A.TOKER

Hi all and Happy New Year!
I'll try to make long story short.
I was looking on Ebay for flash stand with umbrella and found this (420W Photo Studio Umbrella Lighting Kit )
for $55...so i bought it.
When i got it i asked my wife if she wants a couple portraits...(i couldn't wait to try this set).
Well... the light from bulbs is complite crap(pardon my french),but i kinda expect it i barely got 1/20 sec at f/3.5 with ISO 400 so i took some photos with my 85mm macro
(thanks to my wife she was still)

Critics and coments wellcome...

I am not a pro and she is not a model,dont beat me to hard
:lol:

Lighting Kit


#1


#2


#3


#4

BGenie Loc: Sacramento, CA

She's pretty and seems easy to photograph. I don't understand the stretchy pink thing in photo#3

Also, I started a thread a while back asking about studio lighting and got some fantastic advice, you may want to read it too:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-16288-1.html

...after reading this thread, you're probably going to pack up that kit you got and send it back... sorry!

laskalass Loc: Land of the Midnight Sun

well your wife is a lovely model and your photography is nice, sharp and well lit. I like the third one best because there isnt much glare on her face and it looks pretty natural. I think they are all very nice, but then, Im a nice person...lol....I dont do tough critiques!

A.TOKER

Thank you
The pink thing was her imagination,but if it looks awkward
i'll keep this in mind thanks again.
Regarding the kit... i'll keep it and use the stands with flashes (i bought Flash Shoe Umbrella Holders)

A.TOKER

Thank you for warm coments.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

I think that they are really good. Did you use a light meter?

A.TOKER

Thank you,i used spot metering in my camera.

14kphotog Loc: Marietta, Ohio

I like #1-3-4, she did a very good job and you should be proud!

A.TOKER

Thank you.
Yep... she did and i am proud every moment of my life since i met her...

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Except for the tye dye all those shots are really nicely done. you overcame the crap lighting and did a good job.

I agree though...send that stuff back...420watts? Not nearly enough.

A.TOKER

Thank you.
I guess you meant "tie-dye"

rlaugh Loc: Michigan & Florida

Beautiful model, great shots with equipment you had.

jbirdmo Loc: Soon to be Chicago

*When reading the following please remember that I am in no way being negative! I'm just offering some information that you can use if wish on the next shoot!*

Your study of lighting is showing through quite clearly in these!
It looks to me like the light on camera right has been adjusted just slightly lower in intensity making it the fill. My personal taste is to have just a little more shadow than what you have here so that it doesn't appear quite as flat. You might try turning that fill down a little more next time and see if the look is to your liking.

You have a steady hand to pull off shots this sharp at 1/20th with continuous light! Great job!

Obviously your using the camera in manual with the shutter and aperture. Did you manual white balance as well? There appears to be a greenish cast to these that is common with CFL bulbs. Along with that is a subtle color shift from one photo to the other. Manual White Balance should solve both problems and give you great skin tones.

I think the hair light on #1 is a little hot judging from the hot area on the top of arm camera left and the hot spot in the hair. One trick you could try for seeing how your accent lights are setup is this. Once you have everything on and the camera set, kill the main and fill lights and take a shot. The only lights you'll see in the photo will be the accent light and you'll see how bright it is, and where it's falling. Then you just adjust as needed and add the other lights in one at a time.

It's unfortunate that the kit didn't put out enough light, but you could try setting the hair light right next to one of the others with the umbrella, this should give you enough light to up the shutter speed a bit.

Your wife makes a beautiful model, and if she's willing to work with you, take advantage of it. As long as she sees you improve, (and she looks better and better in the photos) I'll bet she'll be real supportive. Mine is!

Again nothing negative intended here in the least! You have huge potential with what I can see here already!

---Jude

heltonjkv96 Loc: southwest Virginia

Great photos,

rballard29 Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Lovely portraits. Nice sharp focus on the eyes. I especially like the catch light captured in 3 and 4.