Natural light or just a load of soft boxes!!

[ClassyRebeka]

I have been asked to take some more family portraits, and I often make the mistake of under exposing my pictures (very basic and silly mistake considering...)

I particularly like the style of this picture of this photographer: flicker link below

Now I understand that this was taken in Santa Barbara where it is probably beautifully sunny and light all day long... as opposed to the rather grey Manchester, but I was looking at this picture and thinking... is this just to huge soft boxes either side filling the room with light?? Or is it natural light? Or is it something else?

I would love to be able to take pictures on F8 instead of trying to get moving children in focus on F3.5 or lower...

Could you have a look at the picture and give me some advice, considering the above?

I would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance!

[image]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebekafiona/?saved=1
[/image]

[Malcolm_Stewart]

Been there, got frustrated etc.!

But that was years ago when we were limited to slide films of around an ISO of 100 if you didn't want noticeable grain. You don't say what type of camera you're using, but you should be able to use an ISO of 400 or 800 on modern DSLRs and this would help get you closer to F8.

A lot depends on where you want to go in your photography. If "mother and baby" on a commercial basis then a brolly, soft-box or two etc. would be one route. OTOH I bought Canon 550EX guns and placed them around the room, two pointing at the ceiling, and one towards the subjects. They were controlled by an ST-E2 on my Eos 5D, and this allowed me freedom to move around getting a semi-natural look, or so I hoped! (Perhaps too natural, having checked out some old results!)

I'd be inclined to raise the ISO to 1600 and check whether you're happy with the noise; if not, drop to 800 and do another check.

If you're using a compact, forget all the above.

(Don't like the knobbly knee on your sample photo. Suggests use of too short a focal length.)

HTH

[PhilW]

I'm not sure that picture is at f8 (unless you know from the exif) I think it is either:

a) A large softbox to camera right - basically where the woman's nose is pointing. At a very low power. With all the background and fill coming from the ambient. Maybe around f4ish

Look at the wall by the lamp - the tungsten bulb is contributing to the light there. At f8 at say 1/200 i don't think you'd get much more than a very dull under exposed image

b) the other option is that there is another window in line with her nose. Again if it's all ambient them we are talking a pretty wide apeture

[ClassyRebeka]

Good morning Phil!

And thank you very much for your comments... apologies for not replying sooner.

Yes, that's definitely the thing... you can see that the lamp is giving some kind of orange light... so there must be quite a large degree of ambient light in there .

[ClassyRebeka]

Good morning Malcolm!

Yes, definitely won't be using a compact... can you imagine the clients face if you turned up to a photo shoot with a compact camera ha ha!

I do hire out a canon5D when I'm feeling flush, as the body. And always use a lens which I hire out, so I'm using pro equipment.

I prefer not to raise the ISO too high... as if you want to enlarge the photograph for a large picture for the clients wall, it doesn't look so good.

I agree with you, brolly and soft boxes, probably two, are the way to go! Then I can get my ISO right down, as phil said, bring in some ambient light as well...

Good to see the sun is shining... maybe we could get some light like they have in Santa Barbara!!! Sheeesh