Day 6: Lighting for Portrait using 2 light sources

[ccting]

2 Light sources are placed in the house without moving them.

Testing without any proper design.

a) main lighting using shot-through umbrella with 2 YN560 at 1/4 power level each. near side lighting.
b) rim/hair light using softbox with 1 YN560 at 1/2 power, 45 degree back;


No post production at all.


What do you think about the composition?
a) Do you think the top blue things are distractive?
b) Do you think I have place the lighting sources in proper places?
c) Anything that you want to add to improve the 2 light sources?
d) Have you seen & comment my baby portrait @ Digital Photography School - Photography Forums
e) the subject face looks a bit underexposed. How to ensure the pics are not under/over expose for moving kids when you can't adjust the light source in term of position and power? ISO?
f) If the size composition matters, how are you going to crop the above pic? How about this http://digital-photography-school.co...05-cropped.jpg

Ty.

[tomservo51]

I wouldnt say they 'blue things' are that distracting but the other boys head is hugely distracting for me.

[ccting]

Originally Posted by tomservo51

I wouldnt say they 'blue things' are that distracting but the other boys head is hugely distracting for me.

Ty.
a) Anyone can help me crop the image?
b) Discuss: I should have shot below, that is below the "big boy"'s eye level, so that the eye line flow into the lens.. Do you agree on that.
c) What is the ratio between the small baby and big boy in space division?

[graciousness]

The shot is too tight as it is. I can't see how cropping will improve it.

What you need to improve on is how to move around and frame and compose the shot properly. In this instance, I would have taken this landscape mode to get more of that other boy in, wider aperture for narrower depth of field so the focus is on your son and the other boy and background is more blurry.

Where is your EXIF data, by the way? It's really critical to include this info to help explain/understand your camera setting.

What's that weird vignetting around the image?

[ccting]

Widest aperture f/5.6 @ max focal length = 55mm
1/200s
ISO 200

The main light was powered with 2 YN560 at 1/4 power level, more than 12 feet away, while the 2nd light source is place around 9 feet away (1 YN560 at 1/2 power level). The hair light was lit by main light while the face was lit by the 2nd light.

The weird vignetting = sync speed... 1/200s ... it seems like the claims of max flash sync speed 1/200s is not practical. I think the sync speed should be around 1/160s and not 1/200s because of the speedlights. I think the top vignetting is caused by fall off of lighting because 1/200s is absolutely cut off the continuous light from the housing bulbs

Grace, I think the face is underexposed, what do you think?

As they are moving very fast, I can't really have time to compose the shot..as I was running here and there to take their pics.

[graciousness]

Forget those light stands for now.

You would have done better putting your flash on camera and bouncing the light off your flash against wall or ceiling.

When shooting kids, you don't have time to be constantly moving off-camera set ups around. You need mobility with your light to capture them when they are on the move.

And again, I know you are practicing light set ups at the moment, however, you really need to also put composition into play here with your set up. The light is way too high for the baby to be exposed properly and he needs to look up if you want his face to catch the light from your flash. If you wanted to expose his face better on this shot, you would have needed to move the light stand, put it lower, etc. By the time you do that, you've lost the moment.

Simplify your set ups.

I really would recommend practicing bounce techniques as this is going to be a much better technique for you to use shooting children than external light set ups.

[ccting]

Thanks for remind me about the bounce back technique that I have totally forgotten while i see my new lighting stands... Grace.. I will try that tonight.

Hopefully DPS can help me boost up my composition & lighting skills in 1 month so that I can win the small Malaysian Nikon Contest.. ;D

Grace, just feel free to critique everything that I need to improve. Going to get 1 cheap 50mm AFS 50mm f/1.8 by today.

Cropped