More Family Fun In The Studio: Jessica brought her beautiful family intro the studio tonight for some family portraits and to start developing a modeling portfolio for the kids. Here...

Bobby Deal Loc: Loveland Colorado

Jessica brought her beautiful family intro the studio tonight for some family portraits and to start developing a modeling portfolio for the kids.

Here is a quick 2 light shot of the three of them all together

Lighting is very simple a 5' Octagon camera right about 30 degrees to the subjects then feathered in front of them and then a large soft box for fill just camera left of lens axis. Key light meters F/9 while fill meters f/ 7.1 and shot at F/11 to give a nice ratio.

You will note the triangular placement of the subjects with each member having their eyes land in a different segment of the rule of thirds grids that I place the darker complexioned daughter closest to the key light and the fair skinned boy to the back furthest from the light source to help balance skin tone exposure across the frame for the whole family.

1.

http://realdealphotography.smugmug.com/Family/Family-Portrait-Samples/i-PcbgLw6/0/XL/RDP_1397-XL.jpg

trc Loc: Logan, OH

Bobby Deal wrote:

Jessica brought her beautiful family intro the stu... (show quote)

Bobby,

Your subject placement makes perfect sense both in the triangular pattern along with the skin tonal reasons. Seeing on my iPhone, only, right now, so may explain why the young boy's skin still looks a bit bright to me? I wonder if stopping down one of the lights may have helped in that regard? Eyes all seem to be excellent - everyone looking right at the lense. Another great image both educationly as well as photographic quality. 😃

Best Regards,
Tom

Bobby Deal Loc: Loveland Colorado

trc wrote:

Bobby,

Your subject placement makes perfect sense both in the triangular pattern along with the skin tonal reasons. Seeing on my iPhone, only, right now, so may explain why the young boy's skin still looks a bit bright to me? I wonder if stopping down one of the lights may have helped in that regard? Eyes all seem to be excellent - everyone looking right at the lense. Another great image both educationly as well as photographic quality. 😃

Best Regards,
Tom

No he is not too bright but is very very fair of complexion. His placement is actually a further 18 inches behind the heavily feathered main. Considering the inverse square law and given that it is only 4' from the metered position of the little girl he would be receiving approximately a full stop to a stop and a third less light than the little girl. If I stop either of the lights down further then it would effect the exposure across the line that is why I used placement to regulate his exposure.

Nightsky Loc: Augusta, GA USA

Another great shot, and a very informative tutorial. Love your style and also your dedication to educating others!

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Very good lesson. Short and simple. Thanks, Bobby!

Bobby Deal Loc: Loveland Colorado

Nightsky wrote:

Another great shot, and a very informative tutorial. Love your style and also your dedication to educating others!

Thank you Nightsky, I am happy to know you found the post useful

Bobby Deal Loc: Loveland Colorado

Thank you as well TainKc

tainkc wrote:

Very good lesson. Short and simple. Thanks, Bobby!

trc Loc: Logan, OH

Bobby Deal wrote:

No he is not too bright but is very very fair of c... (show quote)

Thanks for the added explanation. That's amazing he is receiving that much less light being that distance away from the light compared to the little girl. He is definitely very fair skinned and needs to get out and get some sun (no joke intended); but, then again, fair skinned people burn really easily. I guess he doesn't have an abundance of the pigment melanin.

I have a lot of melanin pigments (specifically eumelanin) in my skin/body. Melanogenesis occurs 'favorably' with me when I am exposed to UV radiation being outside, especially on non-cloudy days, of course, but also occurs on cloudy days which a lot of people forget or are unaware; hence, they get 'sunburned' even on cloudy/semi-cloudy days.

Is there anyway his skin might receive less light, look (appear) a little darker in skin tone, but yet have the darker complexion females still appear OK, tonally, with the same geometric placement of the bodies? Thanks Bobby.

Best Regards,
Tom

Bobby Deal Loc: Loveland Colorado

trc wrote:

Thanks for the added explanation. That's amazing h... (show quote)

Of course there is but why would I do it? He knows what he looks like. A portrait should flatter but it should not differ too much from what the subject is used to seeing.

Mom has been spray tanned, the little girl is mixed so she is naturally much darker. I could cut the light to him even more by using flags and negitive fill from another black board but at some point I also risk creating a mud dines in his skin luminance that I would not be happy with.

trc Loc: Logan, OH

Bobby Deal wrote:

Of course there is but why would I do it? He knows what he looks like. A portrait should flatter but it should not differ too much from what the subject is used to seeing.

Mom has been spray tanned, the little girl is mixed so she is naturally much darker. I could cut the light to him even more by using flags and negitive fill from another black board but at some point I also risk creating a mud dines in his skin luminance that I would not be happy with.

Yep, you have to please your client(s) and you have to please yourself. That is a given. I was just asking for more education/lighting technology and information in case a similar scenario happens to arise where a client might ask for a deeper skin tone to match the others . . . As if the fair haired person was subconscience about looking 'different.'

Tom

alissaspieces Loc: New York

What I love is looking at your photography and then learning through small details that you give that I didn't think of. Like, I know that a triangular placement is often correct and pleasing but the idea that you thoughtfully placed their eyes in one of the thirds grid is a detail that I will take back to the studio with me. Thank you again!

Bobby Deal Loc: Loveland Colorado

trc wrote:

Yep, you have to please your client(s) and you have to please yourself. That is a given. I was just asking for more education/lighting technology and information in case a similar scenario happens to arise where a client might ask for a deeper skin tone to match the others . . . As if the fair haired person was subconscience about looking 'different.'

Tom

Lots of things you could do but my next step would be to cut the light with a half or full stop scrim between him As d the light

Or you could mov him to the other side but that would change the group dynamic
You could Spary tan him which I do for many clients
You could darken his skin in post
It all really comes down to problem solving at some point

trc Loc: Logan, OH

Bobby Deal wrote:

Lots of things you could do but my next step would be to cut the light with a half or full stop scrim between him As d the light

Or you could mov him to the other side but that would change the group dynamic
You could Spary tan him which I do for many clients
You could darken his skin in post
It all really comes down to problem solving at some point

Thank you, Bobby.

Best Regards,
Tom

waltchilds Loc: Central Florida

Bobby, this is a very nice family shot. Thanks also for your tutorial which, as always, is very helpful.

SqBear Loc: Kansas, (South Central)

Bobby, the first category I go to when I get the daily updated UHH is the "People" section and I am delighted when you have your shots posted. And as others have said and I look forward to each time you post, your description and information as to why you do and what you do!!
Thank you!
Always looking forward to the posts'
Dave