Avoiding shadows: Hello all - I'm looking for advice on how to avoid shadows when taking indoor family portraits. Thank you.....

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Avoiding shadows

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Feb 7, 2012 08:54:34 #

dparker708

Hello all -

I'm looking for advice on how to avoid shadows when taking indoor family portraits.

Thank you.....

Feb 7, 2012 08:57:59 #

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

dparker708 wrote:

Hello all -

I'm looking for advice on how to avoid shadows when taking indoor family portraits.

Thank you.....

Let me be the first to respond - with my limited knowledge.

Bounce flash!

strobist.blogspot.com/ has good lighting info.

Feb 7, 2012 08:58:51 #

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

dparker708 wrote:

Hello all -

I'm looking for advice on how to avoid shadows when taking indoor family portraits.

Thank you.....

go to www.strobist.blogspot.com and take the "Lighting 101" free course...that will help a lot.

But in the mean time....what shadows are you specifically referring to?

Shadows on wall behind people

Shadows on face/eyes?

?

Feb 7, 2012 11:38:44 #

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Shadows on the wall are pretty easy to avoid by moving the people away from the wall. In candid shots this wouldn't be very helpful but I agree with Jerry; Bounce will help and adding a diffuser to your flash head will soften them.

Feb 7, 2012 11:44:07 #

dparker708

Shadows on the wall behind the people.

Feb 7, 2012 11:55:59 #

nikron7 Loc: Indianapolis

Bounce the flash.

Feb 7, 2012 11:58:42 #

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

I agree with those suggesting bouncing your flash, try it and you may find the majority of your problems go away. If you're still having problem post some details and I'm sure you'll get some advice.

Feb 7, 2012 12:08:10 #

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

dparker708 wrote:

Shadows on the wall behind the people.

Then my next question would be "do you have an external flash?"

If you are using the on-board flash, then you are just bound to have problems.

Flash that emanates "on axis" which is to say "from the same direction as the camera" is just not flattering.

Get an external flash, use it either off of the camera completely, or at the very least bounce it against a side wall using a "black foamie thing" flag.

That will go a long way to making your flash photos look better.

Feb 8, 2012 10:04:09 #

sploppert Loc: Rochester, NY

I would recommend using an external flash on a camera bracket to get the flash high above the camera. This will force the shadows to the floor instead of the wall.

Feb 8, 2012 10:31:43 #

Grey Barn Studio Loc: Leroy OH

dparker708 wrote:

Hello all -

I'm looking for advice on how to avoid shadows when taking indoor family portraits.

Thank you.....

The advice on Bounce is all correct. It does however leave a shadow around the eyes that on some (depth of eye socket) can be bothersome. When I use a bounce I add a small white reflector card to my flash and this kicks in just enough light to soften that shadow.

Feb 8, 2012 11:05:00 #

dparker708

Thank you all for your help and suggestions on how to avoid shadows. One more question, if you don't mind: where to place the 3 lamps in relation to the group. They are requesting a rather traditional family portrait, that is, all standing side by side. Thank you again for your help!

Feb 8, 2012 11:35:50 #

fcrawley Loc: Melbourne, FL

It all depends on the types of lamps you are using and the ambient light associated with them...you want to get an even light over the faces and behind them to avoid the shadows...sometimes a small booster lamp below the camera helps...and one small tip is to look down on them just a hair to help with multiple chins and a little tilt to the eyeglasses.

Feb 8, 2012 11:36:55 #

Quickflash Loc: Loganville, Ga

I recently purchased a speedlite for my camera. I was amazed at how bouncing the flash and using the diffuser that came with it improved my pictures dramatically. It reduced the unwanted shadows to nothing and made some of my shots look like I actually know what I am doing! A good speedlite is another relatively expensive toy, but worth the money. In my case I wanted a Canon 580ex until I saw a utube video about the Yungnuo YN565 that compared it to the Canon 580. They are almost identical and this one is less than 1/3 the price of the Canon! I couldn't be happier with it. I hope this will help you.

Feb 8, 2012 11:38:01 #

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Grey Barn Studio wrote:

dparker708 wrote:

Hello all -

I'm looking for advice on how to avoid shadows when taking indoor family portraits.

Thank you.....

Actually, that's the reason that I'd not bounce from the ceiling...the angle of light is not that flattering, and looks better coming from the side. So I bounce off of walls/corners 45 deg.

Feb 8, 2012 11:48:06 #

dparker708

I think I have that speedlite and will check when I get home from work. Assuming I do, point to ceiling and use the white card? No other lighting needed?? Thank you for your response and hope to hear back from you...:)

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