First attempt using softbox

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dickelfan

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #1

 

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ShootRaw

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #2

Hey man..Gotta ask, why are you shooting @ F22 on your portraits? Studio is normally anywhere from F/7.1 to F/11 I see you used a split lighting pattern...Curious why you did not do a standard 45 degree angle to test out your softbox...

 

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dickelfan

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #3

The reason I used f22 was I was trying to make the background black, this was in the hall way to my house which would have shown the door/windows etc, I didn't have a backdrop to use. I did do some 45 degree shots as well, just didn't post them. I'll try some more tomorrow.

 

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ShootRaw

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #4

I figured, but usually F8 to f/11 should look pitch black indoors...I feel that aperture is hurting your image..Too black... His face seems turned alittle to far to our left..Curious to see the other shots...

 

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dickelfan

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #5

Here is one more

 

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ShootRaw

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #6

Gotta watch your cropping..On this one^^ Alittle more head room like on your first one... Bring that softbox outside and do some shots...I love shooting outdoors..How big is the softbox? Ive done some cool things with my 16x16 softbox and speedlite...Good Luck!!!

 

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dickelfan

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #7

It is a westcott 26" octabox. Thanks for any input you can give on using one. Gonna try to take pictures of my daughter tomorrow for Christmas cards and will be using it. Here are a couple she just let me snap real quick...and I took your advice and tried at f11

 

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STM

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #8

The lighting ratio is rather severe in my opinion. The image really needs some fill, even if it is 4:1

 

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FastGlass

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #9

How far away is the softbox to the subject?

 

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dickelfan

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #10

was probably only about 3 feet away, I should have gotten it closer to her, but she was on the move

 

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FastGlass

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #11

If placing the softbox right in the subjects face than the light falloff to the background will be more severe than having some distance between it and the subject.

 

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FastGlass

Senior Member

• Nov 22, 2014

• #12

Understand. Assuming your aware of the inverse square law?

 

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ShootRaw

Senior Member

• Nov 23, 2014

• #13

Dickel, I understand you are going for low-key portraits...And you can do them all you want..But when using flash for portraits of people in general..You want to expose for the ambient light first, then add in your flash to balance it with the ambient...I know you may not want to show clutter in the background, but if you have fast glass you can shoot wide open and use flash on lowest power for fill..Remember shutter speed controls ambient light ...

 

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dickelfan

Senior Member

• Nov 23, 2014

• #14

Thanks for all input...it will be a learning process. Took one quick one of my daughter this morning, trying to do for Christmas cards

 

Last edited: Nov 23, 2014