Critique on first shoot with 2 head lighting kit please.

[Gina]

Hi all,

Got a 2 head interfit entry level basic lighting kit this week and am uploading a set including this example. Any critique helpful. I'm almost certain I now need a good light meter and radio transmitter. I don't like being tethered by wires!

I've just started using LR and am still learning. I'm also now shooting exclusively in RAW! gO ME! I don't know if it's LR settings but I cannot access the exif here - any ideas?

This is James, proud Daddy of Alfie his beautiful and adorable 7 week old son. Check out Daddy's eyes!

[Stephen]

[Graham_of_Rainham]

Re: Critique on first shoot with 2 head lighting kit please.

One of the "golden rules" is to avoid having more than one catchlight in the eyes. As we are used to seeing subjects lit with only one light source, twin lights used in the "cross light" configuration will often look "different" to us. The better (all a matter of choice) is to have one main light and the other is then used just to fill in the shadow areas.

One of the really usefull tutorials on lighting can be found here.

http://www.lastoliteschoolofphotography.com/using-umbrellas

Ultimatly, only you can choose how you want your images to look, but if there is any other viewer influence to be addressed then you may need to consider their tastes and use a more "conventional" set up

I use a hairdressers "head on a stick" to practice and develop lighting setups using all sorts of DIY reflectors to get the lighting I want. And for most of the time simply bouncing it off the ceiling with a reflector to lift shadows works best for me.

Have fun - and please show us the results.

[Gina]

Re: Critique on first shoot with 2 head lighting kit please.

Thank you so much for responding so quickly.

It's a huge learning curve for me so bear with me on that but I'm really happy for a first try. I will act on your advice and know I still have a few problems to figure out but wanted to share my progress with you.

Paint Shop Pro has been a great tool up until now but I am now learning Photoshop as well. Thanks for the info on the light meter and infra red trigger Stephen, I'll try looking for these - more money!

With regards to composition, I do try new things all the time and I know they are not to everyone's taste but I don't want all my work to look the same and sort of stale. I will be uploading a few more from the shoot for your perusal so watch this space and thanks again for the tips and link xxx

Gina

[Patrick]

Re: Critique on first shoot with 2 head lighting kit please.

Thank you so much for responding so quickly.

It's a huge learning curve for me so bear with me on that but I'm really happy for a first try. I will act on your advice and know I still have a few problems to figure out but wanted to share my progress with you.

Paint Shop Pro has been a great tool up until now but I am now learning Photoshop as well. Thanks for the info on the light meter and infra red trigger Stephen, I'll try looking for these - more money!

With regards to composition, I do try new things all the time and I know they are not to everyone's taste but I don't want all my work to look the same and sort of stale. I will be uploading a few more from the shoot for your perusal so watch this space and thanks again for the tips and link xxx

Gina

Hi Gina

Its worth noting in the absence of an infra red trigger, a regular flash can do the same job (not the one built into the camera this cant be controlled sufficiently at least as fare as I know) If you have a flash gun put in into the hot shoe switch flash to manual and reduce the power to about a 1/16 or lower if possible off full, so very little light falls on the subject, a similar effect could be obtained by setting the flash ISO as high as it will go.
Providing your studio flash heads have slave triggers the flash gun will fire them just like the infra red trigger.
If the flash gun you have does not have the facility to be reduced then point it upwards so its light does not fall on your subject, this should still trigger the studio lights.
I have used this method many times in the past.

Patrick

[Autumn]

Re: Critique on first shoot with 2 head lighting kit please.

Have absolutely no knowledge of this subject, but would just like to congratulate you Gina on your progress. You have really persevered and achieved so much over a relatively short period.

You deserve to be successful in your business. Keep up the good work.