Reverse Engineer This Light :by DIYP

original post from: DIYP

I did mention that all the lighting on the set was DIY and made by yours truly.

Before I go ahead and do the lighting breakdown (I don't actually have to reverse engineer it, I was there and took pictures :)), I am placing the portrait on the big again below. Look at it (or super size it) and then skip to the actual break down (which is also a sneak peek into my living room)

The key (1), as many of you guessed was a snooted strobe on camera right, high above the model at f/10. This can be deducted from the hard nose shadow and the higher catch light on the eyes. The actual snoot is a beer cozy with the bottom cut. There were some guesses about a beauty dish, I think a BD would give a softer falloff on the nose.

The fill (2), as again many of you indicated, is a 40cm DIY softbox camera left about 2 stops down from main. You can see the square on the second catch light on the left. Actually, If you went super close on the portrait you could see the hotspot in the middle of the square which is common to DIY softboxes which don't have an internal diffusion screen. The tutorial for building this softbox will go up tomorrow.

The third (3) light which provided separation is a flash with 1/2 CTO gel and a coroplast gridspot positioned a bit lower than the model's head and pointing upwards. it is very close to the backdrop and creates a small circle. Many guessed that one as well, but for some reason the gel was hard to pick up.

A little bit more fill (5) coming from below is a foamboard reflector covered with aluminum foil. It was placed a little higher on the tripod which is not in the picture.

The backdrop (4) is a stretch of black fabric. It is held with a hangman stick-in-a-can and a few A clamps.

Lastly, the chair (6) is an $8 stool from IKEA.

It is great to see how well a DIY studio can light a portrait, and if you find this to be as much fun as I do, you'd be happy to hear that this image is going to feature is a DIYP studio book coming soon. The book features many lighting and studio projects that you can build at home.

highspeed strobing

kung nabasa mo ung previous na post medyo maiintindihan mo na to kung papaano..

highspeed photography.. ang kailangan mo dito timing at bilis

so anu nga ba yang nasa picture????

lighter yan na may powder..anung klaseng powder?bahala kna don. basta powder..

anywai... simple lang

din ang concept nito..

unahin ko munang ipakita yung set up ng ilaw

dito ang set up ng ilaw ay snooted.. nakita mo ung nasa dulo nang flash? parang cup na mahaba pero isalang ang ginagawa ng snoot, para ma i focus mo ung flash mo kung san mo lang gustong pabagsakin ung ilaw.. more control sa ilaw

sa speed photography kailangan ng speed kya dapat ang shutterspeed mo mabilis.. pero diba nga ang sabi ko dun sa unang post hangang 1/250 sec. lang ang maximum sync nang strobe mo pag wireless... maliban nalang kung naka ettl cord ka or pocketwizard na trigger,, anywai. so ibig sabihin hangang 1/250 sec. lang ang kaya mong i push sa shutterspeed mo, so go i push mo lang hehe...

bakit ba kailangang 1/250 sec. kung pepede naman sa mas mababa...??? pde kaso... kya ko ina-advice na itaas mo, let say nasa lugar ka na masyadong maliwanag ang ilaw or (ambient light) pwedeng maapektuhan ung shots mo at mahaluan ng ambient light..mag kakaroon ng blurr or trail sa subject mo.. or tulad nung shot ko nayan black ang background once na nahaluan ng ambient light yan di na magiging pure black yan...

marami kang makikitang diy tungkol sa highspeed photography na ginagamitan ng ibat ibang klaseng trigger...

mayrong sound activated trigger na kpag nakarinig ng sound ay mag ttriger ung flash

mayron din na motion sensor trigger na once na hit ung particular na object mag ttriger ung flash..

pero hindi iyong ang ginamit ko sa shot na ito. lahat nayan manual..lol..

isipin mo kung pano?

simple lang. naka tripod ung camera ko,

naka set sa manual focus at naka focus na din kung san babagsak ung lighter,

ung flash naka set narin sa tamang exposure.

bilang ka ng 1.. 2.. .....3.. drop.. sakto mo lang na pag bagsak nung lighter na click mo nadin ung shutter, then pag hindi mo nakuha ulitin mo lang ulit, hangang sa maka kuha ka na nang gusto mong kuha...

so pano naman ung mga sound trigger at motion??

ang ginagawa lang nung mga sensor nayan ay nagagawa nilang i-trigger ung flash sa tamang oras.. like pag binagsak ko ung lighter nayon at narinig nya mag ttriger ung flash..

so pano naman ung shutter ng camera, pano mo pipindutin qng dimo alam kung kelan mag ttriger ung flash?

ganito ang ginagawa nila.. unang una dapat nasa madilim na lugar mo ito gagawin, ok lang kahit sa kwarto na may ilaw basta napaptay..haha

so inaayos muna nila lahat ng setting sa camera, focus, flash etc. na kailangan.

tapos ilalagay nila sa "bulb" ung shutterspeed nila..

akala ko ba dapat highspeed mabilis ang shutter? edi pag bulb mabagal..

yes, pero isipin once ok na ang lahat at pinatay mo ang ilaw, wala nang ambient light.!

wala na ding mag bblur sa subject mo kase ang tanging ilaw lang na papasok sa camera mo ay yung nang gagaling sa flash..kuha mo?

so ganun lang kasiple ung concept nito..

i ayos lahat.. bulb mode, flash power, focus at subject mo.. once na ok na ang lahat. patayin ung ilaw.. hold mo ung shutter at wag mong bbitawan hangat hindi nag fflash. ibagsak mo ung subject mo sa powder pag nag flash na bitawan mo na shutter mo.. ayon pasok na yon:)

*take note sa may mga sound trigger at motion trigger lang to..

one light set-up

bago mo bilin lahat ng mga kung anu anu pang light modifier dian minsan mas magandang mag stick ka lang muna sa umbrella pag aralan mo muna kung pano ang bagsak ng ilaw sa subject mo, anung bang pinag kaiba pag malayo o malapit sa subject ang ilaw o mas mataas ba o mas mababa...?

this picture was taken during 4th of july, sa isang lake kami nag sama sama at nanuod ng fireworks at sakto may break water sa tapat ng bahay at naka pag shoot kahit sandali..

so lets talk about this set up. ang unang unang gwin mo muna is i proper expose mo muna yung sunset mo kung maari wag mong gwing long exposure or lalagpas sa 1sec ang exposure mo. timplahin mo lang gamit ang iso at ilagay mo sa wideopen yung f/stop mo.kase baket? pag lumagpas ka sa 1sec mag bblurr na ung subject mo. kahit na sabihin mong naka tripod ka kung gumagalaw sya....

so oks na ang exposure mo..

let say ang settings mo is

1/50 sec.

f4.5

iso 400

proper exposed nang sunset

dito na papasok ang strobist.....

ang gamit ko dito ay canon 430exII na may cooling gel or blue gel bakit? kasi naka set up ung white balance ko sa manual at siguro nasa mga 900K ang color temp ng white balance ko, so pag kinuhanan ko to ng walang blue gel mag mumukang hellboy itong model ko.magiging pula.lol.. so ayon comonsense lang .. kase pag hindi ko ginawang warm ung white balance ko or nilagay ko sa auto... ang gagawin ng auto white balance mo is ggwing cool, which is mawawala ung effect ng sunset..

para naman sa flash naka shoot thru ako kase medyo malayo yung ilaw sa model kya kailangan ko ng pakalat na bagsak nang ilaw para buong katawan nya ang mailawan....

pano naman ang settings ng flash?

nasasayo yan ibat ibang subject kanya kanyang settings ng ilaw.. so hangat maari wag mong galawin ung setting ng camera kasi ok na sya.. pag under exposed ung subject mo lakasan mo lang ung flash mo.. or pag over hinaan mo lang.. simple..

*update... at sa strobist wag kang lalagpas ng 1/250 sec. dahil masyado nang mabilis ung shutterspeed nayon para mag sync sa flash mo.. ang kakalabasan pag sobra sa 1/250 sec. either kalahati lang makukuhanan mo or full black:P