Help on studio lighting, anyone?

[Jacqui Jay]

I had a standard head either side, the one on the left of the picture slightly forward of the model. Both were bouncing off large white reflectors. I was trying for a sunlit effect, which I'm not too unhappy with but the background is coming out very dark (it was a white drop). I'm guessing it was because there was no direct light going in that direction but the picture has a greenish cast (which I have removed to some extent). I had the D2X set to incandescent, as the lights were tungstens.

Any suggestions on improving this?

[BARBARA LUKE]

Hi Jacqui.... i'm sure one of the Guys will come up with tutorial ....maybe your lights were too far forward bouncing all the lighting on the model and none on the backdrop....i always put one light a bit further back .. right or wrong it works for me....did you use yor lightmeter ? ... come on guys Jacqui is in a pickle any answer's......
Jacqui i am only doing a micky mouse assignment compered to your UNI work and my head is all over the place trying to get my workload done..... :crazy:
This is my break time... :rofl: Barbara

[Theo2005]

If you have a third light / flash, then the answer is simple: use the third light to light up the background.

If you only got these two light then the answer is simply too :)
Use one light to light up the background and one light to light the model. Simply use a reflector instead of the 2nd light to bounce back a bit of light of the first light (aimed at the model) to act like a fill light for the model.

Good luck
Theo

[Theo2005]

[QUOTE=Jacqui Jay]I'm guessing it was because there was no direct light going in that direction but the picture has a greenish cast (which I have removed to some extent). I had the D2X set to incandescent, as the lights were tungstens.QUOTE]


Btw tungsten is warm YELLOW light and that is the colour your camera is expecting when set to tungsten.

If you see a green cast than it might just be that the lights you are using are more like fluerescent instead of tungsten...try it with the fluorecent wb as well and see what happens.

Theo

[Theo2005]

I had a standard head either side, the one on the left of the picture slightly forward of the model. Both were bouncing off large white reflectors. I was trying for a sunlit effect, which I'm not too unhappy with but the background is coming out very dark (it was a white drop). I'm guessing it was because there was no direct light going in that direction but the picture has a greenish cast (which I have removed to some extent). I had the D2X set to incandescent, as the lights were tungstens.

Any suggestions on improving this?

As most of the time in Photography, there are more than 1 ways to go to Rome :D

You can light up the background more with your present setup by simply moving both lights further away from the model. For example at 4 meters instead of two meters (hypothetically, because I don't know the actual distance you set them to). This has (at least) two implications:

1. the background will lighten up (thats what you want)
2. The light will become harder (less soft, not really what you want I think)

Of course there has to be room to do this in the first place

Experiment with these things and see what happens

Theo