One of the most important things about light is to make sure that you get a meter reading, get an accurate exposure. I know a lot of people are depending on the LCD screen on the back of their camera, not the best way to go. These are just an indication of what you’re getting. You really want to take a look at your screen and then look at your computer that’s hopefully calibrated monitor and compare the two and try and translate what you’re getting on the screen with the real calibrated monitor because this is not that accurate.
So I like to get a meter reading and we expose for the highlights from your shooting digital. A big area of, not a big area but the problem that lot of people had when they went from film to digital are people who shot negative film they’re used to over exposing the negative to get a nice thick negative as I called they it.
The labs could correct up by long exposures. When I went to digital, it was the opposite of what you need to do. People like me who photograph in chrome film and slides had a much easier time. We’re more used to getting exposures for the highlights which is what you want to do with digital.
So, we’re going to on with the meter and we’re going to take a meter reading here and I have 8 1/2. We’re going to shoot with the bank in this close then we’re going to move the bank back adjust the quantity of the light. Because I can control the quantity of the light, we’re going to move it back and shoot it at 8 ½ with the bank for the back and I want you to see the difference in the quality of the light. With the bank this close, Kate just glows and looks wonderful. When I moved the bank back, the light will get harsher and her skin won’t look quite as good.
Just to clarify the description of hard light and soft light because that may confuse a few of you. When I’m referring to a hard light, it has to do with any object that you photograph if the shadow of that object is very clear and sharp, that’s a hard light and a soft light is simply an object shadow that’s soft and diffuse as in this example.
When I’m looking at the photograph, I can tell if I shot the person with the hard light or soft light simply by looking at the shadow of their nose. The nose tells all. A hard shadow on their nose, it’s a hard light like a spot light or good spot. If there isn’t much of a shadow and it’s very soft and gentle, then I know it was a large light source or soft light on their face. That’s the difference between a hard light and a soft light.
So, I’ve got my exposure 8 ½ and I’m ready to shoot. I’m shooting with the 5D with 24 to 105 lens which is what I’d like to use in the studio. I keep it generally at 70 to 105 for portraits, but once in a while it’s really nice to shot like kids or other subjects with the slightly wide angle.
So, here is some examples of shot I took with kids with a slight wide angle and I’d like it because it is more intimate. I feel it I’m a lot closer to child and I am so I can talk more and get reactions, but I like visually the fact that I’m up here, that I’m closer. I’m not at arms length like I am with the telephoto lens and in this shot, if you look at the reflection in the eyes, you’ll see that it looks like a window. It’s actually on a large bank, but we added two strips of two inch gap or take, one horizontal, one vertical, so it look like the millions of a window. So it kind of looks like actual window light whether than just a large white studio bank.
For this we’re going to be shooting at a longer focal lengths. If you noticed I also a pocket wizard on the camera that so I don’t have a cord coming out, it’s a radio transmitter that will set off my dayna lights which is the strobe units we’re using for this lessons. So, I can test my lights, I can photograph, I don’t have a cord tying me down.
Now, also when you’re dealing with a model, I want to explain on directing the model. Kate here is a professional model which is wonderful. And the worst thing to do with model is giving directions they don’t understand. So, if I’m here and I told Kate, Kate look to the right, but wrong right, I’m at my right, camera right which would be this direction.
So, instead of getting into that right, left and if I say look up or down, she doesn’t know how much, but if I use my hand and just go in and say Kate, “just a little bit this way, set your head this way”. If you notice, it’s like having a remote control. I can go this way and that way and Kate just follows me. It’s much easier for the models to understand what you want me to do.
So we have our exposure, we’re going to shoot it 8 ½ at this set up with the light bank close and I don’t want to shoot it with the light bank move back. And we’re also going to shoot it 8 ½ that’s controlling the quantity of the light. I can move it anywhere and with my strobe units, I can control how much light is coming out. I can also control with the aperture in my camera. What I can’t control is the quality of the light by just having it in one area. The placement of the light is very, very important.
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