Hi
Let me begin by saying i am very discouraged and encouraged at the same time >_<
Discouraged that I am having problems. Encouraged because it is a challenge, and if its easy anyone could be doing it, and if i get over the problem, i will be one of you few who actually can do it
I am right now playing around with my lights, trying to emulate studio works. I am getting pretttttty crappy results here. To start, I have available to me :
- Umbrella (can act as diffuser)
- Reflector (can act as diffuser)
- 2 strobes 250watt guide number 48
My problems are typically very dark shadows with overexposed highlights.
To begin with, I need help with my shooting conditions....is my makeshift room/living room/pretend studio too dark?
I have a pretty dark room, and shooting with natural light, i need to be at maximum aperture (1.7) , 1/15 or less shutter speed, and more than ISO 400 to have any hopes of seeing a
shadow of the subject.
Is this too dark? What are the general lighting condition of your studio? With natural light, whats your camera setting?
I also am not sure about shutter speed. I am using a couple wireless triggers to work the strobes, but sometimes i get pitch black pictures.
Am i shooting faster, or slower than the strobes? I am shooting at 1/30 or 1/45. How do i know how fast i should be shooting? Anyone have any experience with Cactus wireless triggers? Sometimes they dont trigger the strobes. Any ideas?
With inconsistent works, i can not seem to see the difference in result between :
- Shooting through the umbrella
- Shooting at the umbrella facing away from the subject
- Shooting at the subject directly.
Any suggestion on setups that i should employ so that i can see the real result of doing any of these?
I always thought that ISO dictates noise in result.
As in, i always thought : darkness --> Higher ISO --> noise
But i was shooting at ISO 200, and areas that are in shadows have noise. Which seems to say : darkness --> noise.
Is this true? Can anyone explain this to me, and maybe what to do about it?
Thanks...I know its long, but take heart, its going to be longer, if my current lack of skill is any indication >_<