Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot: Commercial Lighting - Beauty Dish and 6 by 4

A little bit of commercial fitness and fashion lighting specifically because not everyone into portraiture when it comes to men what defines physiques in different ways how fashion line works what I'm looking for in fashion what I'm looking for one and it's coming to commercial photography is going to go through several different lighting setups is different modifiers in different ways to kind of understand the principles of what we're trying to accomplish so first and foremost we start off with a little bit of commercial fitness lighting my first goats are going to strike the set my first go to is generally the easiest mammal essex least expensive set up specifically because requires two lights I don't need a background I don't need a large space to be able to photograph things john if I could have a three by four soft box and a beauty dishes well I'm gonna take this one off we're no longer trying to kill our subject with this for those of you that we're here thank you uh yes with deg...

ree thank you very, very much so for this specific set up I'm gonna be using a three by four softball ex from behind to access my background and my roommates so if you guys don't have four lights on, set something or five flights to eliminate two for the background to for reminds and one for the main light maybe phil easy way to kind of replicate that same look which is taking a subject putting them so if you guys looking for diagram on set taking a subject and using the putting them against the the soft box act is the background so you have run room lights from behind and move this some starting off with a three four foot soft box and then we moved to the six by four that everyone has a six by four the capability of having a six by four in a studio environment or outside I did have a couple questions about what happens if I don't have a background what happens if I don't have room for a nine foot seamless? What do I do? What can I do? This is super easy like you could put a three by four somewhere you put a subject right in front of it to him on the line choice that you have you don't need to be far away from your subject you can make sure that you make a decision on the lynchers we discussed that earlier where you have enough compression in distance and focal length just photographing your subject on that specific background and the background our course graphic is actually using this specific lighting setup which is extremely simple thank you, sir michael, can I borrow you again? Do you mind if I borrow michael thank you, sir and talked about building like to start off with we're not going into throwing too many lights all at once I want to see what's happening what is this light doing from behind and how it operates and how it works? Those were very, very technical in regards to try to figure out what the power settings on there and that you're trying to use a light meter to try to define what you're trying to photograph your subject right against pressed against that background like literally like that close from the background so you're not really gonna be able to meet or exactly what their it's not it's, not a distance it's literally close up pressed up against it, so I do things visually like using the monochrome setting on my camera to visually see what's happening the way it's affecting my subject. I know a lot of people use their history um that works as well we discussed this a little earlier, which is I'm more of a visual person less technical when I'm thinking about lighting I'm thinking about visually is an artist too too bright to two blown out what happens it's too dark we judged that before I'm not really using the light meter on set I do know how to use a light meter but I just khun visually see it as a person that doesn't mean that everybody has the same capability there's a lot of us that just way can't see it that's ok that's ok why it's okay to use the light meter and things like that help you to showcase what you're trying to photograph thank you job using names on set again think about that for our last segment perfect thiss please okay so first inform us I'm shooting do you mind press being pressed up against the background and john is a wayto came afar from you don't get hurt can you lower a tiny bit it's only tow lower probably another six inches thank you for a little lesson that probably another right that perfect okay, so what am I doing? I'm photographing into a light so I'm gonna have you know what? Can you move over to the side? It's honey but so I'm photographing into the light maestro vis is firing right at me, right? So what what am I going to get going? Get lens flare lights going come directly at me so I need to do is have my subject posed directly in front of that light. My subject is going to act as a diffuser so I don't see any lens flare so we're going to show the before what's happening in the way that we can counteract that so first and foremost john what's the power settings on that soft backs right now six point zero six zero. Perfect. Awesome! Let's. See that on the screen? That's not what happened? I'm joking. Okay, so what's happening with me? A little bit of lens flare. If I look in the specific areas, do you see the lens for that's? There you could barely see. Because it's currently in color. Watch this. Okay. Perfect. When we had it in black and white, I can start seeing those areas that are there. It's. Very difficult to see one sister exchanging. Do you see the land slur that's there? The second populates. I don't want to see that that's what's distracting my image if I zoom out, zoom out. Perfect. John, you gonna be a little creepy guy in the corner? And I'm okay with that. Perfect. His shoulder's blocking the light. Do me a favor. Move over a tiny bit more towards your left. Perfect. And I'm gonna move nice and close. Where should have glare? One, two, three it's very soft in the edges that we have if you certainly noticed it's starting to fall off in those areas. So I need to start using his body structure to help me out in regards to what I'm trying to photograph again getting light that's wrapping around the front of michael in these areas and that's not what I want highlights in regards to just the room lights that are from behind do me a favor press yourself against the background as close as you can without touching it and stay very very center to the background itself the background this off box stay there perfect one, two, three awesome perfect let's look in black and white first okay what's happening that the stroke is right above his shoulders that's the first thing so I mean I know that I need to lower that light because it's falling off my fall off on that light the strobes just coming over but if I said looking at the other areas of his body like under here that's fine I don't mind the light that's underneath it's actually defining his muscles it's just that fall off the shirt mostly worried about so this is judging the room lights from behind and if you could move that a tiny bit lower move forward just even that works for apple box works thank you solutions make him taller thank you. Do you mind squatting on tiny bit right there's fine. We'll go with that one too it's okay it's, just a premises that's awesome! I finally get a smile out of you and we can't even see your face let's see, okay so let's take the room lights there on the shoulder I'm starting to diminish the room lights that we have there it's still a little higher so if I look visually at my subject the astros firing forward so john, if you can tilt down a tiny bit like you mentioned you before um just down towards him just to hide the light let's get in the back of the head yes, thank you. And again the things that you could do it at home if you don't have a background we're going old judge heller carve him out that way so what do you say? I have less, uh less from sorry les fall off on those areas I could increase the contrast. Sorry, the lighting itself can you do me a favor and bump it up let's even a stop just to see if it's going to be blowing out enough. Thank you. Perfect! And those of you wondering I am focusing on the highlights of history and then re composing so it's very difficult to focus on darker areas of shooting into silhouette. So I'm looking at the highlights on his arms and his face and his straw line in order to focus on what I need to focus on, I'm increasing those areas and increasing contrast going quickly show you guys is just a quick tip of making a little easier to understand where the light iss gonna make this a little darker so where's my highlights that I'm looking at here I'm looking at highlights in the muscles the features right up in these areas highlights here highlights here highlights on his strong line I'm not getting much fall up I'm also thinking about you know when you're shooting somebody which room lights from behind one of the other things we consider with barn doors is fall off in the news hey, I don't really have that it's direct it's facing the back his head is blocking anything that we have such a it's an easy way to get room lights from behind cropping wise if you wanted to see somebody's physique is a great way for you to photograph just their center without any anything else and being able to photograph just the portions that you want to photograph I'm gonna have you squat down a tiny bit thank you squatter perfect I'm actually gonna just move the apple box that's actually more efficient I just did that the humor thank you perfect on then move over slightly right that perfect thank you wait, wait started get definition in the the john line it's a little blown out so I'm gonna go ahead and go down to stop visually you can tell them so don't get ball if we talked about highlights sorry, but we talked about just think lance flare that's there so I need to make sure that he's blocking those those aspects of lindsay can you lower down to stop for may so what can I do? I can shoot a low angle it make a little easier for myself. Perfect thank you, sir. Perfect and I'm using michael to block the background no more lynn's flat I'm photographing him. So what if I need to just photograph something? The background quick portrait is an easy way to do that without using a white background by any means. So perfect white seamless background if I looked back and there I don't see any any wrinkles in the soft box anything it's a perfect white seamless background john what's this setting that you currently have the background for those of you six okay, so those of you that are photographing things at home currently one one twenty fifth nine, two hundred he's currently at six in the pro photos. So the next thing I want to do is we talked about building light. I'm still going to stay on that just because it's a little easier for me to visually see so I'm happy with the background and I had to shoot a alot of an angle I don't want any leads for that's in there, but now when she was his actual face in his physique things that I want to put around their kids from that background like for me momentarily difference between using a beauty with twenty five degree drin that's going to very bright just close your eyes for me thank you next thing I need to make sure that my main light its position to wear something that is flattering towards michael before I introduce anything else into the macro visually I wanna make sure that everything's okay perfect one two, three perfect and you're gonna start seeing that background so that back line obviously isn't going off we're looking at my highlighting michael in the specific areas that we need to photograph my getting enough light into the main image into his physique and his body I'm happy with his face I do not like the way that it's falling off on his arms fall off that's there so what can I do? Move back my light ever so slightly not ever since light we're gonna go back like a foot or two perfect when we closed the light just to get a sweet spot on michael they're perfect move up perfect test clothes right close your eyes don't stare off into space whatever you want perfect awesome going into six matching the power in these two perfect two three awesome little bright wasn't one two three that's it so I like six better do I like five five charlie telling me uh discreet and you can tell on camera I would think five, seven, five, eight we'll go there can turn the background for me I'm happy with the main light I'm happy with the way that it looks on his physique. I just want those highlights in there so you get a building like thinking about the background of thinking about the foreground and all the elements makes we want to do awesome perfect shooting a little bit lower angle and obviously you can see the back of subject so let's, look at this we talked about I need to shoot a lower of an angle, but now I'm starting to see a harsh lines on the under the, uh under the can't even speak right now under his chin there I don't want the highlights and they need to shoot a little loren angle posing wise he's moving his neck back. I need to make sure that he's sticking his chance to make you think you should not ever so slightly perfect children back. We talked about just confidence before perfect little over an angle, awesome eyes at me. Perfect, perfect, awesome. Okay, so we started to get the highlights on the history in our accentuating anything that he has feature wise underneath, so I don't want to see that, so what can I do? So what I want to do I want to shoot that low of an angle to start off with because he looks wrong can you actually move the light a tiny bit lower for mei thank you, sir. Watch the back of your head thiss isn't heavy I'm not so worried about that. A tiny bit higher would say about four inches just to get his hair in there a little mohawk is perfect. Um oh here right there way containing it right there. Perfect. I know it's hard to tell any time you're back there you can't see a thing perfect too awesome position about a awesome censoring diminish any physique that you haven't had do me a favor stick out your neck and move forward but not so much not like a chicken okay till for, uh forward your chest forward perfect shoulders back. Awesome. Perfect by the way there's a drinking game going on in the chat rooms but anybody who says perfect they're gonna take a shot. I love my friends and what they do to me on creative live let's just say they're spending a lot of times in that chat room they're gonna buy me drinks after this awesome uh chin forward leaning in a tiny bit shoulders back I can go ahead and essentially everything that's uh feasibly there I'm not getting blown out highlights I can actually visually see by seeing these areas it's a little lighter on the computer versus there I have information that's that's actually there so we're thinking about blown out highlights and clipping highlights we're okay I can actually see his skin and not worry about anything else just know that if you have somebody that has ah lot of texture to the skin is probably not the best way to accentuate features. We talked about that with the snoop before but it's a great way for again for youto have to clean white background without spending a lot of money in a seamless and shipping the seamless and having the customer you have those this you can do it your house simple and easy and be able to get in the garage if you have a garage but what happens about full length what can you do about full length like this is great for porch it's what can we do? John, can I have the six by for the six month thank you know think about it thank you very, very much so the six by foreign soft box just say it like I'm from new york I want to swap I live in new york if anybody cares, can you step forward for me so you don't die? Thank you you have good reflexes we talked about this so six by foreign soft boxer great they're huge that's a boat compared to john right now watch this it's massive I'm only getting offset just because I'm the tallest person around here so I have a house that I'm holding in my hand this is going to fit in every person's garage, right? Yes, as far as like you know, having access to a four by six foot cell fox is not really available toe could you do that with the scrim kind of light it from behind then it's the same like build like your own d I y scram and able to light it from behind you could but the question I would have is how many different lights would you need to make sure the backgrounds completely one of this because if you have one light, you're going to get one one highlight one spot you're gonna need several different lights we'll discuss how to create a white background later, but we're gonna need several spots the highlight that whole scram so that's the cost of doing that cost of buying that like it's the same thing so here's something that I've done that's a cheat this doesn't even work this doesn't work for every single tall person this's a six by four what happens if there's six feet and wearing shoes because six feet without bare feet six feet with second put on shorts if it's an inch to hire I've also used the same setup where yousa white sweep of not foam core like white poster paper to sweep under and my only retouching is that line that's underneath, some literally gaffer's taping the white sweet so I don't need much in regards to tu sais it's just getting a little creative, so if I don't have the accessibility having nine fifteen, listen, my house cool way if you have retouching experience to be able to do that on set and it's relatively easy, if you know how to clip people out of backgrounds. It's super super simple I'm gonna have you jump into that background for me. So I need to remember if the camera and just focus here the thie actual light focus right around the back of his head, right? So I need to be conscious about where that light is. We talked about what happens if the subject is direct, not directly from the line. I'm gonna get lens flare in different capacities, going to show you what it looks like. Just like that. More smiles is in smirks perfect take a shot. Still going over his shoulders time, bette, how much researching my gonna have to do for a background that I'm starting to get everything. In reverse it being let's. Say even a three quarter crop. John, can I have you tilt it down? Can you do me a favor, michael, move forward. That when you could die from that like that that's? What? It's gonna take you out? Perfect. Remember this light what's gonna happen is think about the way light travels this light's falling this way it's falling in here like I'm gonna get all this wall if its directionality of light perfect e I love the look on your face of fear to three perfect and again, as I'm thinking about foreshadowing with arms happen the same way with soft boxes by leaning forward. I'm getting less of an area that's actually covering everything but how much am I if I need it to extend out, honey? But I can't. John, can we actually put that in a boom? Or can you hold it from behind him? Just can you physically hold it just like a parallel to him? Like off the stand? Hold it from behind him if if you take the light off the stand and you hold it parallel to him. Because since it's not touching the floor I would love for it to touch the floor thank you. Can you do me a favor michael can you move forward? Thank you know dying on set thank you wait to shoot him full length so we have a background john you know what as a matter fact can you move the back on forward? I'm gonna probably another three feet from a and you don't have to take it off the stand I'm just gonna move that down and you have the light up switching around that should be a little easier see, I'm trying to shoot a full length here so let's look at just quickly um I wanted so I took the head up so that way it's going it's going to cost around so again we have a boom stand that's here instead of a c stand on a boom sand makes it easy to move on the floor so perfect what? We're trying to use that boom arm so let it touch the floor as much as possible but we could also do is reverse the light itself so that way it angles into where we wanted um can we rotate the light opposite direction because that's actually gonna help us achieve what we want here perfect and now we can lower that boom arm just watching the background cause it's cutting the background there way low this awesome opposite direction it's funny how when you're back here you can't tell a thing it was rotate the lights of the light it's the light head itself is now upside down which means that it is hanging a little bit lower and so they can actually angle the light jack get the the invisible box her closer to the ground and then if we can tilt it the actual head back a tiny bit and it'll be perfect close to the floor. Now we can choose something a little more parallel or something, right? There's fine work with this. He talked about if you need extra link using that little sweet technique, you're not gonna die. You're okay? So if I needed to show you something full length, two, three creativity talked about this. So even using that six by four if we have somebody that's a little smaller you know what? Do me a favor. You step over for two seconds, jon, do you mind getting on a apple box for me there? This is when I just have john model for me. So if you have something that's a little smaller than our background thank you, sir. Two, three perfect let's see how that works hey, john one more time perfect one to three so I can tell by that that's fine that's perfect I could start using that whole background to my advantage. If I needed to use a little longer with sweep, I can start shooting full length. So that would be the uses of the six by four. And just being able to have something that's, a little larger on set. That will also help. If you needed to shoot two people, whatever isn't putting them together and try to block out that lights. Great would have background, because at least it'll help you regards to run like that way. That's. The easy way to have a background and never have to order. Sweet if you need one.