Hi all~
This is my first posting to the list, although I have been reading it for quite some time. I tried to search for relevant posts, but couldn't find any... maybe I wasn't searching with the right key words.
I am shooting against a white cyc for the first time next week with a Panasonic SDX-900 and I was wondering if you had any tips or suggestions for 1) getting an even exposure on the wall without any hotspots, and setting the wall exposure so it reads white but doesn't halo onto my talent 2) separating my talent from the background (better with light or shadow?), and 3) achieving a beautiful, soft key all the time while keeping it simple?
Here's the scenario:
One locked-off medium shot of a single bartender (dressed in long sleeved white) standing in front of a white bar mixing drinks. There will be minimal props, but they will be reflective (bar glasses, shakers, etc.) I believe the bar is a shiny laminate white. It is not huge budget. The end product is for the Web. There are 8 bartenders, but the shot is always the same... we will rotate them through one at a time. For skin tone, 6 are white, 2 are black.
The shoot is for an alcohol company, so obviously the product needs to look great. I have not shot a lot of product shots, although I know with glass it is all about reflection. Again, any sage advise is appreciated.
Specifically, I'm looking for tips on which lights to use on both my background and my talent (ie, vertical kinos to cross light the cyc vs. 2k zips vs. scoops, and 1k or 2k through a chimera vs. bounced on beadboard vs. through double diffusion). It's just me setting it all up... so I'm wondering what will be the easiest... I won't have hours and hours to tweak around, although I recognize there is a cost difference between using kinos vs. fresnels, and a home made soft box vs. a chimera.
Thanks in advance for the input...
-Beth
