Hi guys, I'm getting into flash lighting and I know the basic lighting schemes for portraits. I wonder, also for educational purposes, if I wanted to use more than 3 flashes, is there any example of the lighting scheme? to get what...? I can have 5 flashes for example... thanks everyone
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Lighting scheme for more flashes
- Thread starter renixx
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tugwilson
Senior Member
I fairly often use 4 in a studio. Two on either side of the subject in strip boxes to light the background, one boomed in front and above the subject in an octa or a beauty dish with a shower cap and the fourth low down in front of the subject in a small strip box to clamshell light them. Occasionally I might use a fifth to the side and behind the subject with a snoot as a hair light.
I'd recommend you get a copy of Light — Science & Magic An Introduction to Photographic Lighting which is the book on photographic lighting.
Ed Shapiro
Senior Member
I have attached what might seem to be a silly cartoon but I want you to remeber it as an important point before you begin to invest in more lighting gear. You've heard the expression "too many cooks spol the broth", well, too many lights can spoil the portrait.
True enough, many experienced portrat photographers utulize multiple lights but regardless of the number of lights in play, the most effective portraits look as if they were made with one light. That means the main light, as to intensity and direction, has to be dominant in the setup and all the othere lights are subservient to the main source. If the additional lights cast their highlights and shadow patterns you get a DISUNTTY OF LIGHTING that confuses the viewers' eyes and becomes a distraction.
The main light provides modelig, dimensionality, and direction and helps define and FACIAL Hhelps in flattering the features of the face and body of the subject. The fill ligh provides control over the lighting ratio, that is the contrast between the highlights and shadows, and the dynamic ran and key of the image. A hair light can be employed to glamorize the hair continue the glow of the main light into the hair and add a bit more separation for the background. A KICKER or accent light can be added to enhance specular highlights by being placed at a greater angle of incidence. A background light can provide a bit more separation and add the right amount of color and/or tonal mass to the backgrond to add more dimensionality. A background light can also evenly illuminate the background in a high-key image. The main and fill are the basic lights and all the others must be added very carefully and accurately so they do not cause disunity of lighting.
I can show you lighing diagrams and give you instructions but the most important skill you can develop is SEEING the ligh on the subject, recognizing some of the classic lightg forms, and usg them for the best suits the subject's facian and body structure.
My advice is to get a MONOLIGHT with a buil in modeling lamp and a simple matte-silver reflector and practicethe basic lighting: Butterflu, Loop, Rembrandt, Split, and Kicker. Also the basic views of the subject's faces- Full Face, 2/3, and Profile. Add the other lights as you progress.
Anothere area to research is the use of lightg modifiers such as umbrellas and softboxes and light shaping tools such as barn doors, snoot, grids, and scrims.
Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Friend you are very "illuminant"!!!! thanks a lotI have attached what might seem to be a silly cartoon but I want you to remeber it as an important point before you begin to invest in more lighting gear. You've heard the expression "too many cooks spol the broth", well, too many lights can spoil the portrait.
True enough, many experienced portrat photographers utulize multiple lights but regardless of the number of lights in play, the most effective portraits look as if they were made with one light. That means the main light, as to intensity and direction, has to be dominant in the setup and all the othere lights are subservient to the main source. If the additional lights cast their highlights and shadow patterns you get a DISUNTTY OF LIGHTING that confuses the viewers' eyes and becomes a distraction.
The main light provides modelig, dimensionality, and direction and helps define and FACIAL Hhelps in flattering the features of the face and body of the subject. The fill ligh provides control over the lighting ratio, that is the contrast between the highlights and shadows, and the dynamic ran and key of the image. A hair light can be employed to glamorize the hair continue the glow of the main light into the hair and add a bit more separation for the background. A KICKER or accent light can be added to enhance specular highlights by being placed at a greater angle of incidence. A background light can provide a bit more separation and add the right amount of color and/or tonal mass to the backgrond to add more dimensionality. A background light can also evenly illuminate the background in a high-key image. The main and fill are the basic lights and all the others must be added very carefully and accurately so they do not cause disunity of lighting.
I can show you lighing diagrams and give you instructions but the most important skill you can develop is SEEING the ligh on the subject, recognizing some of the classic lightg forms, and usg them for the best suits the subject's facian and body structure.
My advice is to get a MONOLIGHT with a buil in modeling lamp and a simple matte-silver reflector and practicethe basic lighting: Butterflu, Loop, Rembrandt, Split, and Kicker. Also the basic views of the subject's faces- Full Face, 2/3, and Profile. Add the other lights as you progress.
Anothere area to research is the use of lightg modifiers such as umbrellas and softboxes and light shaping tools such as barn doors, snoot, grids, and scrims.
Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada
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A good and free resource on of-camera flash is The Strobist .
Check it out.
I use five Godox AD300Pro, one AD200Pro as a portable lighting setup, and an* AD600 with a projection snoot for special effects. The lights can be used in multiple roles due to the power range that going from 1/1 to 1/256.
Good luck and good light.
* Actually I have four, but that's probably temporary.
Check it out.
I use five Godox AD300Pro, one AD200Pro as a portable lighting setup, and an* AD600 with a projection snoot for special effects. The lights can be used in multiple roles due to the power range that going from 1/1 to 1/256.
Good luck and good light.
* Actually I have four, but that's probably temporary.
tugwilson
Senior Member
No really. For example, if you are using two lights to blow out the background you don't generally meter them. You would fire them on their own and take a picture. You want to check that you are getting even illumination on the background but not getting a lot of light bouncing forward off it. The meter won't easily tell you that.
If you are using clamshell lighting you know the ratio you want between the two lights so it's pointless metering them separately.
In general you meter the whole setup to get the camera setting you want to use.
So it's sometimes useful to fire groups of lights separately but you don't generally meter them separately. There are edge conditions and special cases where that's not true, of course.
TBH I tether to Capture One so I don't have to meter - it's faster and more accurate. A typical lighting setup for me - 90% of the time - is key, fill and 1-2 sources for the environment/background. It's the odd occasion - but happens sometimes - that I'll have 4 sources on the background, and a leg or eyelight, too.
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Ed Shapiro
Senior Member
This suggestion is for manual exposure management in multiple flas systems.
The use of a flash meter is a good way to establish exposure and ligh ratios. A successful multiple-lighting setup depends on correct exposure and a predictable lighting ratio between the main, fill, and accent lights.
The contrast and transition between betwethe highligs and shadows depend on the difference in the effective powe of the man and fill lights. In a typical portait setup the ratio between the main and fill lights can be 1.5: to 1:4. you can start with a meter reading of the individual lights and see that the fill source reading is anywhere from 1 to 3 stops lower. YOU ARE MAKIG INDIVIDUAL READINGS. You can also check to see that the accent, hair, kicker, and background lights are in the ballpark and then make more precise adjustments. Lights striking the subjects at greater angles of incident (kickers) will appear brighter even if they are the same distance and power so you will need to adjust to avoid blowing out the highlights. A hair light may have to be adjusted for darker or lighter hair. and the background will vary according to the key of the image and the effect you want to achieve.
The meter reading will get you well in the ballpark but there will be variables that will need adjustment. Small areas with reflective walls will add more unseen secondary light and mayaffect ratios- less fill may be required.
Once you perfect your setup can take another set of readings and use it as a calibration index. You can replicate the setup at various locations.
Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada
RE>> in any case I wonder if, using multiple light sources, the correct exposure of each light should be read with an external light meter... is that so? <<
If you have a properly equipped portrait studio, you'll have studio strobes with modeling lights, and you'll be able to eye-ball your light levels.
Without "properly equipped" but with a digital camera, you'll be able think through the math, place your lights, and shoot a test. Or two tests. Or three.
It's only at this stage that you'll be able to see your choices, and decide on a preference.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND... if, as an example, you want to use several lights to evenly illuminate a larg(ish) area, a flash meter is really useful.
Although a string or a measuring ape can be handy.
BAK
If you have a properly equipped portrait studio, you'll have studio strobes with modeling lights, and you'll be able to eye-ball your light levels.
Without "properly equipped" but with a digital camera, you'll be able think through the math, place your lights, and shoot a test. Or two tests. Or three.
It's only at this stage that you'll be able to see your choices, and decide on a preference.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND... if, as an example, you want to use several lights to evenly illuminate a larg(ish) area, a flash meter is really useful.
Although a string or a measuring ape can be handy.
BAK
Good information Ed. I' m also taking my first steps in studio photography (portraits). Individual readings of each light, where the once metered light(s) is/are turned off.
On the internet I find discussions about this. I think there' s a group that advocates "trial and error" method (see what you do and adjust as necessary/as like). And then there' s a group that thinks of a light meter as very important in studio (especially with more than one light). True?
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Not remotely true, if you can tether :/
I do see people, who consider a light meter as very handy or even essential in studio...not my personal opinion...but what I see on the net.
True if you can't or don't want to tether?
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I use a flash meter for most flash pictures, whether with speedlight-style or studio-style.
If I am working quickly, TTL with a Canon 580EX or a Godox or two, works well.
I like to use flash guns on top of light stands.
BAK
If I am working quickly, TTL with a Canon 580EX or a Godox or two, works well.
I like to use flash guns on top of light stands.
BAK
No necessarily.
And then metering properly is the next action.
For instance, Imagine a person with a nose pointed at the camera. A flash on top of the camera is set at 1/4 power, pointed at the nose. Light reaches the whole face.
Another flash is pointed from the camera-left side, pointed directly ,at the camera-left ear.
It is set at 1/8 power.
The third flash is placed camera right, pointed directly at the camera right ear. Set at 1/32.
Now the camera operator needs to become a photographer. Assess the relative brightness of the full face, the side with the camera left ear and the side with the camera right ear.
Move lights closer to or farther from the face, change the power levels of one, two or three flash guns, and change the camera's ISO.
It's easier to do all this when using a meter.
BAK
assess how bright
And then metering properly is the next action.
For instance, Imagine a person with a nose pointed at the camera. A flash on top of the camera is set at 1/4 power, pointed at the nose. Light reaches the whole face.
Another flash is pointed from the camera-left side, pointed directly ,at the camera-left ear.
It is set at 1/8 power.
The third flash is placed camera right, pointed directly at the camera right ear. Set at 1/32.
Now the camera operator needs to become a photographer. Assess the relative brightness of the full face, the side with the camera left ear and the side with the camera right ear.
Move lights closer to or farther from the face, change the power levels of one, two or three flash guns, and change the camera's ISO.
It's easier to do all this when using a meter.
BAK
assess how bright
Still not true if you chimp. IMHO, metering is slower than adjusting the lights when you see the results on the LCD after a test shot. Even if you have to repeat a few times.
But some people feel better if they follow a recipe.
Ed Shapiro
Senior Member
The OP is as yet, not experienced in studio portraiture and is beginning to set up a studio-like lighting system and is asking GOOD QUESTIONS.
Those who are experienced in studio portraiture will usually work instinctively once they have their basic setup already established. Many are not likely to meter every shot or session except if there is an unfamiliar situation. Teatherg to a laptop is another method as is shooting and continual "chimping", however, these methods may be too slow and cumbersome for capturing spontaneous and natural expression in portraiture. It is best to set up a system and methodology that enables a fast and effective shooting whereby the photographer can direct and relate to the subject, concentrate on lighting forms and aesthetics, and capture fleeting expressions.
Modeinlg lamps are an indispensable necessity for serious portraiture but they won't necessarily always reveal the exact ratio. The flash causes more unseen secondary light than the modeling lamps. That is extraneous light, from all the other units in the system, that bounces around the room which may necessitate a reduction in fill light to maintain the desired ratio. This may be not apparent going striclt by the effect of the modeling lamps.
Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Those who are experienced in studio portraiture will usually work instinctively once they have their basic setup already established. Many are not likely to meter every shot or session except if there is an unfamiliar situation. Teatherg to a laptop is another method as is shooting and continual "chimping", however, these methods may be too slow and cumbersome for capturing spontaneous and natural expression in portraiture. It is best to set up a system and methodology that enables a fast and effective shooting whereby the photographer can direct and relate to the subject, concentrate on lighting forms and aesthetics, and capture fleeting expressions.
Modeinlg lamps are an indispensable necessity for serious portraiture but they won't necessarily always reveal the exact ratio. The flash causes more unseen secondary light than the modeling lamps. That is extraneous light, from all the other units in the system, that bounces around the room which may necessitate a reduction in fill light to maintain the desired ratio. This may be not apparent going striclt by the effect of the modeling lamps.
Ed Shapiro- Commercial and Portrait Photographer. Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Everyone works differently.
For myself: one light, I do not meter. 2 lights sometimes. More than 2 lights, I use a meter.
For example, key light, fill, background, accent/edge/hair.
Reasoning: I have different strobes, different modifiers, placed at different distances. I like to get my lighting preset before the subject arrives. Easiest way for me to do this by myself, is with a meter.
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