Just getting a feel for lighting

If anyone can offer advice on how to improve on these photos, I would

love to hear from you. I am having some problem with the shadows as

you can see, and the lighting seems to harsh....posing seems a bit

off as well. Forgive me but this is literally from the first roll of

film I have ran threw my camera so I am the ULTIMATE newbie here, in

search of more experianced advice and opinions. Thanks to everyone in

advance for your input.

I'm fairly new my self. It seems like the shadow is the largest draw back. It looks like the photos were taken with just one flash (or one flash that overwealmed the rest.) Try adding another flash on the right. You can aim it at the people or just the background to kill the shadow. Also, look into a reflector. You may not need a flash if you can effectively use a reflector.

Most portraits I've seen favor a light background. Have you thought of it? Either that or black velvet, or paper (which absorbs light). About the shadows... I have that problem myself. Good luck!

First, get your subject away from the background. 6 feet at a minimum, and more if you have the space. Second, feather your light so that you are using the penumbra of the light rather than the umbra. Feather away from the background. Third, use some sort of light modifier, such as an umbrella or a soft box.

 

Kevin

Hi, First these are not that bad for your first roll. To kill the shaddows turn the power on your flash down and move it closer to the model, stick to one light in the begining and use a reflector in close to fill in the shaddows. Good luck. Jim.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to offer their opinions and advice. If anyone has anything to add, please, don't hesitate!

Thanks for the pointer on 6ft minimum distance, I will try that with this next roll! Deann

The terms "penumbra" and "umbra" are used to describe shadows... an "umbra" being " a conical shadow excluding all light from a given source", so...Maybe what Kevin is trying to say is to use the edge of the light... I'm not sure.

My advice would sound similar, but only phoenetically. I'd recommend an umbrella. They are cheap and will give you a nice soft light with a large "penumbra", that is, an extended area in which bright light slowly becomes shadow. Your pictures now have a very small penumbra, wherein the bright, direct light quickly becomes a shadow. In this case the shadows have a sharply defined edge. If you look at many portraits generally conceded to be of good quality, the shadows are very soft edged, having a wide transitional area between brightly lit and fully shaded areas.

So... 1) Using an umbrella and 2) putting some distance between your subject and the background will both make a big difference in your pictures.

Oh yeah, the closer your umbrella is to your subject, the larger that transitional area will be (making a larger "penumbra").

One last word of advice... one light is plenty for now. If you do get a second light... put it on the background, not the subject (use a reflector for a second light on your subject). keeping your lighting simple will help you to learn about the quality of light , which is more important than the quantity of lights. Have fun... t