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how to meter for action shots hi-- i've been trying my hand at doing shots of bellydancers swirling w/veils, but my lighting seems really off! i'm shooting in a studio w/rental lights (don't have my own yet), and i'm not even sure what I should meter off from - i've tried both incident and in-camera (reflective) readings, but i'm still not able to capture the right light : (
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Bob Cammarata |
...Hope this doesn't sound too wierd, but for belly dancers,...try metering off their bellies. Many skin tones are close to neutral gray and your in-camera meter will select a good exposure setting most of the time. Bright colors are good too. (reds, greens, blues) Don't meter off white or bright yellow,...they're too reflective and your photos will be too dark.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Bob is right on the money. Do what he suggests and I believe you will be pleased.
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member |
hey- thanks Bob, i'll definitely try that and let you know it goes : )
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Maynard McKillen |
Dear Carrie: Are you using studio strobes with modeling lights, or continuous lights i.e., "hotlights."
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member |
hi maynard- i'm using strobes w/modeling lights (the Photogenic PowerLight PL2 1250DR). They're rentals so I get to try different types and such. for buying tho, I was kinda looking into either the Elinchrom 600S Monolights or the Alienbees.......have any opinions or reviews on either? (i want to start my own studio doing glam and portrait work, so.....)
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Maynard McKillen |
Dear Carrie: Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say "...I'm still not able to capture the right light.", and "...my lighting seems really off." Can you also describe your lighting setup, i.e., how many lights, where are they aimed, are you using umbrellas, softboxes, some combination, etc. If you're merely having an exposure problem (Er, I don't mean too much skin.) you could make a mark on the floor for the performers to dance on, so that they maintain a constant distance to the light sources. Then, an incident reading should provide consistent results. Or is the problem more one of balancing the lighting, i.e., are there harsh shadows or lighting "hotspots"? Perhaps you can post a sample image. By the way, I use Alienbees in my work, and they are great. The units are very small, lightweight, portable and powerful.
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member |
hi- i'm taking shots aiming down (full length), so doing any markings on the floor is not an option for this shoot. for the wide shots, my lighting was underexposed or the skintone wasn't accurate (despite the WB'ing). for the 3/4 shots I was getting either hotspots, or gen'l over/under exposures. ugh--so much to learn!! (btw, I use umbrellas and shoot-thru's for the bellydancer, and broadlights for the background. for the headshots/closeups I add hairlight and darken the background w/color gels).
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Maynard McKillen |
Dear Carrie: When you mentioned "WB'ing" I asked myself, "Is she shooting digital?" Are you? And whether you are shooting in digital format or on film, which camera are you using, and which exposure mode?
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