Fashion Lighting / Single Light Source: Alien Bees B800

<p><em>Aspiring fashion photographer here.</em></p>

<p><strong>My equipment is as follows: </strong><br>

Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT), couple factory lenses, 50mm f/1.8, AB800 w/ standard 7'' reflector, 32'' white/silver reflector. </p>

<p><strong>Lenses I'm able to borrow:</strong> <br>

Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 & f/4, Canon EF 135 f/2</p>

<p><strong>My main question is: </strong><br>

How can I most efficiently equally distribute light without extremely harsh shadows? </p>

<p>One way to make the source of illumination larger is to bounce the flash against a large white surface. For example a large white wall or ceiling. Another way is to diffuse it thru a large diffusing panel, like a king size bedsheet. In order to do this efficiently you want the model to be as close to the source of illumination (wall or sheet) as you can - if you shoot in a white room you'll get additional bounced light as fill.<br>

Another solution is to shoot with strong ambient light and diffuse it as above - a "silk" made our of rip stop nylon will diffuse sun light and make for very soft light.</p>

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<p>How can I most efficiently equally distribute light without extremely harsh shadows?</p>

 

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<p>By learning about lighting. Step one, read and re-read the book "Light: the Science and Magic". Next, how many fashion magazines to you subscribe to? A lot of fashion shots are with hard lighting- Google fashion photographer and see for yourself. Or pick up a Vanity Fair and study the lighting on the advertising shots. All photography is really about controlling the contrast within an image. To control contrast you need light modifiers or more lights or, better yet, both. Can it be done with a single light? Sure, if you have the <em>knowledge. </em>There is a video with Dean Collins using one light to do a fashion shot: the single strobe was used as a hair light, angled such that enough light hit the largest "main" light reflector (silver I believe for best light transmission and higher specularity I would guess). And finally a white fill reflector. </p>

<p>Let me just add a couple of things: </p>

<p>* I shoot out of a standard two car garage. No white ceilings or surfaces to bounce off of -- unless you want to count the slot wall. <br>

* I have a 107''x36ft. fashion grey backdrop in the garage that I use. <br>

* I am also looking to start shooting inside apartments and condominiums with ordinary house settings.</p>

<p>Thanks, Paco. Any more help and advice would be much appreciated. </p>

<p>John: </p>

<p>I don't necessarily subscribe to many magazines but I still see an extreme amount of the content in them online as I run a very popular fashion photography blog. The stuff that interests me mostly comes out of overseas publications. French, Italian and Russian Vogue, Muse, Numéro, etc. I've been told numerous times that my current stuff looks very 90's Nylon inspired. People make endless Terry Richardson references. Although that's not all it is. I like the style and aesthetic I shoot as of now but I want to expand. That's why I'm doing research online as pertains to my question in this thread.</p>

<p>Bruno, try shooting with the garage door open and the gray background opposite to the opening. The light coming from the garage door opening will be soft and directional, I would hope. Given that the model is facing the light directly, you'll minimize contrast - to avoid her shadow on the seamless, move her 10 ft in front of it. If you dont have enough light then hang a big king size sheet or a couple of translucent shower curtains off the garage door opening, and place the strobe outside the garage pointing in. By having the door rigged like this you'll have the equivalent of a huge softbox right in front of the model. Should give you pretty shadowless light. </p>

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<p>That's why I'm doing research online as pertains to my question in this thread</p>

 

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<p>Wonderful. But that doesn't change my advice! First and foremost is to <em>learn</em> lighting. What you can do with one light depends entirely on <em>your knowledge</em> of lighting. As example, you can set up your shot exactly as outlined in the previous post, but what are you going to do if you don't like something about it? It's the whole give a man a fish or teach a man to fish. The book I referenced is almost a must read. If you can get your hands on the Dean Collins DVDs, those are very good as well. </p>

<p>John's book suggestion is a good one. So is using the open garage door as your light. You can move the model forward or backwards to change the ratio between the model and the background, and move from the center to the side to change the ratio of the main/fill. </p>

<p>to make your AB bigger you could bounce off of foam core.</p>

<p>At a building supply store procure white plastic foam insulation board. This material is lightweight, inexpensive and snow white. It makes the perfect reflector. You can have an associate hold one sheet. The main light is kept high and positioned to cause the shadows that it makes to enhance the model. Try positioning the main about the model referencing it's potion to a clock i.e. 6 O'clock directly in line with the camera 3 O'clock or 9 O'clock off to the right or the left 12 O'clock is the position of the background light if used.</p>

<p>Position the reflector held at an angle so that it reflects light into the subject. Position to so that this reflected fill seems to come from the camera's location.</p>

<p>Did you get an umbrella with your B800 light? If you did, it should be a shoot through. Take the black cover off and shoot through it.</p>

<p>I also strongly recommend the book - "Light: the Science and Magic".</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks guys, I'll definitely try out a lot of the suggested techniques from above. </p>

<p>Paco, I have definitely thought about shooting with the garage door open. There are two problems though. The first is that I usually shoot as the sun is setting or at night. The second issue is that the garage doors are East-facing. That means morning light only. Maybe I can still utilize it somehow? </p>

<p>And I'm gonna pick up that book asap!</p>