Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> > I'm thinking of doing a series of studio portraits of "heroes" -- doctors, > firefighters, police -- people who for one reason or another put their > lives > at risk to protect others. > > i'd like to have a sort of "standard" portrait lighting for all of them, > and > was kicking around the 63 inch photek softlighter II as big enough and soft > enough (and easy enough to set up) -- but looking at last nights tests on > trillian: > > http://www.kylecassidy.com/lj/2008/trill-sb1.jpg > > http://www.kylecassidy.com/lj/2008/trill-sb3.jpg > > i'm wondering if it's just _too_ soft -- i'd like some sharper shadows on > interesting faces and i'm wondering if it would be better to move to: > > a) a smaller umbrella > > b) a softbox > > c) "window light" is not an answer here, thank you for trying though. > > i'm afraid if i go to too small an umbrella, if just won't have the > coverage > to get "head to waist". gak. > > what are your favorite ways to light interesting faces with wrinkles & > character? i fear i've been photographing models too long, trying to get > RID > of wrinkles and character ..... i want their faces to tell the story, if > you > know what i mean.... > > > kc > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information Mediums people seem more into now. Jumbo light sources you don't see as much. A large light source if its twice the distance away or however the inverse square law works becomes in effect a much smaller lightsource. And its out of the way. But you need a very large space for these kinds of layout getting it 20 feet away from the subject. An advantage is when they move a couple of feet closer or further to you if they were dancing around the backdrop they not going to be making themselves a brighter or darker enough to worry about.. For a good ten years now everyone seems to be into using smaller light sources closer. You get modeling; not a flat look. Like Avedon always did. But on a boom. Using a medium umbrella or light box real close for doing a tight head really makes it in effect quite big and quite soft. You just have to not get it in the shot. Mark William Rabiner markrabiner.com