[Lunatique]

At Strata's request, I'm writing a little tutorial on the way I do photography. This is not by any means correct or efficient. It's just the weird way I do it. Remember, I'm just a rookie as well, having only gotten my paws dirty since Feb this year.

First, here are the latest stuff, fresh out of the oven.



First, to answer Starta's question about digital photography vs. film photography:

Digital photography has already caught up to film photography since a couple of years ago. The inner workings of both types of camera are very similar, except digital cameras expose the light onto a chip sensor instead of a piece of film. The new generation of digital cameras are capable of producing print resolution that is about the same as 35mm film. The only way film photography still surpasses digital is in larger format cameras that shoot films larger than 35mm. For most photographers(amateur or pro), 35mm is about all they need, so that means digital is just as good.

The good things about digital cameras are: 1)they produce colors more accurately than film cameras. 2)you can immediately see the result, and delete unwanted shots, or reshoot the shot. 3)You don't have to change film for daylight or night time. It's all in the ISO setting.

The bad things about digital cameras: 1)they are very expensive, especially for pro cameras. 2)they are not quite as durable as film cameras.

Ok, now onto the tutorial:

For the color shots, I either used only one normal household lamp, or turned on one overhead flourescent light in combination with the lamp. I basically had one person move the lamp around until I see something that clicked. Just look at where the shadows are falling, and you'll see where I positioned the lamp. Try not to overlight your subject by having it too close. The shadows will become too harsh. You can use another fill light(either lower power, or placed further away)and position it opposite of the main light to balance the it out a bit. For these color shots, I didn't use any fill lights.

The key to lighting with non-professional lights is that: 1)they are low powered, so your shutter speed will have to drop down to anywhere between 10~1 second. That means, your apeture will have to be at least f2.8 wide or more. In a situation like that, you REALLY need a tripod, and your model has to be completely still. If either one of you moves even the least slight, your picture WILL turn out blurry. In fact, not only should you use a tripod for low light shots, you should use a remote to activate the shutter if your camera has one. For shots that can't be achieved with a tripod, you better practice being VERY still. A photographer friend taught me to put the camera on the upturned palm of one hand, which is anchored by pressing it against my chest, then use the other hand to press the shutter.

For the B/W shots, I used two lights. One is more powerful, which I place further from the model to have a basic ambient light, while the lower powered light I used closer to the model. I chose the lower powered light as my main light so that I won't cast shadows that are too harsh.

Basically, I moved the ambient light around to determine how much of the subject I want to show. This decision has nothing to do with how much you want to show with the main light. Think of it this way: IF you didn't have a main light, and you can only work with the minimum lighting allowed to you, how dark would you light the subject and still achieve the atmosphere you want?

For example:

For the shot of her with the needle, I moved the ambient light back far enough so that you can just make out her features. Then, I turned on the main light and held it so that it only shined on her hand and the needle. My main light did nothing for her face. I left that up to the ambient light.

Another example:

For the frontal shot of her eyes, I placed the main light above her so that the hood casts a definite shadow over her eyes for that sense of mystery. BUT, without a fill light, her eyes would be in complete darkness, which is a shame because even though I wanted mystery, I also wanted to show her beautiful eyes. So, I pushed the ambient light closer so that it's bright enough to see her eyes, yet the shadow cast by the main light is still well defined.

Another trick I use is back lighting hair(the shot of her profile facing right). I just put the light behind the hair in such a way so that you don't see the light, but you get this glowing hair.


There. Hope that helps you get started. The best way to learn is to PLAY AROUND. I learned the most that way, even though some books do help explain elaborate lighting well.

Here's a link that'll help you out:
http://www.garageglamour.com/tips/lightf.shtml

And this series on pro lighting is a must have for anyone that is serious about photography:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books &field-author=Larg%2C%20Alex/103-6138023-8888640

Have fun! I'd love to see what you come up with after a few sessions.

[ November 22, 2001: Message edited by: Lunatique ]

[Lunatique]

Dammit. It won't let me post more than 8 pics. Here's the one that didn't make it in the last post.

[FireFry]

WOW I really like some of the shots you took in this set. I'm speechless

::goes back to the photos...::

[xXxPZxXx]

LUNATIQUE: OMG WARN US OR SOMETHING!!!

no I'm not talking about the nudity that was very tastefully done.

Err wait maybe I am the only one... I have a strange fobia of people or myself putting paper in their mouths. It makes me gag =/ That last picture really caught me off guard.

really sweet pictures by the way

-PZ-

[[Shizo]]

#*(&#*@^ ...nipples! . .#@# big!!!@

[ November 22, 2001: Message edited by: [Shizo] ]

[Shiro_tengu]

Beautiful photography. tastful, feminine and beautiful. Well done. And a great tut too.

[dr . bang]

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Sorry, I was wiping away stuff from my keyboard. Hopefully these liquid substance doesn't ruin my keyboard.


Anyway hmmmmmm, i really don't know what to say Luna. I really like the third one, her hand is really beauttful, the lighting is very nice also.

[strata]

Yeah, these are really beautiful Luna! I love the subtlety in them... a sort of gracefulness... beautiful =)

And thanks a mill for the tutorial! I'm getting a camera VERY soon, so I'll be off shooting people asap!
Vurry helpful tutorial =)

But another question: Will any olde 60 watt household desklamp work fine or do you use some special kind of lamp?

thanks!

[Lunatique]

You're welcome. I expect to see some cool pics from you soon.

As far as lamps, use anything. Just play with the white balance setting in your camera(if it's a digital)to get the warmth you want. Or, there is always photoshop.

Photoshop and ACDSee are digital photographer's best friend. They are your digital darkroom.

One more tip: If your digital has B/W or Sepia mode, use em' when you specifically want monocrome pics. If you take them in color(especially in lowlight situation)and then desaturate in PS, you get a lot of unwanted grain and noise.

[ November 23, 2001: Message edited by: Lunatique ]

[Malachi Maloney]

This thread is just what the doctor ordered.

Thanks for all the great advice.

Malachi

[Jucas]

Thanks Loony, but can you tell me how you get the background/foreground blurry? If it isn't to much trouble.

[Lunatique]

Jucas-- Normally, if I had a good camera where I can choose my own lenses, I would never have to worry about shortening the field of depth, but since I'm using a consumer grade camera, I'll have to do some creative thinking.

1)I use a telephoto attachment lense(3X)and get the subject as far away from the background as possible.

2)I do it in photoshop--VERY CAREFULLY. If you don't do it right, it'll look fake, and it'll make your photography look cheap and gimicky. If you do it right, it'll look exactly like how it should've looked if you had a camera that could squash the field of depth. I have a number of techniques, but it requires VERY meticulous work and the patience of a saint. The funny thing is, you spend all that time and energy to create an effect that is supposed to be completely undetectable--much like how the best special effects in film are the ones you never even notice is there. If you really want to know, I can email you about it.

Here are some examples:

Can you tell which pictures here had the blurring done in the digital darkroom, and which ones were achieved by the lense? If you can't tell, then that means it was done correctly.













Let's see if anyone of you can guess right.

[Naz]

I give it a go... 1st, 3rd and 5th have faked blurring.. (but that is just plain guessing out of the stomach)

[Lunatique]

I'll take a few more guesses before I reveal the truth.