Portrait Softbox Lighting
Posted on Friday, March 11, 2011 in Photography
How can I mimic this photograph (with lighting)?
I really want to learn how to do interior portraits of people in their homes. I really like the low light situations, where all that is lighting the area is house lights and lamps (no natural light from windows). I want everything to look relatively natural (and not like I have a huge softbox in the room). Of course I can't take the picture as is, because there isn't enough light (I'm shooting with a Canon 5D). And whenever I do use a softbox (even if it is really far away) the person gets really illuminated and harsh and everything in the background is dark. I don't want to loose the background. I have a link to a sample of what I am talking about:
http://z.about.com/d/arthistory/1/0/X/F/leibovitz_dia06_03.jpg
How should I light this to make sure I don't loose the background, and also so that it doesn't look too obvious that I'm using lights?
Any answers are appreciated. Thank you!!!
That image is a pretty good imitation of window light. If it isn't a window, it's a softbox or some other diffused light source that has been directed where it's wanted.
If you like shooting in low light, look into investing in a good, fast lens, like the 50mm 1.2. I have the 85mm 1.2, and I LOVE it. If you shoot with that wide an aperture, though, you're going to have a blurred background. The shot you showed has a sharp background, which means they would have had to use a higher number aperture, and more light. The subject is crisp, so you're probably talking a flash to freeze the subject. The fill light probably took care of lighting the back wall.
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Single Light Studio Portrait Photography : Soft Box Sizes in Single Light Studio Photography
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Tags: howto, diy, photography, flash, lighting, portrait softbox lighting
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