Portrait lighting without strobes

[dikaiosune01]

After reading 9 pages on the other portrait thread, here is my quandary.

Choosing a location for portraits with my 4x5 setup. 180mm, head and shoulder setups.

Please add to my knowledge. I havent done too many portraits.
I wont be using flash or strobes. i will be using reflectors.

Sun as the main light. Positioned 45 degrees from the sublect/camera. Reflector - fill light
find a position where trees or scrims or clouds that will difuse the light.

Alternatively.
Sun as hair light, positioned behind the subject. Reflector as the main light. (will there be some problems projecting the fill light from below the subject? I.e. Vampire lighting? Can i direct the light downward or eyelevel to produce a more traditional result?

thanks

[Ari]

This is where a digital camera comes in handy; use it for lighting preview.
If you have time, use daylight only first, add the reflectors if needed. Choose a spot in subdued light, in the shade, or shoot with the sun behind your subject.

[lenser]

I would try to avoid the sun directly into the face as this would surely cause so much squinting as to be very bad for expressions. Sun to the the side with a reflector on the other works well (especially when the sun is near the horizon) and posing with the sun from behind can be quite beautiful, but full on bright sun at any time of day will also produce very harsh deliniation of facial lines and skin pores, less so with a reflector, but still quite bad.

Yes, if you use back lighting, the reflector should be fairly high (at least eye level and preferably a foot or so higher) and bounce the sunlight downward toward the subject. Placing the reflector slightly to the side (45 degrees or better) would help to avoid heavy squinting as bright sunlight off a reflector is still quite harsh.

A more diffused lighting such as a slightly overcast day, or with the subject under some sort of overhang such as the trees you mention allows for a much softer and more flattering light to enter the face from high to the side and usually gives a lovely transition of highlight to shadow across the face. If you wish, you can still bounce light into the subject by placing the reflector out from under the trees and directing the reflected light toward the subject, but usually, you will have ample brightness even for slower large format lenses without resorting to the reflector.

If you can access teaching materials on outdoor portraiture from Dean Collins or from (much harder to find) Lean Kennemer, you will be learning from two of the finest users and teachers ever of controls in outdoor lighting for portraits that you can find.

For the master of "found" outdoor lighting, see what you kind find on Linda Lapp. ''Found'' lighting simply means using what nature provides and finding the best placement for the subject(s) for the direction of the lighting in the scene as opposed to fiddling with scrims, flags and reflectors.

Good luck.

Tim

[cosmicexplosion]

HEY Tim

Lean Kennemer and linda lapp are very hard to find, any pointers?

i found dean collins instantly. looks good. thanks for tip!

[Ash]

You want to make sure the sun isn't really high in the sky. It makes directing the shadows difficult.

Shoot in the morning or afternoon where it's a bit more directional.


I prefer overcast days because you won't need to worry about squinting or harsh shadows. It's more flattering that bright light and reflector.


When you shoot with reflectors be aware that if the light is too bright then you will be reflecting bright light as well, so you may cause more of an issue. I second using a digicam to test.

Generally shooting with the sun behind and to the side, then reflecting back to the model will keep some contrast, but avoid squinting and harsh shadows.

[Frank Petronio]

Most large format photographers simply find "open shade" and choose backgrounds to provide separation of tones so the hair and parts do not blend into the background (if that is desired).

That is very simple and effective....

Silvered cards are inexpensive and more useful outdoors than white cards I think.

If you must shoot outdoors in harsh overhead light, backlight - sun behind the subject - and a card over the subject's head to block the sun (using stands or an assistant) will work and is a classic technique used in fashion. But most of the time I would avoid it for film.

The DSLR is very useful for determining exposure in these cases.

[Jim Michael]

You can treat the Sun like a fresnel and look at the Arri lighting guide for ideas. Create your own open shade with a silk between the Sun and subject, with contrast controlled by the density of the silk.

[lenser]

Kennemer did a lot of developmental work for Larson using their reflectasols and especially the black ones for outdoor subtractive lighting. They used to have some small pamphlets that showed diagrams of his suggested set ups.

If you can't find those, contact me directly and I may be able to help with some rough sketches of one or two of his suggested set ups.

Linda Lapp was active in the northwest up in either Oregon or Washington and may still be having workshops. I suggest a Google search for her and just follow the trail.

I attended classes (at conventions) from both of these folks back in the late 70's or early 80's so any materials will date from quite a while back. Both were illustrated in several books and publications over the years.

[jp]

Reflectors are indeed handy outdoors, but aren't a magic bullet. I use them to reduce the harshness of face shadows, or to beam in light into a shaded area.

If you use foil-like reflectors simply instead of a strobe umbrella or as a second source of sunlight, it can be quite blinding and will cause squinting to all but the most dedicated of subjects. Some hands-on practice with reflectors and an assistant and model would be advised before you depend on them for an important shot.

Subtractive lighting is great for product shots outdoors. I have a 5-in-1 wescott photo basics reflector kit that includes a silky layer for subtractive lighting. I haven't used that layer for outdoor portraits yet.

[Brian C. Miller]

Lean Kennemer and linda lapp are very hard to find, any pointers?

From a Google search, Linda Lapp Murray, environmental portraiture classes.

Students will learn how to:

1. work on location with very little equipment
2. find and use natural light
3. use basic art rules for composition and content
4. understand psychology in getting response from your subject
5. take charge of what you see and gain cooperation
6. walk in to an assignment and think on your feet; to be spontaneous.
7. be a director; when posing and staging your photograph
8. have fun with your photography
9. stretch your eye and stretch your brain
10. feel what your subject feels in front of the camera
11. last, but not least, make photography a passion, not just a job