YAJHILPHOTO wrote:
Hi all,
So I am still messing around with my Godox AD400Pro and getting reacquainted with outdoor flash. Still going to the same beach since it's never crowded. Still harassing my friend into being my test subject lol. Just wondering what you all think of the lighting. To say this was tough to shoot would be an understatement. I'll talk more about that later.

Are you also using reflectors Mr. Y?  I do a lot of outdoor shooting, pretty much natural light exclusively, and sometimes (rarely) with reflectors  .  .  .  I know your main focus is fashion, and the image quality you're after is much different than the images I'm after (the look I'm after is retro 60's and 70's, so the resolution and DOF is decidedly more primitive), just seems you may need a little more light in her face and hair to pull up just a touch more detail, dark hair can be quite the challenge in direct sun, the balance between getting what you want in her face, and still grabbing detail in her hair can be daunting  .  .  .

SOS

Mark Salo wrote:
I like it.

One vote for not bright enough.
My vote for I like it.
Three votes for too bright.

So pay your money and take your choice.
Keep in mind that most don't want to judge your image on its own, they need the technical details first.

Posted all the info above :-)

YAJHILPHOTO wrote:

Posted all the info above :-)

That's exactly my point.

YAJHILPHOTO wrote:
I don't want to say too much yet because I want people to say if they like how she is lit or not. So some of you are saying she is too bright? You would have wanted her to be less lit? Would she stand out as much if she was more shaded?

BTW, just posted the unretouched version in the original post in case that helps in any way.

What were YOU trying to accomplish?   Did You succeed?

Judging by Her shadow the lighting conditions were at their worst.

The horizon is slightly off kilter and I would have killed the ambient a little more, but that's Me.

* adding to an original post is a little confusing.

FIFTYONE PHOTOGRAPHY wrote:
What were YOU trying to accomplish?   Did You succeed?

Judging by Her shadow the lighting conditions were at their worst.

The horizon is slightly off kilter and I would have killed the ambient a little more, but that's Me.

* adding to an original post is a little confusing.

Hi there! Ok so I have to disagree and say that the horizon is not off kilter. When I edited it I made sure of that.



The sun was at it's worst. I wanna say it was like 2pm (or so?). Anyway, my goal was to expose the background well and make sure she was lit enough so that she popped. That and I wanted to freeze the water lol. I guess when you put it that way I did accomplish what I wanted with what I had at the time given the obstacles.

And sorry about the updates above, I just know that if I don't make things clear in my original post some people will not read my replies and miss info. Maybe I should just give all the info upfront next time. Thanks for the input.

LnN Studio wrote:
More information would be helpful to provide effective feedback, probably the least import information is the brand and model of flash ( it does help )
ISO, Shutter speed, F stop, ambient exposure and flash strength, camera mode
Type of reflector, modifier( type and size), filters ( on camera or flash)
Location of light, distance,  height and locations z

Most important IMO is the look you are desiring.

IMO I think it is too bright and there is not much difference between the subject and the BG in terms of brightness and that I feel is one of the main reasons to use lighting on an outdoor shoot. Looks like on camera fill flash set too bright.

Thanks! So when you shoot you want the background brighter than the subject? I felt a deep need to make her as bright as the background because in my mind that would make things blend more. I'm still testing out what my style is though when it comes to outdoor flash.

pbdimages wrote:
From applying what little bit I know about decoding the lighting setup from shadows and catchlights, it looks like you have:  Harsh midday sunlight from above, and the strobe flash either straight on or slightly to right of camera.  What shutter speed did you use?  If you have HSS it would definitely help in this situation.  Also I would have used a reflector on the ground.

Updated the original post to add more info. Thanks for the feedback!

Garry k wrote:
its a tad bright for my liking

Her, the background or the entire picture? Do you prefer the unretouched version?

sospix wrote:
Are you also using reflectors Mr. Y?  I do a lot of outdoor shooting, pretty much natural light exclusively, and sometimes (rarely) with reflectors  .  .  .  I know your main focus is fashion, and the image quality you're after is much different than the images I'm after (the look I'm after is retro 60's and 70's, so the resolution and DOF is decidedly more primitive), just seems you may need a little more light in her face and hair to pull up just a touch more detail, dark hair can be quite the challenge in direct sun, the balance between getting what you want in her face, and still grabbing detail in her hair can be daunting  .  .  .

SOS

Updated the original post. Now you shall know why I didn't use one hahaha. Thank you.

YAJHILPHOTO wrote:

Thanks! So when you shoot you want the background brighter than the subject? I felt a deep need to make her as bright as the background because in my mind that would make things blend more. I'm still testing out what my style is though when it comes to outdoor flash.

NO, just the opposite. IMO the model should be around a stop brighter than the BG. Set exposure for the BG and then adjust the flash to provide about 34 to 1 1/2 stop brighter .  Manual exp IMO works best camera set for the Flash or TTL

Fist Full of Ish wrote:
I'm late.  I like it.  Brightness looks good.  Too much reflection in the eyes though, I think.  They don't look right to me.

Can you explain, if you have the time of course. I only see one light reflection in each eye and nothing else.

LnN Studio wrote:
NO, just the opposite. IMO the model should be around a stop brighter than the BG. Set exposure for the BG and then adjust the flash to provide about 34 to 1 1/2 stop brighter .  Manual exp IMO works best camera set for the Flash or TTL

Ah so a darker background. I've done that sometimes for dramatic effect or because I want to make sure something doesn't get lost. I didn't do it here because I guess I thought the background showed enough. Next time i will try a few variations so I can see what my true preference is. Thanks!

YAJHILPHOTO wrote:

Can you explain, if you have the time of course. I only see one light reflection in each eye and nothing else.

There is something about the light in the eyes that doesn't look right.  I looked at the original, and it looks better.  I think it looks OK.  Maybe you dodged the irises, but this isn't a good pic for that.

Fist Full of Ish wrote:
There is something about the light in the eyes that doesn't look right.  I looked at the original, and it looks better.  I think it looks OK.  Maybe you dodged the irises, but this isn't a good pic for that.

Thanks! Gotcha :-)

Thank you for taking the time!

YAJHILPHOTO wrote:
[snip]

I set my camera to ISO 400, F5.6, at 1/1600

Dumb question of the day but with so much available light why shoot at ISO 400? 

I don't get it.

FIFTYONE PHOTOGRAPHY wrote:
Dumb question of the day but with so much available light why shoot at ISO 400? 

I don't get it.

I wanted to freeze the water, cause I thought I might get some cool splash action or water shapes, so I wanted to be over 1/1000 just in case. It was maybe a tad overkill to be at 1/1600. Usually I don't care as long as I'm at or under ISO 400. Obviously less than 400 is ideal but for me it depends on the situation.

Camera Buff wrote:
IMHO:
I'm happy enough with your lighting setup. However, you set yourself a difficult task shooting in such strong sunlight and on a beach. I always aim to shoot portraits on the beach during the golden hours, around sun-up and sun-down. During the brighter/hotter parts of the day it usually gets too windy, hot and UV dangerous out in the open.

That said, you've made a pretty good fist of things.

Thanks! Yeah my friends and I always get to the beach after 1pm because none of them want to wake up early. And often one of them works the next day or starts getting hungry so we really don't stay past 6:30pm much. So as soon as we get to the beach I'm like let's take test pictures asap and get this over with so I can enjoy the little time we have here. It's an anxiety enducing experience lol.