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Lighting Techniques
More Information About Improving Your PhotographyContinuous Light Versus Flash Using flash is preferred by most professional photographers and hobbyists but there are still some good points about continuous light. One of which is its being inexpensive especially for amateur photographers who are on a meager budget. Another advantage of continuous lighting for digital camera photography newbies is the photographer's ability to see what exactly the light is doing and where the highlights and shadows are located. So for beginners, it is advisable that you try out shooting with continuous light at first. But you should not settle for that. Continuous lighting has some major disadvantages. The most obvious one is the fact that continuous lighting produces more heat. You would not want the photo sessions to be uncomfortable for both you and your subject or model. Aside from that it can be too bright that the model's irises are shut down during the shoot. That is a complete no-no in lighting digital photography portraits. Another thing about continuous lighting is the color that it gives to your output. Since continuous lighting produces artificial light that is not balanced with daylight, most of the photographs turn out to be a little too yellowish. This is because tungsten bulbs seem white in our naked eyes but in fact, they are not. It is easy to resolve this in digital camera photographyas you can simply rectify the color during printing but it is not generally acceptable in photography. As much as possible you do not want to render. But if it is unavoidable, the better remedy is to simply shoot in black and white, or better yet, just switch to flash. Amateur photographers might need more time adjusting with flash as you will be working with your eyes blindfolded this time around. It is because with on-camera flashguns, you really don't know how the lighting affects your output unless you preview it. Aside from that, the advantage of using a studio flash comes in with the presence of modeling lamp, and the lighting consistency it provides. Studio flash units always come with a continuous light known as the modeling lamp. The modeling lamp would give an accurate indication of the angle and quality that the flash would produce. This resolves our problem when it comes to not knowing how the shadows and highlights play in our outputs when using digital photography light. But you still should not confuse the modeling lamp with the standalone continuous light. This one does not emit too much heat and brightness. Still, you have to take note of one thing when using a modeling lamp. Since it is not as bright as the continuous light, expect that the flash is much stronger so the shadows will turn darker and the highlights, lighter. Another great advantage of studio flash over continuous light is the color consistency. Studio flash resolves the problem of continuous light tungsten bulbs that makes the photographs yellowish. As for flash, once you press the shutter of the camera, the light color coming out from the flashtube is automatically balanced with daylight. So there you have it-some digital photography basics you need to know before you start fumbling with your studio lighting equipments. The next thing for you to do is to experiment in both flash and continuous lighting to find out how exactly they differ in terms of output. Lon Mason is
the editor and publisher of http://www.camera-woogies.com Article
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lonnie_Mason Introduction to Photography Studio Lighting I'm a professional photographer and work in my photography studio most days. So I'm very aware of how important it is to be able to use light effectively. The right lighting can bring out your subject's best features (and they will love you forever for making them look good). Bad lighting on someone just looks horrible. I want to share with you some of my experiences with photography studio lighting to save you all the trial and error that I've been through over the years. I'll refer to the subject you are lighting as 'the model' even though it may not be an actual model, I just mean whoever or whatever you are photographing. As I see it there are two distinct skill sets: 1) Using available light. This is all about arranging the model to make the most of lighting you can't control. For example, shooting outdoors. You can't move the sun around, but you can move the model and your position relative to the model, so that the sun is in front, behind, or wherever. So there are clearly lots of skills involved in making the most of available light. What this article is about, though, is the other skill set: 2) Using studio light. Now it doesn't necessarily have to involve a studio, but this skill set is about how to work with lights that you can move around. Photography Studio Lighting can be daunting because you have complete control. You can't blame external factors like the overcast sky. But the flip side is, once you do know what you're doing with studio lighting, you can really create some amazing photos. Here's a brief history of my experiences with photography studio lighting. When I first got interested in doing photo shoots, I had no lights, and used ambient room light. The immediate downside to that is the lack of light - unless you have a really good lens which lets you have a wide open aperture like F1.8, or set the film speed (ISO) to something high (which makes the picture grainy), then to get a good exposure requires a slow shutter speed. Hand holding the camera was impossible like that, so I used to use a tripod and had to tell the model to hold very still every time I took a shot. Needless to say, the photos weren't very good! Next I invested in the cheapest lighting kit I could find, which consisted of two Portaflash DL1000 lights. These were a huge step forward because now I could actually hand hold the camera plus I could move the lights around. There was a downside, though... Those lights are continuous rather than strobe, which means they don't flash. So the 1000w bulbs are blasting out light all the way through the shoot. That meant the model got hot - there's nothing less appealing than a sweaty model with her spray tan melting! Plus the Portaflash lights weren't 'daylight balanced', which meant that the pictures all come out with an orange hue. After a year or two with those, I then invested in a kit consisting of two Bowens Esprit Gemini 500s. These are daylight balanced strobe lights, so colors came out properly, it wasn't killing my electricity bill quite as much, and the models weren't being slowly cooked by the lights. I still use these same lights today, several years later, and thoroughly recommend them. A brief note on strobe lighting... Strobe lights (also called flash lights, because they flash) actually have two bulbs in them. One is similar to a household bulb and shines constantly so you can see how the light falls on your model. This is called the 'modeling light'. This gives you a good idea of what the photo should look like when you take it; however the modeling light isn't bright enough to give you enough light for a hand held shot, in the same way that ambient room lights aren't bright enough. So the second light, the flash, kicks in at the moment you take the photo and blasts out loads of light in that split second, meaning that you can have a nice quick shutter speed and thus you can hand hold it, or even have the model jumping mid-air. Any motion will be frozen. So having tried both, I definitely recommend strobe lights rather than continuous lights. One thing to bear in mind with strobe lights, is to turn off all ambient room lights while you're doing the shoot. This is because the modeling bulb is about the same brightness as the normal room light, and the two will combine to give you a false impression of what the photo will look like when you take it. False because when the flash goes off, it will completely drown out non-flash light as it's much brighter. So the modeling light, which is designed to show you how the lighting will look in the photo, shouldn't be combined with ambient room light, because the ambient light will not appear in the actual photo due to the flash being so much brighter. Enough for now... Please see my blog to find out more about Photography Studio Lighting. Thanks for reading! Titus
Powell Cosmetic Lighting and Portrait Photography By John A Burton
How many times have you heard someone say "that's a terrible photograph of me", or even said it yourself? The point of cosmetic light is avoid unflattering lighting and viewpoints. Modelling and texture is a consequence of lighting. Moving the angle of illumination closer to the subject/camera axis generally flattens modelling and reduces texture, while increasing the angle increases both. Similarly, more directional (intense) lighting produces harder shadows, while less directional (soft) lighting diminishes them. The following tips describe how to deal with common problems by making simple changes. Experimentation is required to achieve the best results. Making faces wider or narrower Very few people have perfectly symmetrical faces. For example, one side may be slightly wider or flatter than the other. If the subject is illuminated so that the main light falls on the side that is wider, and the other side is kept in shadow, the viewer's imagination will lead them to think that the shaded side is equal to the lit side. The overall impression will be that the face is wider than it really is. Conversely, if the narrower side of the face is illuminated, the viewer will think that the face is narrower than it really is. This illusion can be varied by changing the angle of lighting, and the maximum effect comes from very dark shadows, since this leaves more to the viewer's imagination. Altering eye sockets If the subject has deep eye sockets, lowering the main light will provide more illumination, and make the eye sockets appear shallower. Conversely, shallow eye sockets, or bulging eyes can be altered by raising the main light source, and moving it further away from the subject/camera axis (i.e. more to the side). This needs to be done in conjunction with making the fill-in light a little brighter, and the overall effect will be a flattening of the planes of the face. Large noses Large noses can be de-emphasized by moving the main light source closer to the subject/camera axis. This will cast a nose shadow on the upper lip, rather than the cheek, so making the nose look less large. Attractive hair or baldness Hair can be emphasized by raising the main light and the camera view point. The subject will need to be repositioned slightly, so that they look up to the camera. With a bald subject, this is will have the opposite effect and further emphasize their baldness. Chins If the subject has a weak chin, get them to tilt their head back a little, which will make their chin stick out. If they have a strong jaw, have the subject tilt their head forward reduce its prominence. Soft focus Soft focus reduces and skin blemishes. Soft focus can be achieved by using the largest lens aperture possible (however the effect will largely be determined by the capabilities of your camera lens). Briefly, larger apertures have a smaller depth of focus, so any feature beyond the focal point will be very slightly blurred. You should always focus on the eyes, but this becomes doubly important when employing any form of soft focus. Portrait photography from a Portrait Artist's perspective. Portraits by John Burton ___________________________________________________________
Any photograph is merely a record of light falling on, and reflecting from an object. Differences in the levels of reflected light tell us about the shape of the object. With faces, we normally expect to see a shadow under the nose to describe its size and contour, shadows around the eye sockets to convey their depth, highlights on cheekbones, etc. The roundness revealed by lighting is known as "modelling", and the level of modelling is determined by the direction and intensity of light falling on the subject. How the direction of light affects a subject's appearance When the direction of the main light source is on or near the axis of the camera, a face will lack modelling and appear flat. When the subject is front lit there will, for example, be scarcely any nose shadows, and the eye sockets will be as light as the cheeks. Virtually the same effect is seen when the subject is lit mainly from behind. The whole face will be in the shade, and none of the features well defined. Light falling anywhere in between these two extremes will create differing degrees of modelling, dependant on the angle and intensity of the light. Where is the main light source? When taking any photograph, the first concern must always be to establish the source of the light. It is very easy to do! When outside, we simply look to see where the sun is. When inside, the light will usually come in from outside through a window or doorway. The second concern must be to establish the direction of the light, relative to the subject. The situation to most avoid is where the direction of the light is on or near to the axis of the camera (i.e. either directly in front of or behind the subject). Altering the direction of the light With portraiture, the best modelling is achieved when the light source is at an angle of between 30° and 45° above the subject, and between 30° and 45° to the left or right of the subject. Larger angles should be avoided because they can overstress modelling and so exaggerate features. When using natural daylight, the right overhead lighting can be easily achieved by avoiding particular times of day. Don't take photographs at midday when the sun is directly overhead (even on a cloudy day, the light will still be directional). The morning and afternoon are generally the best times. To get the light to fall on the subject from the left or right, simply reposition them relative to the axis of the light source. Intensity of the light The third concern when addressing the issue of lighting is the strength of the light. The wrong strength of light can produce and amplify all the problems described. Both strong and low light levels can eliminate modelling. Some solutions to poor lighting are outside of the scope of this article (and will be covered elsewhere), but briefly, choosing the right time of day, as described above, is the easiest means of avoiding day-to-day poor lighting intensity problems. Summary Your photographs can be improved measurably, if - before you even pickup a camera - you take the following three steps. Check to see where is the light coming from, and if it is falling within 30° to 45° above the subject. Position the subject so that the light falls within 30° to 45° to the left or right of their face. Do not take photographs if the intensity of the light is too bright or too dim. Footnote: There are circumstances when these "rules" may be broken, but the intention of this article is to convey simple guidelines applicable to most situations. Photography from a portrait artist's perspective. Portraits by John Burton ______________________________________________________ 5 Secrets
to Taking More Professional Photos
1. Automatic Modes are not
your friend 2. Aperture Priority Mode
3. Composition 4. Start looking for light
5. Shoot, shoot, shoot
Phil Thornton is a Nashville Wedding Photographer and owner of Phindy Studios. Visit http://www.phindystudios.com for more information and photography resources. ___________________________________________________________ Photography Studios - High End
Studios Vs Low End Studios - A Comparison If you're considering having your portrait taken, the thought may have crossed your mind: Why should I pay more for a high end photography studio, when I can just get my photo taken at a low-end studio? This article will explore this question in depth. By the end of this article, you'll have a very good idea of which would serve your needs better. First of all, understand that a high end studio and a low end studio service completely different clients with a completely different set of needs. A high end studio is dedicated to providing high quality photographs. They work with professionals with years of experience to provide you the best possible portrait. A low end studio on the other hand works to provide a mass amount of photos at as low a price as possible. The photographers don't have to be nearly as well trained. In fact, highly skilled professionals generally avoid working in low end studios - After all, why would they get paid less when they're worth that much more? What will you get at a high end studio that you won't get at a low end studio? First of all, the photographers will be far more relaxed and take their time in educating you and posing you. They'll make sure they do everything they can to get you the best photograph. Low end studios on the other hand, will often just march you to the shoot, sit you down, stick you in a pose and start snapping away. At low end studios, typically at department stores, the equipment restricts the flexibility of the photographer. The seating and lighting is fixed, and the camera's movement is also fixed. At high end studios, the photographer has complete flexibility. They can adjust, move, and remove lighting, and select the right camera position and angle to ensure that your "best side" is in the picture. With a high end studio, you're paying for professional advice. Professionals who've spent years studying colors, lighting, photography, art, etc. With a low end studio, you're paying for a "fast food" like studio whose goal is to get you a photo you won't complain about in as little time as possible. As you can imagine, you won't be getting an artistic masterpiece. A professional photographer often specializes in either studio or on-location photography. Selecting a professional photographer that has specific expertise in the venue you're interested in will help to ensure you get the best results. Perhaps one of the most distinct differences between high and low end photography studios is the care the photographer takes. High end professional photographers take the time to get to know you, the client. Instead of using the same standard family poses, for example, your photographer will select poses that work with your unique family dynamics. They are also sure to select high quality materials, to prevent your photographs from fading or becoming damaged over time. Lastly, many high-end studios have the capability to digitally alter images, which they can use for touch-ups, or to super-impose images for effect, or to modify colors, like adding color to certain areas of a black-and-white image. Now you have a good idea of what some of the differences between a low end and a high end studio are. In the end the decision of which one to go with is yours and depends entirely upon your criteria: High quality or low price. At Momento Photoworks, our primary focus is to offer the highest quality of photography, products, and customer service to our clients. We enjoy what we do, and that shows in our beautiful portraits! To learn more about Markham family portraits, visit http://www.TheMomento.com ____________________________________________________________________ How Many Different Ways Are There to
Light a Portrait With Just One Light? Portrait photography? No problem! Just find a pretty girl, buy a flashgun and take her picture and hey presto you have a portrait. But do you like it? Would she pay you money for it? Facebook is full of such photographs. Our albums are full of such photographs. So what makes the difference. Well, a number of things do; the model, the background, the pose, the camera, the space, the camera, the lens and the light. Light is very special - "What colour is a banana in a totally dark room?" The answer is, it has NO colour; only light gives us colour. Light is everything! Some say that the subject is everything, some say that the background or set is everything. In other words "Everything" is everything!! But take away light and you have NOTHING! So what about light? There is: harsh and soft, bright and dim, small and big, white and white (yes white and white) as well as white and coloured, direct and reflected, fast and slow, front and side and back and high key and low key and last but not least, invisible! One Light?: The truth is that there is usually more than one light because where there is light there usually is reflected light. Have the model wear a white shirt and the light will reflect up under her chin. (For the purpose of this article, I am going to use the feminine pronoun simply because most photographs seem to be of women, but feel free to drop the 's' when reading this article if you prefer.) If you remove the shirt, then her skin will reflect the light. A pale skin or a dark skin will reflect more or less and will reflect different colours. An oily skin or a dry skin will also reflect more or less. The light that reflects off the model can also reflect off you and anything else it finds. You can use this reflected light if it helps or insert gobo's (black go between boards or flags) to stop this. You can increase the reflected light by using reflectors, expensive ones or shirts and white boards. You can also use reflective surfaces like tin foil or mirrors for different effects. White and White: I know you want to know about this and you will. Just not now! Harsh and Soft: Simply the difference between the light on a sunny day and a cloudy day. Harsh light gives dark well-defined shadows. The shadows will be back unless there is reflected light. Harsh light comes from one small source and travels in a straight line. It either hits the subject or it does not. Soft light comes from many different places at the same time. With a cloud filled sky the light comes from the north, the south, the east, the west and straight up, as well as any reflected light from the ground. So the result is that there are hardly any shadows at all and the edges of the shadows are not well defined. In a studio you can duplicate harsh light with one light. Just point it at the model and it is done. Surround her with non-reflective material and the effect will be much harsher. Another trick is to move the light further away from the model. This has the effect of making the light source smaller and harsher. It will also have the effect of lighting up a larger area which can be counter productive because it will spread light over a bigger area producing more light sources and making it softer. Light modifiers, like a snoot, can reduce this by focusing the light into a smaller spot/area. The converse is true; move the light closer to the model and the light effectively becomes softer because the surface area of the light is bigger in relation to the subject. Bright and Dim: Well this is a tricky one because we all know if a light is bright or dim but our eyes are not taking the photograph; the camera is. A dim light to us can be made to look like daylight, simply by leaving the shutter open for longer. So in this respect there is no such thing as bright or dim light. That is defined by the camera settings. The camera can make the brightest of scenes look like it was taken during an eclipse! But it can make a difference because this can effect the look of a photograph. If the camera shutter is left open for longer then the subject will move, unless you have tied her down but that type of photography is the subject of another article. That movement will show up in the photograph, sometimes this is delightful and sometimes it is not. It depends on what you want. A model swinging her head around quickly will have blurred hair, giving that sense of movement. Bright light can be used to over expose most of the picture, leaving little islands of darker areas. eg dark hair and eyes and nostrils and mouth in a sea of white. Dim light can be used to have the opposite effect; if the model was dark skinned then you could have the whites of the eyes and the teeth showing in a sea of black. Small and Big: The sun is the biggest light that we can use, however it is called a small light because it is so far away. But put the clouds in between us and the sun and it becomes the biggest light we can use. Soft boxes turn small lights into big lights and are often 2-3ft across. There are larger ones that can give a lovely soft light for full length portraits. Alternatives are to shoot through a white sheet or bounce off a wall. An umbrella can achieve a similar effect because it spreads the light all over the place and reflected light can soften the shadows. White and White: You could ask, "When is white light white?" To the human eye, white is clearly white; that is because the eyes is constantly adjusting and interpreting what it sees. Cameras are not able to do that to the same extent. Collect different sheets of white paper and take a close look at them - you will probably find quite a range of whites. The same variations apply to light. We would call them all white (non coloured) but in reality they are coloured or tinted in some small way. Take a photograph first thing in the morning, at mid-day, in the evening and at dusk; you will find different colour tints to each one. Take them with a clear sky and a cloudy sky will also bring variations. The same applies to artificial lights; they all have different colour variations. I have some cool lights which are described as daylight. I used them to fill in some shadow on one side and on the other side I had daylight from a cloudy sky at 11am. There was a huge difference, the daylight was much cooler (blue) and the cool daylight lamps where much warmer (red). So not colour coordinating your 'white' light can seriously affect your photographs. Different lights produce different tints - fluorescent give a greenish light, incandescent give a orange tint, flash guns and strobes will tend not to have a tint; so whites look white to our eyes but some appear coloured to a camera. White and Coloured: Now you can colour your light for different effects. Taking a photograph indoors with flash and incandescent bulbs will give a mixture of white and orange tints. To solve this and to produce a natural looking photograph you have to make the lights the same and correct for any tint. The easiest way is to place a coloured gel over the flashgun and this will make it the same as the incandescent lights. Then you tell the camera that you are taking the photograph in incandescent light and it will automatically remove the orange tint. I was taking an outdoor photo during the day with a deeply overcast day. I place two flashguns with orange gels and the photograph turned from a dull picture to one that looked as though it had been taken late in the evening with a lovely warm glow. Placing a flashgun behind a subject can brighten a background giving separation to the model; it makes the model stand out more. Placing coloured gels over this flashgun colours the background and will produce different effects. Quality street sweets are famous for providing different colour wrappers that can be used for different effects. Direct and Reflected: Direct light comes from your source light and usually has an obvious effect. Remember though, that reflected light will come from any other surface that is not totally black. Put a model in a sky blue silk blouse and you will have a blue tint to any light reflected onto her face (normally the chin and cheeks). Any wall, ceiling or floor will reflect light onto the subject. This will differ depending on the type of source light. Using a snoot will greatly reduce any light that is reflected from the front or side. Using an umbrella will maximise the reflected light as it bounces light all over the place. Using barn doors on a light will help you control which areas receive light. Also note that the reflecting surface is significant. A coloured wall will give the light a colour tint. A shiny surface will give a hard strong light. A textured surface will give a soft weak light. The distance from the source to the reflecting surface and then to the subject, compared to the distance from the source light to the subject, will greatly affect the strength of the reflected light. Fast and Slow: Well this is not really a correct term; the speed of light is pretty constant and I don't want to go there. What I am really referring to is the duration of the light, ie how long the light is shining while the photograph is being taken. Daylight shines 100% of the time the shutter is open and a flashgun can shine for 1% of the time. In most cases though, you will get a combination of two lights; one shining 100% and the other a fraction of the time. Learning to set the camera so that you have the correct exposure for both these very different lights is a useful skill. How to do this is the subject of a future article. Here, I am going to comment on another effect and that is related to moving objects. If you have a moving car and you take a photograph in daylight, on a tripod with a slow speed of say 1/30sec then the car will be blurred and the background sharp. If you take the same photograph with a flashgun then you will get a very similar picture except that you will have an image of the car at the beginning of the photograph that is slightly brighter/clearer; this is the effect of the flash. You can change a setting on the camera which will make the flashgun fire at the end of the exposure and this will have the effect of moving the brighter image to the end of the photograph; this will give and image of the car with a blur behind it; normally the preferred version. Now, if you take that same photograph, but at night, then you will get a picture of the car but without any blur. This is because the flash is so fast that it freezes the movement of the car. Now it is possible to take a photograph in daylight but with a high speed and a small aperture on the camera that will make the picture quite dark, emulating night time. If you then add a strong flashgun, then you can get the same effect. HOWEVER! I do not recommend firing flashguns at drivers of moving cars - this can seriously damage your camera gear. I also recommend shooting cars from the side and not in front as this can be also be very expensive on camera gear. Front, Side and Rear: Choose the position of the main light. Each position will create a very different effect, from fully lit to silhouette. Reflected light can be used to fill in shadows. Low and High Key: This is were the tones of the photograph are primarily dark or bright. The details of the subject are either blown out or in deepest shadow. Often the form comes from the outline of the subject. This is achieved by under or over exposing the subject. Invisible: Infra Red is not visible to the naked eye, but filters can be attached to a camera which allows that light to be picked up on the sensor or film. This can produce a surreal effect. Different surfaces reflect different amounts of infra-red. So there we have it, a lightening, fast pass over variations with just one light. Just think of the variations with two or more lights. Explore my website below to see some of these effects in practice in the Galleries. Explore making your own photographs with just one light. There is so much to discover and understand. John P
Wood ______________________________________________________________
When I started out taking what I would call serious photographs I was told about a piece of equipment that would improve my picture taking enormously. This was back in the olden days of film, but it is still as true today as it was thirty odd years ago. This weapon in the photographer's arsenal would not only improve the images that I produced but I would improve me as a photographer. Today with the Microstock Photography market demanding the increased quality, this bit of equipment won't guarantee success but it will cut down the rejections. So what is this amazing bit of technology and where can you get one? Well, the item that all photographers must have is a - Tripod. Yes that's it, a tripod. Forget all the electronic gadgets and the digital meters etc. Buy yourself a tripod. One of the hardest things to do when you are taking a picture is to hold the camera steady or rather rock solid. When I first started out on my journey into photography I was told to use a rule of thumb which went like this. The slowest shutter speed that you can use is equal to the lens size millimeters. So if I was to use a 50mm lens the slowest shutter speed that I should use is a 1/50th of a second or 1/60th on the shutter speed dial. If I used a 200mm lens I'd have to shoot at 1/250th of a second. Although this rule generally worked I still did get the odd image suffering with camera shake. In the past days of film we could get away with a very small amount of camera shake. As lenses are far better nowadays and combined with the increased resolution and the digital technology available that enables the photographer to record every minute detail and at the same time highlighting the slightest flaw. You need to be shooting as close as possible to perfection therefore as digital photographers we need to take more care when shooting our pictures. By the way, I know that the 35mm film has effectively more pixels per square centimetre but digital images are recorded to increase the overall quality and clarity of the image. So whilst we have the equipment and technology to get better results all this is wasted by even the smallest amount of camera shake. By fixing the camera to a tripod, and I mean a decent sturdy tripod, you will eliminate camera shake. Not only that but because you have taken the effort to use a tripod you tend to take more care and think about the subject. Landscapes for instance, when you are using a tripod you can evaluate the scene before pressing the shutter. This should improve your results as you can concentrate on the composition and forget about holding the camera. Along with a tripod I like to use a shutter release. But if I'm shooting still-life I put the camera onto self-timer. This will ensure that there is absolutely no movement as the camera has ten seconds to stop moving after I have pressed the shutter. I realise that you cannot use a tripod in all situations and for some subjects you need to move around freely. But on the occasions when you can use a tripod, use it! As I said earlier, if you want to submit your images to the Microstock Photography market the acceptable quality for digital photographic images has got even higher. The answer is to meet the demand with higher quality images and your trusty three legged friend will help you to do just that! After all, if a photograph is worth taking...it's worth taking right! Cameras and equipment is not the only subject of our newsletter. If you want to make money with your camera or submit to the Microstock Photography Market then sign up for our free newsletter today! http://www.gbphotostock.com/stock -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Video
Production Lighting Basics For many novice video producers, lighting causes lots of worry and seems very complicated. Lighting for video production CAN be complicated, but it certainly doesn't HAVE to be. I specialize in making video as easy as possible while still maintaining a professional look. I can sum up everything you need to know about lighting in just three bullet points: 1. Direct Light = Harsh
If you learn the meaning of these three concepts, I promise your lighting efforts will improve tremendously. We'll start with the first
two points. They are related. If you remember elementary school physics, light rays always travel in a straight line. Imagine yourself outside at night with a flashlight. You can see the entire beam of light and it is straight. If you want to illuminate an object, you have to shine the flashlight directly on it. This is an example of direct light It travels in one direction, straight as an arrow. Diffused light is when the straight light beams hit something reflective and then bounce off it. They bounce in straight lines but usually there are so many straight lines bouncing around that the effect is to have light rays bouncing around every-which-way. A standard, incandescent light bulb is painted white on the inside in order to diffuse the light The light beams hit the white paint and bounce. Another prime example of direct and diffused light is to think about being outside on a cloudy day or a sunny day. On a bright, sunny day you have direct light There are lots of deep shadows and the shadows have distinct edges. On a cloudy day, the clouds diffuse the light If it's cloudy enough, there will not be any shadows at all. Since the light is bouncing around every-which-way, any potential shadow is filled in by the bouncing light and eliminated. Generally speaking, you want DIFFUSED light in video production. Unless you are doing a monster movie, diffused light will look best. Most of the gadgets that come in a professional light kit exist for the sole purpose of diffusing the light If you do not have a professional lighting kit, you can achieved a diffused effect by pointing your light toward the ceiling or wall and bouncing it. Do not point it at the on-camera talent. They will thank you for it. Not only will it make them look better, but it will keep them from squinting and being dreadfully uncomfortable. Now let's talk about the third bullet point. What DIRECTION is the light coming from? Is the source of light in front of your on-camera person? Behind them? To the side? Behind? What direction the light is coming from will have a huge impact on how it looks. Generally speaking, you want the light source to be in front of, or to the side, of your on-camera talent. You do NOT want it behind them unless you are trying to hide their identity. Light coming from behind will create a silhouette. Video producers usually reserve that technique for sleazebags who want to remain anonymous. This is a mistake I see frequently. People will stand right in front of the window thinking that the light coming from the window will add enough light to make their shot look good. It probably would, IF the on-camera person stands so the light falls on their face and not on their back. There you have it, the basics of lighting for video production. Lorraine Grula has been a well-respected award winning video professional for over twenty-five years. (Yeah, that makes her kind of old.) Lorraine has done virtually every kind of video production imaginable and now shares her expertise on the web. Her blog, http://www.VideoProductionTips.com is full of free information and video tutorials. _____________________________________________________________ Studio
Lighting Or Lounge Illuminations I started off with a couple of 500 cool light soft boxes and reflector but found I was limited on the speed and often produced perfectly focussed but blurred shots - I had thought that models would stand still, but the girls i was shooting wanted to jump around! So i progress on to an umbrella with and SB800, a SB600 and a couple of old Vivitars on remotes which all work great usually! The flash umbrella certainly stopped the motion but sent light everywhere and I struggled to light the background separately. I found using the D300 menu to control the flashes was cumbersome and now use the Commander unit which sits on the hotshoe and is much quicker to use. So to to stop sending light everywhere, I now I have a soft box attachment for the SB800 and find i can control the direction of the light a lot better. I liked the umbrella when shooting teenagers who wanted to bop around. It seemed to light them pretty well no matter what angle they were at, combined with a flash, high up behind them. I have also added a pringles tube covered in black tape as a snoot, and foam cards to act as flags. With all this kit I have enough to experiment with and am constantly learning. It is beginning to amaze me just how tilting a light this way or that really affects how the photographs look. I have read a lot but doing it in practise is where i am learning what i read. What I would really like now is a room big enough to use the equipment! I am not sure at what stage I would need to progress to studio lighting, I have not hit any limits in my lounge so far. John P Wood _________________________________________________________________
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