Catching Light

[Labrosse]

I took this picture a week ago. I'm happy with the results but I see a lot of room for improvement. I wanted it to feel as if the light is only coming from the floating ball of light and not a flash set up off camera. I would like to know what everyone thinks about the photo.

Good or bad, all comments are welcome!




The Details
Camera Nikon D90 shot on full manual
Exposure 3 seconds
Aperture f/8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash was set to go off at the end the 3 seconds @ 1/16th power via Nikon CLS

[PROFusioNZ]

hey Labrosse,

kool concept! I like it.

Some thoughts, Since the light source (ball of light) looks like it has blue in it. A hint of blue on the face/hands/shirt would help sell the effect more - maybe gel the light?

Otherwise, for me - I think a perfect sphere of light would look rather kool. A tighter crop, portrait mode.

Is there more to this set? I think a shot directly from the front of the model, a little bit above eyeline with him looking up into the camera would look rather sweet.

Curious as to the lighting setup - did u just hang the flash right where the light is and then photoshop it out?

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by Labrosse

I wanted it to feel as if the light is only coming from the floating ball of light and not a flash set up off camera.

Heh.. looks familiar!


What I would say to get the effect you were looking for is to shoot the light more downward into your hands. This way the back of your hands aren't lit at all which they wouldn't be if the light source was in your hands. That's about all i can think of, otherwise, it's a cooool photo if I must say so myself!

This might mean you need two flashes.. one to shoot down into your hand, the other somehow (not sure how) to only light your face. A very tight snoot perhaps, kind of what i did though even mine has parts of the fingers/hands lit that wouldn't be if the light source was in my hands.

PS what did you do to get your light in only 3 seconds?

[SusanH1970]

Al, you look completely insane in that photo, LOL!

[Labrosse]

Originally Posted by PROFusioNZ

Some thoughts, Since the light source (ball of light) looks like it has blue in it. A hint of blue on the face/hands/shirt would help sell the effect more - maybe gel the light?

Otherwise, for me - I think a perfect sphere of light would look rather kool. A tighter crop, portrait mode.

Is there more to this set? I think a shot directly from the front of the model, a little bit above eyeline with him looking up into the camera would look rather sweet.

Curious as to the lighting setup - did u just hang the flash right where the light is and then photoshop it out?

Thanks PROFusioNZ for the critique!

To answer your questions and to respond to your comments.

I originally wanted to do a ball of light but I couldn't find anything around my house that would work. I originally shot this in portrait but I really wasn't feeling how everything was so upright and tight, I feel that the horizontal space works more for me, but that is only a personal preferance. Mind you I don't know what I was thinking about when I cropped this image lol! I'm really not feeling the empty space on the right anymore.

I wish there was more to this set, but I took this really really quickly before heading out for the night. I'm doing this for my 365 Day project and it's becoming quite a burden at the moment. I really have to work on giving myself more time to enjoy the project. I like the front shot idea though and may have to shoot this again!

No photoshopping, I had my flash on a stand under an inch away from the picture and I had a gobo deflecting the light away from the camera.


@ BigFuzzy,

I'm sorry that my picture looks similar to yours! I didn't steal it I swear lol!
I would really love to get a second flash! I know exactly what you mean about the underside of my hands being lit.

PS what did you do to get your light in only 3 seconds?

I'm sorry but I'm not sure if I understand correctly... If you mean how did I get it to go off at the end of the exposure. I set my built in flash to Rear Curtain Sync which will only pop the flash at the end of the exposure no matter the shutter speed. It gave the LED's time to spin around and gave me time to get into position.

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by Labrosse

I'm sorry but I'm not sure if I understand correctly... If you mean how did I get it to go off at the end of the exposure. I set my built in flash to Rear Curtain Sync which will only pop the flash at the end of the exposure no matter the shutter speed. It gave the LED's time to spin around and gave me time to get into position.

Haha no worries.. I, um, 'borrowed' the inspiration for that idea from someone else, so even if you did use me (which i know you didn't), I'd not care.

What I meant is that it seemed that you got a lot of light in that three seconds before the flash popped. And what's funny is I did it exactly the opposite, I popped the flash first, then drew my light figure.
Good work!

[Labrosse]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

Haha no worries.. I, um, 'borrowed' the inspiration for that idea from someone else, so even if you did use me (which i know you didn't), I'd not care.

What I meant is that it seemed that you got a lot of light in that three seconds before the flash popped. And what's funny is I did it exactly the opposite, I popped the flash first, then drew my light figure.
Good work!

Haha! I guess great minds think differently sometimes!

[Fernando]

HAHA.. Looks very familiar indeed!
Fernando Matias Photography - Ottawa Ontario: Light
Took a shot almost exactly like that a few years ago.
Mine was lit entirely by lightpainting myself since at the time I did not have an off camera flash. I gotta say... IT IS VERY HARD to stay still while lightpainting YOURSELF! Hence the movement in my hands, but I think that actually adds to the shot in that it looks like the ORB is giving off heat or radiation!

I like your shot, and like the off camera flash, however as ProFusioNZ said I would get a blue filter for it to match the light in your hands.

[klam]

good stuff