Help me set up a lighting shoot

[jahn]

Hello, I just received my new camera (907x 50c) and I love it, the ergonomics, menu, and clarity. As a former H4D owner, it is a world difference between the two cameras, I think. Anyways, I was wondering if any pro photographer here could help me figure out a lighting set up for my shots. I am a performance artist, and as for right now, I document my work in my studio which is rather small space (8 x 8 f approx) and I have come across with some images of how I would like to document my work. I must say the style is very Scandinavian if I can say that, hard lighting and strong shadows, grainy film look. I imagine more like a screenshot from a film from the 50s. Just this morning I got my daily NYtimes email with almost exact replica of the look I want. (please have a look.) I have purchased some used Mole Richardson Tungsten lights, and also have some really old flash units. Would anyone here have some time to help me?

[NickT]

So this is a single, fairly hard (Mola?) light source postioned above and slightly to the left of camera based on the catchlights in the eyes. The grainy stuff I would just add using Lightroom or a plugin for Photoshop like Exposure.

Hope that helps!

[jahn]

So this is a single, fairly hard (Mola?) light source postioned above and slightly to the left of camera based on the catchlights in the eyes. The grainy stuff I would just add using Lightroom or a plugin for Photoshop like Exposure.

Hope that helps!

Thank you, will give it a try and will report back!

[Stella]

Hi Cherry,

If you want to know about lighting people / faces - go on YouTube and look for Lindsay Adler and Gavin Hoey, each of whom have an astonishing selection of 'how-to' videos. They both show you how to further your results with Lightroom and Photoshop too.

Lindsay has top kit and plenty of it, but she has often made 'one light' demos which you could easily copy with your own kit. Lots of her models are black. She shoots fashion, but the same lighting rigs will work for you.

Gavin is a smaller operation, and his videos frequently deal with things like simple lighting & small space studios - I think you might find him very useful. Keep searching YT and you will find others too, and maybe prefer, but these 2 photographers really know their stuff AND know how to teach. Another one to learn from - Joe Edelman, also on YT.
Don't worry if you don't like their photos by the way - the thing to take away from it is the principles of lighting, then use that in your own way.

As for skin colour, I've discovered that there is no significantly different approach needed, other than perhaps a small bit of extra exposure for those with very dark skin.. UNLESS you want to emphasize a person's blackness.

Lighting the backdrop can be as important as the face. (Gavin & Lindsay again!)

Bear in mind that doing self portraits is harder - though the subject is usually a lot more patient

Two things to study if you have a small studio: 1 - The effect & use of the inverse square law (see Gavin & many others) and 2 - The effect of lighting modifiers to diffuse your light. You don't have to spend big bucks here - a light bounced off a white wall can work every bit as well as a $400 softbox!

Finally - a $20 white translucent flash brolly will fix 80% of your lighting needs!

Check out my website here - www.stellapix.com

Good luck..
Stella

PS: Here's a link direct to one of my portraits of a black model. I wanted a particular effect, yes, but no different approach to anyone else. https://www.stellapix.com/dx79gofqwnzzbz6z3fllneoubetdjq

It's a bit complicated, using gelled backlight, 'rim' lights, and a 'snooted' keylight (a snoot is a tube fitted to the keylight and keeps the centre of the face brighter than the rest. If you don't have one, fool around with a coffee bag or even a cardboard tube fitted to a speedlight. You may be pleasantly surprised.)

Look at the bottom of the webpage and hit the 'previous' button, and you will find her again under the simpler classic beauty lighting, known variously as 'clamshell', 'butterfly', 'Paramount' or just plain 'beauty lighting': These are all the same thing, namely one 'beauty' dish directly above camera, one small reflector below. There's also a small flash head 3ft right behind her, pointing at the back of her head to zap the edges of her nice big hair. The black background contrasts nicely with the light edges, and the illuminated edges stop her black hair getting lost into the backdrop. So - 2 lights + 1 reflector. Simple!
On a lighter or white backdrop, you could do without the back light. Even simpler! Just YT search 'clamshell' lighting! (NB: Works better for women than men, and better for young than old!)

The pic you showed us is probably using a very similar set-up, probably without the low reflector and certainly without the backlighting - though a nice even backdrop has been created here, by one of several possible methods.
(Look for shadows to discover where the lights are!)

Hope this helps.