Portrait Lighting - Feedback on this shot

[alin_daju]

<p><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=525441">Steve J Murray</a>, your portrait does NOT look better exposed than Trish's as you believe. You blown the girls details. There are no contrasts, just a white face.</p>

[alin_daju]

<p>Ronald, thats some great material to read and practise.</p>

[ben_atkinson]

<p>Alin, is your monitor calibrated? Steve's exposure looks acceptable to me.</p>

[daniel_horande]

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I really really really recomend you a excelent book that is all about lighting. Explains you everything. Is not a books to shoot models, it shows you how to lit products, explains you all the behavior os the light, how to use it, undertand it. This is the base for everything... then, you can read a book about shooting models. If i woul have someone to tell me this when i was starting, i would be really happy today, lol.</p>

<p>Light, Science & magic ---> BTW, im reading it right now again, and i d nto do products photography btw</p>

[boris_miljevic]

<p>Here is my setup for last week shooting...maybe it will help...</p><div></div>

[boris_miljevic]

<p>And here is the result...</p><div></div>

[nathan_meador]

<p>Alin - the picture is not overexposed, it looks just about right to me. The girls skin is just very fine. There is detail in the white front of her dress.<br>

Boris - she is using continuous lights, not strobes...nice pic though, but I don't see how the light to the far right on your diagram throws any light on his side, it is all shadow?</p>

[scott_murphy_photography]

<p>First off, you cut off the far edge of his right ear, which is distracting, but I am assuming you want a critique on the lighting itself. You did not supply much in the way of information so I just have to take the image at face value. The image is very flat (very little modeling) and maybe a half stop underexposed. The color balance is also off, tending way too much toward yellow. It is best with two lights, to have a lighting ratio between the two. Depending on whether you are using broad or narrow lighting, usually a minimum ration should be 2:1, whereas the key light is 1 stop brighter than the fill light. It is also a good idea to have a hair light to separate the subject from the background. Traditionally it should be on the side opposite the key light but sometimes the situation dictates otherwise. Also, watch your depth of field. The tip of his nose is out of focus, and his left eye appears soft as well.</p>

<p>I would strongly encourage you to get a flash/incident meter. It is a lot easier and far more accurate than trying to use the camera's meter, which is pretty much worthless for determining correct portraiture exposure, at least in my opinion. If you can, I would get one BEFORE tomorrow's shoot and learn to use it before tomorrow. They are usually not difficult to learn to use.</p>

<p>Also, since you are new to this and are shooting digital instead of film, I would recommend that you take A LOT of photos and try different lighting setups.</p>

<p>I cleaned up the image the best I can in Photoshop but it is still not that good.</p>

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[greg_peterson3]

<p>1) If you're going to crop tight, crop REAL tight.<br />2) Bring you main light closer to the camera and reduce the amount of fill. (See comments above.)<br />3) Makeup! Yes, even for men. You can do a lot with Photoshop, but why tie your hands.<br>

4) Get rid of the damn fluorescents! They're fine for table-top product photos. Not for people.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[alexander__sandy__scott]

<h1>Greg Peterson. I would not go that far in damning fluorescent light. Professional bulbs with a CRI of 92 or above, produce beautiful light for Portraiture, but you do need enough wattage, and they can get expensive.</h1>

<h1>PS. I am lousy with computers, and have NO idea why this type is so LARGE.<br /></h1>