After wrapping up shooting with Jordan, I realized this would be a good time to do a quick lighting diagram for you guys, and show you all how I set up some of my shots from that afternoon/evening.  Unlike my first diagram post, this one will cover a few shots with a few more setup/before-after photos to better clarify what I’m working with.  Click through to see all the juicy details.

The first setup I’m going to explain involves the photo above.  If you look closely, there’s 4 light sources in the image.  The obvious one is the light coming from the right, which is a bare strobe set to about 1/4 power.  This is just to add some dynamic, give her a little hair light, and give the barn wood some good texture.  The second main light is coming from camera left.  It’s a strobe with a large, gridded octabox (my weapon of choice!) set about 7.5-8 ft high.  This is Jordan’s main light, and the octabox gives very soft, directional light.  Notice the light falloff down by her hands and legs.  The last light is a bare strobe set behind the wall.  You can see the light from it peeping through the cracks in the image below.  It’s literally just there for that light and to boost the effect of the fourth light, aka the sun.

The crude diagram below explains a little better how the lights were set up.  The main light, like I mentioned is posted up high, while the two fill lights were about eye-level with me and the model.

Moving on to the second diagram from Wednesday’s shoot, we have the wonderful Jordan in a swimming pool (much jealousy ensued on such a hot day).

Looking at the photo, there’s again 3 strobes involved, although this is a bit more subtle.  The setting sun was also out, but the I set the power of the strobes high enough to offset the sunlight and give a feeling of near-darkness.  On the opposite end of the pool, two bare strobes are set 45 degrees to the left and right of Jordan…this is what gives that bright highlight that’s kissing the edges of her arms and hips.  The main reason for these lights is to create separation from her and the dark background.  It makes the image feel more three-dimensional.  The main light is once again the gridded octa, except this time sitting on camera-right.  Check out the three images and diagram below for a better illustration.

Finally, for this last shot below, we removed the octabox from the last shoot, and repositioned one light right behind Jordan, and the other two directly at camera left and right.  If you think that’s the sun in the background, you’re sadly mistaken…although it also means I accomplished what I set out to do with that light.

Not too much explanation here, but here’s the diagram.

Well, that’s about it for today’s lesson.  If you guys have any questions about any other photos of mine, or have something you want me to photograph and diagram for you, please let me know!

Yesterday, I tried my hand at hosting a photography workshop for anyone who was willing to drop in and make a small donation to the Boys & Girls Club.  I didn’t really get the turnout I was expecting (4 total, but then again, I should probably try to give at least a week’s notice….oops), but for those that did show up, I really feel like we got through a lot of down and dirty on photography, and I really feel like they were able to take a good amount of information home with them.  Anyways, I have a couple photos after the break (I was too busy teaching to shoot much), and also a few extra fun ones taken from after the workshop!

Much thanks to the participants:
Courtney
Jason
James
Greg (who was as much a helper as a student haha)

And much much thanks to Caity Sams for putting up with our obnoxiousness.

And after everyone left, we had some of our own nerdy fun.

The Saturday afternoon program will consist of two sessions.  The first session will be geared toward beginners (those of you who have never taken your camera off of “P” or “AUTO” should come for this one) and begin at 2:00 P.M.  It will address some of the basic settings on your camera, and the class will also teach you how to compose, frame, and light your subjects to create the most flattering photo possible.  We will discuss things such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, and explain how to use them to your advantage.  You will be surprised at the great photos that you can create with a simple point & shoot camera!

The second session, which starts at 4:00 P.M. will be geared toward those who already understand the basics of photography, and want to work on the nitty gritty that will help set you apart from the crowd.  This class will focus on topics such as posing, advanced shutter/aperture techniques, shooting in various lighting situations, and properly using a flash or studio strobe.  For this class, I hope to have a model available for us to have a subject to photograph.

Please RSVP via Facebook (seems like the easy way to do things) through the link below.  I just want to gauge how many people I should expect.

FACEBOOK LINK

Each session is only $10, and I guarantee you will have a long-lasting improvement in your photography skills after this weekend.  Please contact me if you have any questions.  I hope to see you all this Saturday!

-Jon Brewer

Late on Sunday nights, when I should really be focusing on important things like getting ready for all the things in the week ahead, I usually come up with my silly ideas for this blog.  Tonight is no different.  For all of you budding photogs out there, this is my dedication to you.  I’m going to start providing images posted up next to a diagram of the lighting setup used for said image.  This should help you understand how the lights work and how you can achieve similar results.  If you want to know any more details about the diagrams, please leave your question in the comments section, and I’ll make sure to get an answer to you ASAP.

As for tonight, I needed a new self-portrait to use for the blog I’ll have for IUPUI’s website, as well as for Twitter and Facebook.  I wanted something uncluttered, professional, and very business-like.

Self Portrait Lighting Diagram

I tried a couple different approaches, but this is what I ended up with.  I used a large octabox (diffused and gridded, even though it doesn’t show that) as my main light, about 7-8 feet up and to camera right.  Directly to my right (camera left) was a strobe set at low power and low to the ground pointing up for some hightlight work.  Finally, I hand held a large white reflector at chest level to bring to catch light into the scene and highlight my boring, dull, brown eyes.  And believe it or not, the background is actually white.  I still wonder why people use white, gray, and black backdrops when you can get all three with just creative lighting.  Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy these tutorials.  I’ll definitely bring some more if I get a warm response.

Jon