Lighting
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I don't think it would have been anymore possible for Chris to emphasize how important lighting is. It wasn't until I was flying solo in my first shoot that I realised how right he was.
I've had a look in the library for some references and I found some brilliant books on lighting for portrait and beauty photos. I work better from having references, and the basic lighting set ups that we've been taught are nicely laid out in a really simple and easy to follow diagrams. I'm guessing with more practise that it'll become easier to recall from memory because I can say that after doing my first shoot is was nearly impossible to remember everything about the lights without referring to my notes.
I've included on this blog post the scanned pages from the books I've sourced in the library.
Lighting is crucial to a shoot. Lighting in itself can set the mood, tone and atmosphere of a shoot. It can also create amazing photos. It's important as a make up artist who is also shooting the look you've designed to research lighting techniques before you begin your shot. Time is crucial especially when you've only got 4 hours of studio time a week. So it's advised that you do the make up for your shoots before your booked time slot. If at all possible it's important set up as much of the studio as possible.
High Key Lighting:
High key lighting is great for beauty shots as it brightens the face. This makes the skin look clear.
Low Key Lighting:
Low key lighting is fantastic for dramatic portrait shots. I personally think this lighting is good for black and white photos.
Soft Light:
Shooting with a soft light is good for post production reasons. It's much easier to adjust the contrast
Spill Kill:
This is an attachment put over the bulb that focuses light. They can vary in size depending how you want the light to be in the set up. Just lighting with a Spill Kill is great for men as it creates shadows and it makes cheekbones pop and chisel jawlines.
Shoot Through Umbrellas:
This is a white umbrella that you place over the spill kill on a light. This gives a really soft light. It's advised to have this lighting set up above the camera.
Reflective Umbrella:
The light must be turned away, as the lining of a this umbrella is reflective, if you were to replace the shoot through umbrella and leave the light in the same place the flash would be reflected behind the photographer.
Soft Box:
I first experienced polyboards in a practical session. They are huge boards that are used to absorb or reflect light.
Reflectors:
I've had a look in the library for some references and I found some brilliant books on lighting for portrait and beauty photos. I work better from having references, and the basic lighting set ups that we've been taught are nicely laid out in a really simple and easy to follow diagrams. I'm guessing with more practise that it'll become easier to recall from memory because I can say that after doing my first shoot is was nearly impossible to remember everything about the lights without referring to my notes.
I've included on this blog post the scanned pages from the books I've sourced in the library.
Lighting is crucial to a shoot. Lighting in itself can set the mood, tone and atmosphere of a shoot. It can also create amazing photos. It's important as a make up artist who is also shooting the look you've designed to research lighting techniques before you begin your shot. Time is crucial especially when you've only got 4 hours of studio time a week. So it's advised that you do the make up for your shoots before your booked time slot. If at all possible it's important set up as much of the studio as possible.
Terminology
High Key Lighting:
High key lighting is great for beauty shots as it brightens the face. This makes the skin look clear.
Low Key Lighting:
Low key lighting is fantastic for dramatic portrait shots. I personally think this lighting is good for black and white photos.
Soft Light:
Shooting with a soft light is good for post production reasons. It's much easier to adjust the contrast
Spill Kill:
This is an attachment put over the bulb that focuses light. They can vary in size depending how you want the light to be in the set up. Just lighting with a Spill Kill is great for men as it creates shadows and it makes cheekbones pop and chisel jawlines.
Shoot Through Umbrellas:
This is a white umbrella that you place over the spill kill on a light. This gives a really soft light. It's advised to have this lighting set up above the camera.
Reflective Umbrella:
The light must be turned away, as the lining of a this umbrella is reflective, if you were to replace the shoot through umbrella and leave the light in the same place the flash would be reflected behind the photographer.
Larger Umbrellas:
A larger shoot through umbrella with give an even softer light.
A larger shoot through umbrella with give an even softer light.
Natural Lighting:
Natural lighting can be really difficult to create in a studio if you are still new at photography. I really like how natural light looks in beauty photography. It gives the a skin a glow that can look overdone with the use of umbrellas and soft boxes. Moving the model closer to the natural light source will make the photo brighter. It's common to shoot someone in the doorway with the natural light behind you and in many cases I've seen some great results from this. This is a lighting set up that I would like to try.
Beauty Dish:
Beauty Dish:
The clue is in the name here. Beauty dishes are used a lot in beauty, glamour and portrait photography. I had to do a fair amount of research because I know what it does but trying to describe what it is and how it works was a bit of a nightmare. It gives a perfect white circle in the pupil which looks lovely. The light also casts soft shadows over the face and lights up the centre of the face.
Soft Box:
I really like the effect that the soft box has. The name is a dead giveaway, as it creates a soft light for the shoot. Soft boxes work when placed anywhere. They don't necessarily need to be above the camera. Sometimes lighting with a soft box from the side can create a really nice effect. Soft boxes come in a variety of sizes just like the umbrellas and this effects how soft the light is.
Polyboards:
I first experienced polyboards in a practical session. They are huge boards that are used to absorb or reflect light.
White = Reflect
Black= Absorbs
The same polyboard set up might not work for every model. The black polyboards might be more flattering for some people and the same for the white boards.
The same polyboard set up might not work for every model. The black polyboards might be more flattering for some people and the same for the white boards.
Reflectors:
Reflectors can come in any colour as they can create a colour cast. The ones I have tried using are black, white and silver. Most of the time I prefer to use silver because I think it gives the brightest reflection. When shooting with men I have found that the black reflector works really well
The biggest thing I've learnt so far with lighting is that it's trial and error. You might plan to use a certain colour reflector but it turns out you get a better result with a different one. It's just about making notes and learning from the photos you've taken.
The biggest thing I've learnt so far with lighting is that it's trial and error. You might plan to use a certain colour reflector but it turns out you get a better result with a different one. It's just about making notes and learning from the photos you've taken.
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