Taking well lit photos for my models

[Sturmovik]

What are your recommendations for taking well lit photos for my models? What type of background, what type of lighting, etc...

[PhoenixII]

Hi Sturmovik,

guess what.....it depends! I know, there's always one.........

Do you want a 'Pro' set up OR cheap and cheerful? Depends on how deep your pockets are.

Variables:-

 

1.) Back cloth, professional - either white, black, grey or green. These are a large roll of material / thin PVC, sized around 1.5 Mtrs wide by 3 Mtrs long.

You will also need a stand for this, two vertical frames and one horizontal, the horizontal passes through the centre of the roll.

If you can get one, use a 'single' size cotton sheet, BUT, you will need to 'drape' it, meaning you will have to come up with a frame,

to make sure it lies 'flat' but with a constant curve at the rear, meaning no hard lines or any shadows to take your eyes away from the model.

Very cheap version, if you can get hold of an A2 or A1 pad of paper, rig a frame and use large clips, paper table cover clips are good or large 'bulldog' clips.

these are to hold the paper to the top of the frame and to the front of the table.

 

2.) Ideally a pair of tripod mounted lights with reflector Umbrellas, you can also get brackets to hold either flash or photo strobes.

Cheaper option would be a pair of 'angle poise' lamps, with a number of slave 'fill in' flash units and possibly a reflector.

These will get rid of shadow / dark areas. Lights, of which ever type should be placed to cancel out shadows, so equi distant from the model.

You can 'cheat' and use just a pair of slave flash units and a reflector card, but a second pair of hands WILL be useful!

 

I assume you are using a DSLR? If so, at least you can correct as you go, above all, have fun.

 

HTH

Paul

 

[John Laidlaw]

As much light as you can get is a good start, particularly if you're using a DSLR with the lens stopped all the way down for maximum depth of field, as it will shorten the exposure required. You can use large sheets of backdrop paper (in fairly neutral colours) to produce a "sweep". I do this by taping the top edge to a large piece of foamboard which has been partially scored through so there's one side's paper covering still intact, and can be leant up against a wall or something to support it.

 

As for light, you can build softboxes cheaply to give very soft shadows. I used the plans from https://www.thegunnysack.com/how-to-make-softbox-for-photography/ to build three, leaving out the foil on the interiors, and using LED lightbulbs because they don't generate much heat.

[armored76]

This is my setup plus a tripod for the camera

• the photo cube in the middle costs around 10 Euro on Ebay
• the lamps are from Ikea about 10-15 Euro each (maybe a get a third one for top illumination), bulbs are LED with equivalent of 75W, 5 Euro each
• the model is placed on an A0 sheet of paper (white or light blue are usual colours) at the cost of 0.99 Euro
• the tripod at around 30-40 Euro off Ebay

No matter how much light you use or how fine your camera is adjusted, there will always be a need for post-processing. Use Gimp, a free piece of software for that.

 

Here is what I get using this setup:

 

...and one on the light blue background:

 

I hope this helps!

Cristian

 

 

Edited May 1, 2018 by armored76

[Sturmovik]

@PhoenixII I´d like the cheap and cheerful one, because I´m not willing to pay above 40$ for a photography cube. I´m currently using two large sheets of paper, glued with bluetac to the walls, and usually my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone (I used a Panasonic Leica of 14 megapixels today, it´s fairly old). What would you recommend for a cheap photography area?                                                                                        

Edited May 3, 2018 by Sturmovik

[PhoenixII]

Hi Sturmovik, right, cheap and cheerful it is!

I would still recommend the sheet, the frame can be as simple as 50mm x 25mm timber, length to suit.

To assemble the frame supporting the sheet, a couple of 'G' clamps will hold the vertical members to a table, the horizontal, I would recommend

drilling through the horizontal piece and down the vertical pieces and using a pair of long bolts as a 'drop fit' to hold things together, that way it's easy to dismantle.

If your using the dinning room table, REMEMBER, use some padding within the jaws of the clamps, otherwise you'll be eating with the Dog, if at all!

 

For lighting, use a couple of cheap adjustable neck desk lamps, this will give you a constant light source, when money allows,

you may want to get some 'daylight' bulbs. Whatever type of bulbs used, you'll be able to see if / where there are any shadows, that's where the reflector can help.

I would recommend using your Panasonic camera, as you can steady it far easier than your Samsung. Try using some books

to rest the camera on, with a piece of foam under the lens to steady things, and consider a cable release, cuts down the chance of camera shake.

 

It's worth having a look on e-bay and if you have them in charity / thrift shops, also, have a look for a basic 'how to' book on photography,

as they say, 'every day's a school day!' While your about it, have a look at some 'how to' video's on youtube.

Bear in mind you can do it for either $20 or $20,000! BUT, photography is a far dearer hobby than modelling, start small and simple, and ENJOY!

 

HTH

Paul