Tag Archive for: small flash

Creating depth and contrast in your model/portrait photography

/in , , /by

How to create depth and contrast in your model photography?

However, if we want to create depth we do need to change the direction of our light. And today we are looking at one of the solutions to open up the darker side and get some really cool effects. Continue reading how to create depth and contrast in your photography

Depth is one of those things

We all know the term “3D looking” And maybe you also struggle with getting your images to look more “3D”
In most cases, it’s “just” a matter of changing your light to the sides of your subject.
The problem is often that the other side of the face becomes really dark. And often also the background creates really bad looking images (unless you love that look).

For me, at least the background should be lit slightly beyond the dark side of the face. This means there is some separation between the model and the background. Letting everything turn black or hardly visible is sometimes cool. But most of the time you are just left with an image that doesn’t feel right.

 

Accent vs flare or maybe both

When I started out with model photography I loved the Rembrandt setup. But somehow I never liked the darker part of the face. The easiest solution is of course using a reflector. But, a reflector only works when it gets enough light to bounce back. Because I use my lights mostly pretty close to the model there isn’t a lot of light hitting the reflector hence not reflecting enough back to the model.

Inverse Square Law

This is of course due to the inverse square law. This dictates that light falls off over the distance, meaning if you place your lights really close to the model it will fall off really fast and not have enough “power” left to also reflect back on the face and have a major impact.

Solution

So most of the time I solve this by using an extra light source on that side.
Now you can choose to place this behind your model and just hit the side opening up the shadows, moving it slightly back to only light the jawline, etc. This already works like a charm but let’s up the ante.

By using a light source with a more diffuse light source, like for example the Rogue magnetic system without or with the omnidirectional dome we can do a lot more.

We can now not only create a cool lighting effect on our model, but by placing it correctly (slightly more forward or backward, just experiment with very small increments, this really works very precise) you can also balance it so that the side of the light (softer and less output) hits the model. Creating a beautiful soft quality of light. But the main part of the output actually hits the lens creating an awesome lensflare.

If you are not happy with your lens flares, try older M42 lenses. Or even better, get the same filter I use, the K&F concept black diffusion filters, these make it much easier to create great flares without influencing your images when you don’t use backlighting.

Video about creating depth

Ok, because images say more than words, let’s look at a lot of images after each other, which we call video 😀

I hope you now understand better how depth and contrast can change your portrait or model photography.

Visit www.frankdoorhof.com/shop for the gear I use.
Visit www.fotografie-workshops.nl for the Dutch workshops
Mail us for our totally new 1:1 full-day online workshops in English or Dutch.

And some of the results
model: Claudia

Depth and contrast in your photography

Depth and contrast in your photography

 

Get stunning results and high contrast images easily with the Rogue FlashBender XL

/in , , /by

I love the FlashBender XL

I’ve been using the Rogue FlashBender for over 10 years now. And it’s still one of my favorite modifiers because you get easily stunning results and can make high-contrast images.

When I got the “first” edition I started using it not as a bounce card. But to get some cool effects on the background, and due to the design of the FlashBender, you could also light your model from the back. An amazing tool at that moment which gave me loads of creative options.

This also got the attention of Expo Imaging (the creators of Rogue) and we started to talk. And over the years the Frank Doorhof XL edition was designed. Every time we added and changed smaller and larger details and I’m incredibly proud of the product as it is today.

First of all; the material on the Frank Doorhof edition is different from the other FlashBenders. We chose a soft silver material that gives you a more direct light-output vs white. So you get a really nice edge to your light. Plus it also boosts the output which can be great for outside situations where you need a bit more.

The FlashBender Frank Doorhof XL edition can be used as :

Bounce card
By bending the top you can limit the light loss and get much more direct light on your subject instead of just losing it into the air.

Softbox
In the box, you also find a softbox attachment to soften the light.

Snoot
Just fold the flashbender into a snoot by using the velcro.

Striplight with grid
Probably my favorite option and also the one I’m using in this video.

In this video, I show you how you can use the FlashBender in the striplight configuration to light both the background and the model for some really cool and contrasty images.

And some of the results you also see in the video.

the Rogue Frank Doorhof FlashBender XL

For my American friends, buy from Rogue 

 

How to work with a brand new model

/in , , /by

Tips for working with new models

Today you can see a special digital classroom episode.
You have been asking for it a lot and because we always listen you can now see how to work with a brand new model.

During this episode we show you the first shoot I did with our new model Janaika.
I show you some tricks I use to get the model at ease, but also loads of tips on lighting and coaching the model.
You see the lighting setups via 3 cameras and of course all the images I shoot are shown in a PIP setup.

Of course a workshop is always better

Most of the workshops I teach are in Dutch, but if you let us know a few weeks in advance we can also teach them in English.
We can even do them online.
fotografie-workshops.nl for more info

The differences in posing and how to coach

/in , /by

Posing should be natural (I think)

When I started out one of the first things I bought was a so called “posing guide”
Well that was a waste of money.
Every person is different and in all honesty most of the poses in those books are… well very posed.

I like the more natural poses and over the years found some ways to always get fresh poses out of my models.
Today we do something slightly different on the blog.
Normally during a shoot you select the best images from a setup, maybe 1, maybe 2 and sometimes a bit more.
You don’t want to overload your model with images, and always remember you are often as strong as your weakest image.
So selecting the right images is vital I think. Only select the real winners.

So how do I do it?

I will always start out with a standard pose, just to get the lighting right and the overall look of the shot.
But right after that I will start coaching the model not how to pose but more giving compliments, pushing his/her energy up.
If you don’t tell your model what to do but only adjust slightly you will always get awesome and unique poses.
How many models/photographers do you know/recognise due to the poses?

To keep the energy high I want to shoot fast.
I would rather do 4 sets of 10 minutes than one set of 60 minutes to push for perfection.
In all honesty if you can’t shoot the correct image in 10-15 minutes after the lighting setup it’s better to continue. Exceptions are possible of course, we have also worked for a hour on one shot but those are exceptions (for me at least).

But when do you stop?

For me it’s a matter of first getting a really good shot.
As soon as I see I’ve got it I will tell the model “One more” and shoot 4-5.
If in these 4-5 there is one that’s better I shoot another 4-5 etc.
The models energy stays high, and because I always say “one more” and keep shooting (speek enthusiastic) the model really thrives and gives me great shot after great shot, sometimes it’s hard to stop.

So let’s take a look at a series we shot with Lois recently during a workshop.

Lighting

This setup was done with 2 softboxes
The first one was a Geekoto 36″ softbox
The second one was the new Geekoto Lantern
Both on the Geekoto GT400

The lantern gives a nice soft quality of light and reaches a lot more of the set.
The 36″ is slightly more focused.
In this setup the difference is mostly seen in the light fall off in the back but as you can see both softboxes can be perfectly used for fashion shots 😀

As you can see Lois is a great model, but as you can also see there are many different poses and lines in the shots.
I always look for a nice flowing line, and sometimes this means tilting the head slightly to the left, or the right depending on the rest of the body.
When the lines “flow” you automatically get a much easier to look image.
As you can see in these results some poses just look better and more easy, find the curves/lines and remember the “flow” and try to incorporate them in your next shoot, probably ti find out that it will differ per model, but the base is always the same. Just like with landscapes, find the “leading” lines and shapes and coach the model with slight adjustments to get the pose you like.

This is something that will take some practice but at one point you will find out it becomes much easier.

Want to visit a workshop?

Most of the workshops are taught in Dutch, but if you mail us a few weeks in advance we can switch to English.
Visit fotografie-workshops.nl for more info and bookings.