People Bedroom Eyes

icywarm · 03-09-2010, 01:38 AM

I was attempting to see if it was true you could light a photo with one lamp. So in our hotel room, with one lamp at about 2 am. What will make this better?

Last edited by icywarm; 03-17-2010 at 09:47 AM.

**Ash** · 03-09-2010, 02:32 AM

Jord, there was just enough light to capture this one handheld.
But the quality of the light is quite ordinary for an indoor portrait.
There's highlight burning of the bedsheet yet not enough nice soft, directional light falling on the subject's face - hence the flat result.

There seems to also be a lack of good sharpness in the image even at this resolution, which diminishes the portrait's impact.

She is also not the best posed - the forehead wrinkles could have been avoided with a different expression. It's definitely worth pursuing again, trying the lamp off to one side and a more flattering pose.

icywarm · 03-09-2010, 02:49 AM

Does it work better with her hair off her face, more light? But in this case I really blew the highlight details.

**Ash** · 03-09-2010, 03:39 AM

You see here again, whilst there are a lot of blown highlights, the subject herself is exposed just about right, meaning the lighting of the scene is too unbalanced for the portrait. The pose is much more appealing though.

Generally, light coming from one direction should fall onto the model's face rather than the side or top of her head, or any other way that would blunt textures and contrast on the important parts of the portrait - the face and upper torso.

Taking yourself through a strobist tutorial like lighting 101 and 102 would give you an idea of what works in these types of portraits. You certainly have a photogenic subject to shoot, so keep working on it and enjoy the process!

rustynail925 · 03-09-2010, 04:17 AM

Maybe some flashes will help

icywarm · 03-09-2010, 06:00 AM

thanks for the feedback, flash comes next...

03-09-2010, 01:38 AM	#1
icywarm Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Saskatchewan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,278	Bedroom Eyes Lens: 50mm Camera: KX Photo Location: Bed ISO: 3200 Shutter Speed: 1/60s Aperture: F1.8 I was attempting to see if it was true you could light a photo with one lamp. So in our hotel room, with one lamp at about 2 am. What will make this better? Last edited by icywarm; 03-17-2010 at 09:47 AM.

03-09-2010, 02:49 AM	#3
icywarm Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Saskatchewan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,278 Original Poster	Does it work better with her hair off her face, more light? But in this case I really blew the highlight details. Last edited by icywarm; 03-09-2010 at 06:06 AM.

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03-09-2010, 02:32 AM	#2
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Jord, there was just enough light to capture this one handheld. But the quality of the light is quite ordinary for an indoor portrait. There's highlight burning of the bedsheet yet not enough nice soft, directional light falling on the subject's face - hence the flat result. There seems to also be a lack of good sharpness in the image even at this resolution, which diminishes the portrait's impact. She is also not the best posed - the forehead wrinkles could have been avoided with a different expression. It's definitely worth pursuing again, trying the lamp off to one side and a more flattering pose.

03-09-2010, 03:39 AM	#4
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	You see here again, whilst there are a lot of blown highlights, the subject herself is exposed just about right, meaning the lighting of the scene is too unbalanced for the portrait. The pose is much more appealing though. Generally, light coming from one direction should fall onto the model's face rather than the side or top of her head, or any other way that would blunt textures and contrast on the important parts of the portrait - the face and upper torso. Taking yourself through a strobist tutorial like lighting 101 and 102 would give you an idea of what works in these types of portraits. You certainly have a photogenic subject to shoot, so keep working on it and enjoy the process!

03-09-2010, 04:17 AM	#5
rustynail925 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Philippines Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,551	Maybe some flashes will help

03-09-2010, 06:00 AM	#6
icywarm Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Saskatchewan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,278 Original Poster	thanks for the feedback, flash comes next...