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(((Please Help))) Two umbrella lights


Todd Hopings

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Im having troble controlling my two continues shoot through umbrella lights. I want to create a dark shadow and nice highlight look but the umbrella lights fill the entire room when I turn them on. Example below I wanna do something light this. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=webhp&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=FUvuUomlK4Ss2wWq_4HoDg&q=dark+shadows+and+highlights+cinema&oq=dark+shadows+and+highlights+cinema&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3...79665.93790.0.95132.22.17.2.0.0.2.346.2916.0j6j6j2.14.0....0...1c.1.32.mobile-gws-serp..10.12.2812.GmVpNaMV_dA#biv=i%7C91%3Bd%7Ckhvy1CUMvLT4dM%3A

Edited by Todd Hopings
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Soft sources often require very large black flags to control them-- often blacking a whole side of a room to control kick-back off of walls ect. In a close up it's a bit easier since you can fly the solid in right on the edge of frame opposite the talent.

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Soft sources often require very large black flags to control them-- often blacking a whole side of a room to control kick-back off of walls ect. In a close up it's a bit easier since you can fly the solid in right on the edge of frame opposite the talent.

Thx for the reply im working with little space so light might be to strong on the subject and he has a white wall behind him while he is sitting at a table. I have one light behind him for shoulder back light and one in front as a fill light but the fill light spreads way pass the subject hitting the back wall behind him ...do u think I have to tinker with my shutter speed, iso, and appeature ?

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Try using a bounce for fill instead of another light. It'll be far easier to control where the light goes if you're not using the umbrellas. Based on the photos of Johnny Depp you linked, you might even think about just using a soft key that lights about 3/4 of the subject's face and not using fill at all, even hanging some black cloth to stop the rogue light bounce if you have to because of the white room. Try looking at Roger Deakins' booklight technique, it's a pretty cheap way to get more desirable lighting when you don't necessarily have the correct tools for the job. If you want really contrasty, you might think about lowering your ISO or stopping down your aperture so that you can light for the highlights and get a better falloff to black.

Also, consider using a different sort of diffusion. Umbrella lights really blast light everywhere because of their shape. Something like normal diffusion paper or a silk closer to your subject may give you less spill and allow you to control the light better. Umbrellas can be overkill sometimes if you're trying to light carefully.

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Try using a bounce for fill instead of another light. It'll be far easier to control where the light goes if you're not using the umbrellas. Based on the photos of Johnny Depp you linked, you might even think about just using a soft key that lights about 3/4 of the subject's face and not using fill at all, even hanging some black cloth to stop the rogue light bounce if you have to because of the white room. Try looking at Roger Deakins' booklight technique, it's a pretty cheap way to get more desirable lighting when you don't necessarily have the correct tools for the job. If you want really contrasty, you might think about lowering your ISO or stopping down your aperture so that you can light for the highlights and get a better falloff to black.

Also, consider using a different sort of diffusion. Umbrella lights really blast light everywhere because of their shape. Something like normal diffusion paper or a silk closer to your subject may give you less spill and allow you to control the light better. Umbrellas can be overkill sometimes if you're trying to light carefully.

Thanks alot man i find this very useful and bouncing the light seems to work for me !!

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