set up but the (silver) reflector would be a lot closer to the camera to pick up the "wasted" main light that is feathered toward it. With the camera at the 6 o'clock position the reflector would be at the 5 o'clock position and about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way in between the camera and the subject. The main light would be at the 10 o'clock position. The second light would be centered above the subject, but behind them by about 18 inches and bounced off the ceiling. It would then be a background/seperation/hair light. If I were you I would buy this light to use as a hair light CowboyStudio Photography Lighting | Studio Equipment | Studio Accessories IMHO this little flash unit is perfect for a hair light. It is cheap ($52.00) light weight (1 pound) small (4 x 7) and rather powerful (110 WS.) I don't own this exact light but I own several that are nearly identical and they work quite well, and for fifty bucks ya can't go wrong!

Benji

[Benji]

Originally Posted by SilverBullet07

Would have never thought of a roofing panel as a backdrop. How did you come up with that idea?

Back in the late 1980s I saw a portrait done with a background like this so I asked the guy how he did it. He said he bought about 15 pieces of two inch PVC plumbing pipe, scuffed them up so paint would stick to them and painted them flat black. He then screwed them to a 4 x 8 sheet of thin plywood and used side lighting on it. Doing it that was was too pricey for me so I figured corrugated barn roofing would look similar and it does for a whole lot less. This particular piece is fiberglass and I think it was about $20.00 or so and it was already black!

Benji