In the woods

[kyle_rossiter1]

If anyone could give me some pointers it would be greatly appreciated. Im

shooting a subject nude in the woods in about a week, and I dont know what to do

about lighting or lenses as I am very new to photography and havent had much

experience shooting. If anyone could give me some tips on what I can do to

complement skin tone, and what type of lens I should used I would appreciate it

quite a bit. In fact if you have anything at all you wish to share with me Id

appreciate it. All I can think of right now is to use a white bedsheet between

trees to soften light but Im open to suggestions

[martin_krzywinski]

If you're going for a high key look, then hang a white sheet over your subject (like a tent), thereby putting the subject in the shade. Expose for your subject (which should be -0.5f to -1.5f below ambient, depending on light conditions) and now you'll have a nice image with a well-exposed subject against an overexposed, dreamy background.

 

You can add variety to this by putting black formcore boards on either side of your subject to shape the light further. The boards will prevent any light striking the subject from the side, thereby adding contrast. Expose as before.

 

Expanding more, put a strobe above the bed sheet, thereby reproducing your own little sun. Now you can control the strobe output against ambient as much as you like. If you crank the strobe up by a stop or two above ambient, then you'll have a well exposed subject against a dark, moody background. This can be very nice. It's called keyshifting (down).

 

For lenses... use whatever fits your composition. 50-85 mm will give you a photojournalistic look, and 100mm or longer will give a more artistic, compressed perspective.

[www.whitemountainphoto.com]

Martin, Great answer in easy to understand terms.

 

Dana

[kyle_rossiter1]

Thanks alot for the response, those arent things I really thought of, but now I have to fix a dilemma. How to get a bright white light into the woods

 

thank you