Shot No.4 from my experiment with light

[ajax_andy]

I think most people will be familiar with my recent posts about experimenting with light and using light sources that I could find lying around the house instead of using my flash.

This is another pic from the set. I had to break my rule of only using one light due to the subjects being too far apart and so this pic is lit using 2 desk lamps.

How does the composition look? Does the shadow on the wall behind detract from the image? I was quite limited in where and how I could position the lamp but any suggestions on better lighting setups would still be great.

Also any other feedback would be appreciated



Exif data
Camera Canon EOS 450D
Exposure 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture f/9.0
Focal Length 17 mm
ISO Speed 1600
Flash Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program Manual
Metering Mode Spot

[baajero]

Ok... my first impression is that it didn't give me that WOW factor your previous two images did... but when I look at it more... it's actually nice
The girl in the background is kind of lost in the shadow and the dark bed sheets... I guess it depends wether you want this picture to be a story about two girls... or one girl... meaning the girl in front of the mirror with her friend just sitting blending in the background.

[ajax_andy]

Originally Posted by baajero

Ok... my first impression is that it didn't give me that WOW factor your previous two images did... but when I look at it more... it's actually nice
The girl in the background is kind of lost in the shadow and the dark bed sheets... I guess it depends wether you want this picture to be a story about two girls... or one girl... meaning the girl in front of the mirror with her friend just sitting blending in the background.

Thanks for the comments

Yeah the image isn't meant to be balanced between the 2 girls. I was very limited with the space available in the rooms of the house, so with this shot it was more about one girl getting ready to go out, and the other just chilling out in the background reading a magazine. I could have moved them closer together but then it would have looked forced due to the way I would have had to position them in the room... so i tried to set a more natural scene and have one as the main focus and one in the background (which kind of sums up their personalities a little too).

I agree it doesn't quite have the same impact as the other pics, I think with limited light sources it's easier to make a single subject stand out and be the focus of a pic. With 2 subjects it becomes hard to make them both share the same degree of focus and so I set it up this way and had more focus on one with less on the other.

Oh yes and dark clothes + drak bedsheets and shadow isn't a good combo... I did tell her this, but as she's my wife I kind of knew she'd just dress as she wanted anyway and I wasn't able to convince her to then go and change