Ckulakov Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Dear Filmmakers, Here is something I did trying to capture steam using a digital camera. Since the rule for a good appearance of steam is backlighting I used a 500w photoflood 3,200 with black reflector to take the light off from where the steam would be seen. I also set WB at 5,200 to make the image look warm like a early morning cup of coffee. CHECK IT OUT: http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Ckulakov/IMG_0836.jpg PLEASE COMMENT. THANK YOU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Metzger Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 looks good. A little hot on the right side of the cup, but still looks like what you wanted/planned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted February 7, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 7, 2006 I like the hot edge, although I'm not sure about the little shadow in the middle of it. The steam is great, so is the warmth. The arrangement of objects and the background isn't so great. The bookshelf is a little too close, and I don't get why the plant is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Bekas Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I don't have much experience lighting steam and smoke, but I was under the impression that, like rain and snow, it was best lit from the side, and not from in front or behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaan Shenberger Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 I don't have much experience lighting steam and smoke, but I was under the impression that, like rain and snow, it was best lit from the side, and not from in front or behind. generally, if you want it to show up as clearly as possible, you backlight and shoot against a dark background. this is the general rule of thumb for popping out any transluscent materials. hope this helps, jaan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 How does the angle from which the light hits the steam/snow/etc. affect how it looks? I mean, if you light it from below, does it look different than from above (obviously, can't be at "eye level", 'cause then it would show up in your shot) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaan Shenberger Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Dear Filmmakers, Here is something I did trying to capture steam using a digital camera. Since the rule for a good appearance of steam is backlighting I used a 500w photoflood 3,200 with black reflector to take the light off from where the steam would be seen. I also set WB at 5,200 to make the image look warm like a early morning cup of coffee. CHECK IT OUT: http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Ckulakov/IMG_0836.jpg PLEASE COMMENT. THANK YOU. looks nice. but the kicker feels a little too hard and consistent, especially on the chair. maybe if it was selectively flagged with practical shadows or a scrim to soften it up in some areas where it falls (but not the typical corporate video "cookie wall shadpw"). the key/fill/frontal light also feels like it could be a little more organic and less artificial. a quick technique i use sometimes is to grab a practical element and set it at the edge of frame or right off camera and let the kicker bounce some color & light back into the shot. this tends to look a lot more natrualistic than setting up a bounce card off camera. also, though i understand this is somewhat out of your control if it's digital, i feel the shot could have benefitted from a shollower depth of field. the geometric pattern of the books in combination with the vertical bands of the chair are successfully battling with the coffee cup for visual dominance. i like the specular highlight on the cup. hope this helps, jaan How does the angle from which the light hits the steam/snow/etc. affect how it looks? I mean, if you light it from below, does it look different than from above (obviously, can't be at "eye level", 'cause then it would show up in your shot) it's because of the angle of the lens relative to the particles in the air. having the light positioned as a kicker or backlight maximizes the intensity of light reflecting off the particles and into the lens. you can really see this concept by looking at black asphalt. at midday, asphalt looks relatively matte. but in the late afternoon or morning, when the sun is acting as a kicker/backlight, you will see a lot of specular highlights in the asphalt. i guess that's the long answer. the short answer is to just try it out, with various light positions. i didn't make this "rule" up, i read when i was starting out, and it has only proven itself true numerous times. hope this helps, jaan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vialet Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 nice shot! I like it...but i agree with david mullen. it would improve the frame if you lost the plant...it crowds the image just a tad and is placed awkwardly...the person sitting in that chair for a nice cup of morning coffee seems like he wouldn't have a very good time with the plant all up on him like that...but other than that i like it :)...nice warmth and i also love the hot rim! Did you diffuse on camera in any way...if so what'd you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaan Shenberger Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 whoa, that's weird. it just combined my last two posts. i didn't know it did that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Tyler Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 The bookshelf is a little too close How close was the book shelf to the table? Those books look huge. If I didn't see shelf reflections in the table top I'd think they were keyed in. Nice shot though. Warmness looks good. I don't mind the plant as the picture would be very brown without it. What stop did you shoot at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Spear Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 Nice one, Chulakov! The steam looks awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted February 7, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 7, 2006 Hi, Like the plant, needs the colour. As with other people, less sure about the books. I'd rather see a much deeper shot with the rest of the kitchen - I suppose on a normal shoot you'd have an actor back there frying eggs or something. That hot highlight is nice, but it's the sort of thing that video people get yelled at about... Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Patrick Casey Posted February 7, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 7, 2006 I'm not sure if it counts as hi-jacking the thread, but is this how you would light smoke and mist as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ckulakov Posted February 7, 2006 Author Share Posted February 7, 2006 SO SOME OF YOU SAY THE PLANT IS GOOD BUT SOME SAY ITS BAD... HM..... I DO THINK I CAN POSITION BETTER AMONG THE FRAME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David S. Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 A lot of good advice here. If I may add my own comment, I try and make my shots have contrasting color. Your shot is a little "monochromatic" orange or warm. It's a nice warm feeling but not the whole frame. Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted February 7, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 7, 2006 SO SOME OF YOU SAY THE PLANT IS GOOD BUT SOME SAY ITS BAD... HM.....I DO THINK I CAN POSITION BETTER AMONG THE FRAME. It just looks weird pushed to the edge of the table right in front of a chair, which is then also pushed in front of the bookshelf. Who puts a plant in front of a seat? Either move the plant or the chair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mario C. Jackson Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I think the picture is pretty good. I would just have pushed the book shelf back, the picture has to much depth of field. I don't see anything wrong with the chair. Perhaps you could move the plant, but I don't think that the plants position is that bad. Thanks Mario Concepcion Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Dan Goulder Posted February 8, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 8, 2006 For superior results, you might want to try switching to decaf. That way, you won't lose sleep over the quality of the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Greg Gross Posted February 9, 2006 Premium Member Share Posted February 9, 2006 I'm not just going to hand it to you,but have you thought about shutter speed? Have you thought about creative use of your white balance? Then again if you are using Photoshop you have quite a few options. Can you explain more about the look,effect you want. I mean do you want it overpowering or just slightly,mildly noticeable? Greg Gross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest david west Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Constantine, nice shot.... i would have liked to have seen what was in the cup... part of the magic of steam is how it is forming right above the surface... as far as the plant goes, i would try a bowling bag with numchucks hanging off of the handles instead,,,, or an open briefcase to explain the legal pad and pencils,,, either one... 2 cents worth, but free, so not even worth 2 cents..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now