Playing with lights

[JakAHearts]

Wouldnt a snoot do what he is after here? Also, you can get full body manequins from Amazon for around 65 bucks, including a wig!

[SMason]

I just ordered a snoot for my light. I'm going to give Sailor's suggestion a try this evening after work.

[patterfr]

Ooops sorry, didn't realize you were talking specifically about hairlight, as the main light was rather well done.

I have used a snoot and a small softbox and a bounced light off the ceing and I agree it's the hardest light to get right.
I believe a small amount of spill on the shoulders can be tolerated and at times wanted, but angling it backwards toward the bg and narrowing the beam with barndoors and aor a snoot might be the way to go here.

[patterfr]

Originally Posted by SMason

Exactly! It's so hard to get my wife to come out and pose for me, there's always something else that she wants to do, and when she does pose for me it's hurry up and get this over with!

Kind of like some other things with wives
I find persistence is the key.
Also if you tell her that's all you want for your birthday etc is a half hour for posing, she can get off cheaper than with a gift and it's one way get her to do it. Then as you get better and she starts liking your photos it'll get easier to get her to pose.
Bribes and dinners work good too.

[Seawolf66]

KSGal [Wish I had a mannequin to use.. 4 yr olds don't sit still for that long... *sigh*] all you need is contact cement they will not move

[Benji]

One problem with a mannequin is that the catchlights are painted on her eyes making it difficult to see if the main light is positioned correctly. Judging by the nose shadow it is very close to being correct. Another problem is plastic skin is somewhat transparent unlike the skin on the face making lighting ratios hard to determine.

Looking at the second image I see you have the main light and the hair light positioned rather well, but what is the light at camera right? It can't be a kicker as it is not positioned correctly to be a kicker so that leaves a fill light. The fill light should be above and behind the camera, not opposite the main light. Power up the hair light for black hair and down for blondes.

Benji

[SMason]

Originally Posted by Benji

One problem with a mannequin is that the catchlights are painted on her eyes making it difficult to see if the main light is positioned correctly. Judging by the nose shadow it is very close to being correct. Another problem is plastic skin is somewhat transparent unlike the skin on the face making lighting ratios hard to determine.

Looking at the second image I see you have the main light and the hair light positioned rather well, but what is the light at camera right? It can't be a kicker as it is not positioned correctly to be a kicker so that leaves a fill light. The fill light should be above and behind the camera, not opposite the main light. Power up the hair light for black hair and down for blondes.

Benji

I'll have to check, but I believe that the mannequin doesn't have a catch light painted in her eyes. The fill light that I'm using is a large umbrella behind the camera. The light on camera right I was using as a kicker. This is why I posted, so I can figure out what I'm doing wrong. Can you help me understand where it should be? Thanks Benji.

[Benji]

Okay unless the fill light is really misplaced, the catchlights in her eyes must be painted in because there are only two of them. With the fill positioned correctly behind and above the camera they also leave a catchlight in each eye nearly in the middle of them making two catchlights in each eye. You have only one in each eye.

The kicker light. The late great master of photography Don Blair used to call the kicker light a garlic light. Just like too much garlic in a recipe will ruin it, too much kicker light in a portrait will ruin it. If the subject is facing the four o'clock position like your mannequin is, the kicker should be at the 1 o'clock position and should skim across and illuminate her hair only, UNLESS she is wearing dark clothing and the background is also dark, THEN some of the kicker should also be directed at her clothing to prevent it from blending in with the background.

Here is how I set up the lights. I rough them in prior to posing the subject. After she is positioned about where she will be finally posed, I switch off all the photographic modeling lights. At this point the only light in the entire camera room is a 20 watt table lamp. This keeps her comfortable and keeps you from stumbling around in the dark! Then switch on the modeling lamp of the hair light and while looking at her face move it backward untill NONE of it is striking her forehead. All of the light should be falling on her hair. A LITTLE of it can also strike her shoulders, especially if she is wearing dark clothing. Then switch on the kicker and see if it is doing what it should be doing. If not pinch the barndoors down and or move it until it is illuminating what you want it to illuminate. Then move to the main. After you finalize the pose and have made sure the main light is positioned correctly, I have my assistant direct a powerful flashlight (it holds 4 D batteries) into the eyes of the subject and I make the capture. The flashlight is powerful but not so powerful as to cause the subject to squint. This light will close down the iris of the eyes of the subject making her eyes much more colorful.

I leave the respective modeling lamps on on each light after making sure that the flash tube will be doing what it should when it fires based on the modeling light. Each modeling light adds to the overall illumination in the camera room.

Benji

[ksgal]

Originally Posted by Seawolf66

KSGal [Wish I had a mannequin to use.. 4 yr olds don't sit still for that long... *sigh*] all you need is contact cement they will not move

*snork*

believe me, I've thought long and hard about duct tape... around the mouth.. it is soo hard to argue with myself (they are such mini me's!)

Thanks so much for that detailed explanation Benji, I will have to try this out when I get a snoot or something for my hair light!

[RV]

Originally Posted by Rain Lily

I wish I had a mannequin for studio practice. Might have to check into getting one.

Edited due to inappropriate material. Mr RV clean up your act. This is a warning. I received two complaints about your posting.

Benji