Portrait w/ DIY Lighting

Browncoat

Senior Member
AKA the junkyard setup. This was shot in a basement where there is zero ambient lighting. Yes, I know that my "model" has messy hair...this is my daughter and we did this just for giggles. As it turns out, it didn't turn out half bad.

Light 1: Backdrop lighting provided by a desk lamp w/ a 5500K CFL bulb pointed up at the wall. I had hoped this would offset the shadow cast by the flash (Light 2).

Light 2: LumoPro LP160 on 1/8 power @ 35mm. Fired remote via Cactus v4 and shot through a Westcott 43" umbrella.

Light 3: A shop lamp jerry-rigged with another 5500K CFL bulb, clamped to the side of a bar.

PP work was single-image tone mapping in Oloneo PhotoEngine followed by a soft focus treatment in Photoshop. The results:

Drew-Flute.jpg


LightingSetup.jpg
 

fotojack

Senior Member
Seems to work, Anthony. Turned out pretty nice. What did it look like before PP? That's what I would be interested in seeing........the before and after PP work. :)
 

Joseph Bautsch

New member
Agreed. Very good job. The hair is ok. I much prefer the semi-formal portraits to the everything just has to be perfect type. This is much more natural. Very good job on the lighting. There are two spots I would remove, one on the right cheek and the other on the forehead. I would like to see a little more detail in the shadows, especially the one on the left side of the face. That shadow does an excellent job of framing the face to keep attention where it belongs but to me it's a little too dark. (The shadows may be my monitor. It's a very old MacBook).
 

Browncoat

Senior Member
I would like to see a little more detail in the shadows, especially the one on the left side of the face. That shadow does an excellent job of framing the face to keep attention where it belongs but to me it's a little too dark. (The shadows may be my monitor. It's a very old MacBook).

I agree, it's too dark. This is where Light 3 (my jerry-rigged shop light) failed me. I used this as a fill light, and it did do it's job of helping to illuminate the subject without overpowering my main light. However, it fell short. I think had I positioned it about a foot and a half closer, the shadow would have been just about right.
 
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