Three light setup

For the weekend we did have a single portrait shoot setup but due to the snow coming in and road conditions that one got canceled.
We (Emma and I) had been viewing several online videos describing different light setups to create portraits.

One that we liked in particular is The classic three light studio portrait from Pro photo life. Jim Talkington has made several great videos you can find in their video library section.

The three light setup we were going to do would be something like illustrated below.

• One main light at 45/45 (meaning at a 45 degree angle to the camera and pointing down at a 45 degree angle). This main light will be setup to create Rembrandt lighting.


• One reflector for fill in to minimize the contrast.


• One hair light positioned opposite the main light.


• One background light to create separation between the subject and the background.

For each step (inspired by the video) we are taking a single shot to show the progress.

First we position the main light to create a Rembrandt style portrait.


Second we add the reflector on the right side of the subject. After adding the reflector the contrast can be modified by simply turning the main light. If more light fall on the reflector the contrast will decrease. If less light falls on the reflector (or the distance is increased) the contrast is increased.


Third we add the hair light opposite the main light also pointing down 45 degrees.


And last but not least we are adding the background light to create separation between the subject and the backdrop. In this case the backdrop is a grayish muslin but it could be a painted wall or paper as well.



After final light is placed and lights are adjusted the little model of course had to dash off to get a touch of makeup on. So after a good half hour of rummaging around the bathroom I was allowed to take a few more photos.



This setup can be adjusted to fit the subject(s) by fine tuning each light. The setup we did here is pretty sturdy and will give repeatable and consistent results. Now that we have the setup up and running I am planning to put a few markers to indicate where to position the lights in the future making the setup quick to establish next time an opportunity comes knocking on the door :-)

Remember spring?

While organizing photos I found that I am really ready for spring time.

I am ready for the sun to come out and warm me up and be able to spend the time outside in warmer weather and not inside all bundled up.
Going back to the mountains and hearing the water in the streams...



Taking a walk in the meadow finding that it's not "just" grass but full of life enjoying the warm sun.


Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. ~Doug Larson

Family portrait session

Past Saturday I got an opportunity to photograph a lovely family.

Kids are always interesting and it's not always easy keeping an eye on everything but I must say these children were very nice :-)

Here is a little sneak peak of the photos from the garden of the Carlyle house in old town Alexandria.

Twilight polo

This 4th of July we found a new and very interesting horse event. Ok I know many people may not be into horse events but with this one it's a little different.
It's about having a good time and enjoy it with family and friends.

At the same time there is a good action packed polo match where a lot can happen.
I didn't know much about polo before the 4th of July but the twilight polo matches held at Great Meadow is pretty cool and a great time spend on a Saturday night.

Below is a few photos from the 4th of July polo match
-- See more photos in the store front (no purchase necessary) --

Budweiser-Upperville Jumper Classic

From the recent Budweiser-Upperville Jumper classic here are a good handful of the Jumpers.

I didn't get the preferred photographer position (in the middle of the ring) so I had to do a little running from one end of the course to the other to get a few different angles.

You can view, send e-cards and purchase prints from here: http://udsigt.photoreflect.com

Sunday afternoon portrait shoot

This past Sunday Lily stopped by to get a few headshots to use in her portfolio while pursuing her acting career.

I used a pretty simple setup. On camera right (about 45 degree angle) I had my alien bee B800 with a large octabox and on camera left (about 80-90 degree angle high) I had my Nikon SB800 with diffuser and roughly 1 stop brighter than the main light.

Now I got around to finishing up a few of the photos and I guess eventually I will get some of them incorporated in a portrait section on my web site (http://udsigt.webhop.net).




After capture my workflow is to import the photos to lightroom using the camera raw plugin which does a very nice job at ensuring colors and light is right. (read more in this post).

After import I had Lily pick the top 30 photos to continue work on these.
Retouching portraits like this got soo much simpler and faster. I am pretty sure Emma could actually do it... it's that easy.
To process photos I take a few simple steps in lightroom:
1. Adjust overall brightness, color and contrast.
2. "fix" complexion with portrait professional (right click and select edit-in)
3. Crop to print size and if multiple sizes are needed create virtual copies for these.
4. Select all and make virtual copies
5. Select virtual copies and change to black and white with the develop setting.

Now all that is left to do is export and/or create a web gallery (using lightroom of course).

If you noticed it in the steps above you are absolutely right. I did not use photoshop at all in any of these steps...
The key to quick processing is the portrait professional package. You can read more about it here.

photostudio inspiration for home

Wouldn't it be nice having that 3.000 sq ft. studio with all the latest gadgets and lighting equipment you could ever find use for along with multiple cameras and lenses?

yeah well I would like it but then again I think I am short a few million $$ on that one. However there is actually quite a lot you can do at home at the kitchen table using anything from natural light with reflector cards, desk lamps and well any light for that matter.

Learning the basics behind light and the theory is well time consuming but strangely enough it's fun too. I just started reading a book on that (light, science and magic more about that later when I get further) and I have had a few aha moments as to why it works the way it works with studio light.

Anyway. I just recently found a great resource for those that would like to watch and learn and get inspired.
Photographer Jim Talkington is running a photostudio and on his website http://www.prophotolife.com you can find some really great video tutorials in his video library. Ohh and it may be worth to mention that these are free!!!!!

Mr. T. is easy to understand and it is really good information he is giving away here. If you want to improve your photography you can't help but to learn from him.