Camera Labs

I know many of you may not appreciate or take a liking to my style of harsh lighting but it is the look I like to go for but would still like some honest opinions on these photos. I assisted in lighting for almost 2 years now but finally saved up a couple grand to throw down on my own system.

Let me know your thoughts. I took these around 3 in the afternoon at a local park in direct sunlight










This is just a quick picture I took to show how I setup my lights for the shot of me sitting next to the fence. My friend came along and helped me carry everything but I just self-timed the camera to shoot photos of me

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I have a variety of gadgets that capture and create light... people tell me their cameras, lenses, strobes, and speedlights...who knows

I like these - how much power is in those strobes to overpower the sun?
Scott

I used both strobes at full power about 320 True Watts


I only have two right now but its just equipment and I really need to get a fill light or hair light. It would make life so much easier

any tips? I have noticed you appear to be quite talented with strobes

let me know what you think my next purchase should be in all honesty

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I have a variety of gadgets that capture and create light... people tell me their cameras, lenses, strobes, and speedlights...who knows

The mood in these looks great and they're all part of a coherent set.

I know nothing about lighting but I'm curious how you shot these - there's no EXIF.

How did you get such low-key backgrounds in direct sunlight? ND filters etc? I'm surprised strobes can make that much difference in broad daylight.

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/53061745@N02/

Panasonic G3: 9-18mm, 14mm, 20mm, 45mm

I only do studio work which is why I was asking about how much power for these shots - I've been interested in venturing outside for a while

As a result I've no direct tips for outdoor work but as I mentioned in my own post I swear by using a light meter for working with strobes - it just makes everything so much more predictable and accurate. You can work from a histogram if you like but why waste so many shots trying to get the exposure right - I like to nail it quickly and then interact with the model. It also lets them know you're in control and know what you're doing which give a good impression of professionalism

I have four strobes in the studio I use but I often just use a speedlight to rimlight or add hairlights to the model - for this application there's very little power needed. The only thing to watch out for is the speedlight can be a little blue so adding a warm up gel can be necessary.

Scott