marc_matteo Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I am a wedding photographer who has a passion to learn studio portraiture. It is alot harder than I imagined. Loop lighting, Rembrandt, etc. It's a little overwhelming. I just think you have to just dive in and experiment. So I bought myself 3 Alien Bee 1600's, two 24x36 softboxes, 1 40" umbrella, and a few backdrops. I previously went to a studio where I live and tried a few test shots on my own. They came out OK. But since I got my own setup I am hooked and trying new things. I love split lighting so I did a shot of my daughter and I wanted to get your opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_darnton1 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I like the picture in general, but don't like the entirely missing half of her face. I think even a bit of reflected fill there would help gain some detail and shape, which you could then push back down into the shadows if you wanted. That way it wouldn't be just a black hole on that side, and you'd see the basic shape and features, but it would still have the same type of impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmeyer Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 You will soon learn to match the mood of your subjects attitude with the mood of your lighting. The mood of the light in this photo is much more severe than the expression on your daughter's face. Uplighting (with the light below the subject) generally has two effects on the viewer... creepy or sexy, neither of which is appropriate for a young woman of this age, although creepy might be more so... and that sort of lighting just doesn't match with her smiley face. <p>So the glint on her teeth combined with the uplighting almost moves this image into the "child vampire" arena. Is that what you had in mind?... didn't think so. <p>But if you asked her to try looking scary when this light is on her, you might have a really effective picture and she might even like it. Have fun messing with this, and don't be so locked in on pre-conceived notions of lighting formulas (loop, Rembrandt, butterfly, blah blah). Print your pictures small and hang them on the refrigerator for a few days... you'll figure out what works for you, and what doesn't... t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twmeyer Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 oh yeah, look at photos that you like and try to "reverse engineer" them... working to understand where the light was coming from, how big the source is, how far away it is, how high, low, etc. Then try replicating it... it's a good way to learn... t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike dixon Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 My first thought on viewing the photo (before reading any comments) was, "Ooh, creepy!" Listen to Tom Meyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moseley Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I think you need to be careful with your use of light, maybe try more simpler lighting techniques first as your Daughter seems to have take on a waxy, china type complexion which does look a little unnerving as Im sure she looks more fresh faced in real life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprouty Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Forget the lighting, what did you do to her skin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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