***Lighting basics question***

My older sister said she'll take me wherever I want to go today (I can't drive

yet). My question is this, I have my camera, a flash and I might be able to

borrow a reflector.

 

Let's say I'm taking pictures of my brother in the open shade, do I take an

incident reading of the light falling on him and that will be my main?

Then if I do use a reflector or flash that will be my fill?

 

I thought if I do it like that, then the reflector will probably project more

light onto him won't it? So shouldn't it be my main then?

Or does it depend where the reflector is...

->if it's in the shade, use it as my fill

 

->but if I get my sister to hold it out in the sun, shouldn't it be my main

reading then?

 

Also same goes for flash, if he's in the open shade, shouldn't the flash be the

main light?

 

Sorry if it's confusing, I'm just excited since I've been waiting forever to be

able to go out and shoot (not allowed to go alone, lol).

Thanks so much.

Alessia, I must say that for someone who doesn't drive yet, it sounds like you are pretty far ahead of the curve with regard to your understanding of how lighting works. Let me try to clarify a few points and try to make your life a bit easier.

 

Your are correct in thinking that the natural outdoor light will serve as the main light. It doesn't matter if this light is direct (as in direct sunlight) or diffused (as in open shade). It will still be the brightest and therefore the "main" source of light. Of course, as you probably realize, diffused light is much more appealing for portraits, so open shade is definitely the way to go.

 

Your reflector will serve as the fill light. Reflectors can be tricky at first, but here's what you have to understand: With light (and anything else that travels in a straight path), the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflectance. This means that the angle at which the light hits the reflector is equal to the angle at which it reflects off of the reflector and onto the subject. Therefore, you have to be careful to angle the reflector in such a way that it will catch the light and bounce it in the right direction.

 

"Then if I do use a reflector or flash that will be my fill? I thought if I do it like that, then the reflector will probably project more light onto him won't it?"

 

Actually, no. The reflector will always absorb more light than it will reflect. Therefore, there is no way that a reflector can overpower the main light.

 

Flash is a different, especially when it is on the camera. With on-camera flash, the light is coming directly from the front. In this case the reflector is kind of useless, and the lighting will look very flat and artificial. If you can, try to use the flash off the camera. Position it far off to one side to create a more directional main light. Then, you can position the reflector on the other side to act as a fill (keeping in mind that the angle of the reflector in relation to the light).

 

Another thing you can try is to position your brother so that the sun is behind him and use the flash or the reflector to fill in some light on his face. This one is kind of challenging, but it works great when it is done right. Hope this helps.

 

Best Regards.

Thanks Gary, I'm actually turning 16 soon, but I have been reading about photography forever and took a course in school last year for it. I totally love it.

My father gave me his camera to use and keep I think, but thanks for the reply and compliment? lol :)

 

Should I get a stand for the flash and in general, how many stops down should the flash shoot? Or I guess it depends on my test shot?

 

Thanks Garry.

Having the flash mounted on a light stand is a good idea. I would also recommend using a dedicated TTL flash cord to connect the flash to the camera. If you are using the flash as a fill flash with the sun being your main light, I would suggest powering the flash to about 1 stop lower than the sun. In other words, if the sun exposure is f/8, the flash should be set to around f/5.6 or -1. Of course, you should experiment and try different ambient to flash ratios until you find a ratio that works for you.

 

As a side note, I personally prefer natural light to flash. Flash tends to look too artificial for my taste and it is usually very hard to control. More often than not, some late afternoon sunlight and a big white reflector will make a much better lighting solution than all the strobes in the world.

How high is the "norm". I guess I would need a starting point for portraits. Thanks again.

What do you mean by "how high"? How high should you raise the light stand? How how to set the flash output? How high should the model be off the ground? ; )

 

Please elaborate.

 

As far as light output, there is no such thing as the "norm". You have to meter the light, meter the flash, and calculate your exposure accordingly. Still not sure if this is what you were asking.

Yes, the height of the flash, physically. lol :)

Here's a good starting point: Position the flash so that it is 45 degrees from the camera and pointing down at the subject at 45 degrees to the ground. This is a classic way to position the light. Usually, it is better to have the light positioned above the subject and pointing down, because it tends to delineate the facial features with really nice, downward shadows.

 

The opposite of this is the "ghost" lighting technique where the light is positioned below the subject. Think flash light under the chin when someone is telling a scary tale. I've seen this work in some fashion shots, but I would not recommend it for your average portrait.

Okay thanks Garry.