Camera Labs

Please have a look at the shot below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/orlando72/ ... 612612@N00

I wonder if anyone could let me know what lighting, lense etc I would need. Ive seen a lot of shots like this and its something id love to have a go at doing but not sure I have the equipment for it.

Kerry

http://www.kerryannduffy.com/

I made this shot using nothing but overhead florescent lighting and a kit lens, is it close enough?



I could have made the light a little more dramatic by getting another cheap light and putting it in front of me instead of using the one above. You could use a flash but it isn't necessary. I read the exif data on that photo and it says that there was no flash used. So all he really did was set a light in front of him.

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Yes that's excellent! So is it a dark room, black wall and a standard ceiling light? Or a photographic flouresant light? Excuse my ignorance but i'm just learning. I have so much to learn about lighting! And when I have the knowledge I know it's going to make my images a million times better!!!

This is low key lighting, of which both are key lit. More dynamic low key images have a background light in addition to the key light to add a subtle degree of separation.

Lenses will be irrelevant as it depends on what composition you're attempting. We're talking about lighting here, and two light sources are ideal, but one is enough if you understand how to control light spill. You need a key light, of which a softened light can give more subtle results, or you can use barn doors or a reflector dish for a hard light. A background light for separation is something I'd recommend exploring.

Make sure each light only does one job so that you have a controlled pair of highlights and shadows.

The background is usually grey/black, but using a well controlled hard light source, you can achieve the low key effect with a white background too.

Have your subject dressed in dark tones to reduce reflectance.

Final tip, hands are fundamental distractions because of their natural reflectance. They will stand out. Be aware of where you place them.

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Nikonian

http://www.edtangphotography.com
http://journeysintophotography.blogspot.com/

All good tips Photoj, I wasn't sure how to setup the lighting other than telling him to experiment a bit. But as to your question, you can use a black sheet but I didn't have one so I used photoshop to remove the background instead. Works just as well but it takes two or three times as long to do lol. I'd recommend a black sheet if you have one. If you are going the photoshop route try to have a very smooth and simple background because it will be easier to erase in post processing.

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thank you so much. I will have a go at this later on.

With regards to camera settings. (I also have a lot to learn here) Im thinking I need to go into the metering section and change a few things as it just wont take the photo at all in really low light?

Thank you

Kerry (a 'she' by the way) Need to change my profile pic!

No - just switch to manual focusing and manual control. Metering can be left on matrix/evaluative, or you can opt to spot meter. Select the aperture you want for the DoF and then adjust your shutter to get the exposure that you're aiming for.

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Nikonian

http://www.edtangphotography.com
http://journeysintophotography.blogspot.com/

my tip would be to experiment and experiment..
for these i did the following:
turn all room lights off
hang a black coat over a chair
switch on anglepoise lamp behind the coat/chair - pointed upwards so the light bounces off the ceiling
position model(s) in front of coat
shoot! manual focus helps
reposition light and shoot again
and again..
etc etc










rob

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Sony a200
kit lens 18-70mm f3.5-5.6
sony lens 75-300 f4.5-5.6
MyFlickr

I think in that photo you showed us,the light was close to burn the subject,so that the feel of the photo would be more intense.
For example,Robbo didn't used the light in that way & it seems softer.
You can experiment with 2 light sources...one for the outlines(hard light) & one to fill. You can try anything you think of,low key is very fascinanting.

Btw,Photoshop can help you obtain a shot like that,if the straight-from-the-camera result doesn't please you. Simply play with the amount of black & white in the photo & also,the highlights.

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Gear: Nikon D80, 18-105mm, 35mm F/1.8, 85mm F/1.8, SB-600
Visit my work here

I second that, some of these dramatic shots take tons of experimenting. They aren't easy to achieve. The shot I made took at least 20 tries and it didn't even turn out the way I wanted really. This is one situation where you will need manual mode...

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I guess it's dependent on the skill level of the photographer. Experiment AND learn control of light. It will be much easier if you assign one job to a particular light when doing low key photography, and remember how certain configurations work in combination to give you a starting point.

And it's also not always about repositioning the light - you can also reposition yourself, the camera, or the model. There are many ways to go about adjusting for your lighting. If you know the characteristics of your light source well, it all gets much more simple.

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Nikonian

http://www.edtangphotography.com
http://journeysintophotography.blogspot.com/