At home I have two big lights that I'd like to use for those situations where available light is not enough. These lights are actually for use in filmmaking, but I should think I'd be able to get repeatable results from them.

Anyway, I recently just experimented using these lights with a roll of B&W film -- just setting up the lights so the subject-boy looked nice: even lighting (I pointed the lights into white umbrellas to get some diffusion going on) and metering in the camera. Here's the problem, though: the resulting images are much more contrasty than they looked to me in the actual shoot situation -- lots of deep shadows that really were not there at the shoot! What I really want is to be able to use these lights and to know what I'm going to get based on what I see! (Or based on deduction, at least.) Any tips?

-- Regan (avery22@aol.com), September 27, 1997

Answers

If the shadows are on film, they were there at the shoot. You just didn't pay attention, didn't see it or didn't meter it & check. Try a bit more diffusion, meter & adjust, or use reflectors to fill in the shadows. Hot lights are good because you can see what is there, unless you can't get used to working with them. Then, try using polaroids to check the lights.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), September 28, 1997.

I have friend who use 2 spots for lighting, and he is often unsatisfied afterwards, course the pictures are contrasty, and shadows appear, very much like what you described, one thing he learned to do was to place the ligth much farther away than he thougt was necessary, another was to almost close hes eyes, to se how the result would be on the film, human eyes are very much better than film and camera to compensate for highligt and deep shadows. I hope theese 2 advises can help you.

-- Steen Djervad (sd@np3.dk), October 03, 1997.

Until you've got experience at this kind of shot, you should use a meter to measure highlights and shadows. More than about 5 stops difference with "ordinary" processing will lose detail somewhere.

With B&W film, you can adjust contrast by giving more exposure and less development.

You can "fill in the shadows" by using reflectors, such as white card, possibly covered in foil.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), October 08, 1997.

Perhaps you need to adjust your EI and developing times as B&W film usually has a lower EI for tungsten vs. daylight color temp. I suggests film speed and development time tests. Also you should try to use some method to fill in the shadows if they are not desireable for the shot, eg. white cards or reflectors or add'l light.

-- Spero A. Leon (speroleon@aol.com), November 18, 1997.

Reply to using lights

I suggest you get a third big light and aim it into a five foot umbrella and position it near the camera. Adjust the intensity so that the overall ratio is appropiate for the film.

-- John Schulz (johnschulz@mindspring.com), December 28, 1997.

Measure each light and control the difference between 'em

If you had deep and objectionable shadows in the portrait, and if you were using one of your lights as a main light and the other as a fill (i.e. one on each side of the subject) then it was because the key light was way too bright compared to the fill light. You should aim for a stop or two of difference. Measure the two light sources separately with a light meter and move or adjust the intensity of the lights until there is only one or two stops between them. You should then turn on both lights and measure again, taking care to shield the meter's photocell with you hand so that only read one of the sources at a time (i.e. if measuring the key light aim the meter at the subject and place your hand between the meter and the fill light so that the fill does not strike the photocell and vice versa when reading the fill light). This second reading should show the same difference between the two lights, but if there is any bounce effect from walls or ceilings then the difference between the two lights will be different in this reading.

-- Tony Doucet (tdoucet@hydro.mb.ca), January 08, 1998.

You were on the right track when you aimed the lights into umbrellas. What that did was make the surface of the light source larger, and therefore more diffuse and softer. Now you need to work on lighting ratios. The light that will set the overall predominant direction of light will be your main light. To open up those dark shadows you need to add light from a second source at anywhere from 90 degrees to opposite the main light. Generally, base your exposure on the main light and add fill till the shadows are between 2 stops and 1 stop darker than the main lighted portion of the face.

Small lights give hard edged shadows and accentuate texture (wrinkles, dimples, etc.) Large light sources like umbrellas give softer edges to the shadows and reduce harsh textures.

The direction of the mainlight sets the overall feeling of the portrait, and can be varied to produce different classic effects.

Lots of reading you can do in this area. A class at a community college might not be a bad idea either.

Keep working and experimenting.

-- Tony Brent (ajbrent@mich.com), September 12, 1998.