How to lower contrast of my fake north-lit lighting? Please help improve my setup!

moodlover

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I am trying to recreate the light of a north-facing window (I know itll never be exact but trying my best) by bouncing a strobe off a v-flat and passing that light through a bedsheet. I like the slow falloff but I'm finding that the overall contrast is just too high for me (highlights too hot, shadows too dark). What are some things I can do to lower the contrast in-camera? I have some guesses before my next shoot so if anyone wants to confirm or suggest new ideas that would be great:

1. Put a white v-flat on the shadow side just out-of-frame to kick some light back into the shadow side. My issue with this is that I don't want it to look flat, but at the same time I think I need more light bouncing around. Would that lower the overall contrast, since using bounce fill doesn't affect highlights? I need the highlights to be less hot as well.
2. Push the background/model away from the bedsheet (like you would when feathering a softbox, or pulling a softbox back) to create less harsh of a falloff.
3. Add frontal fill flash, though I can't afford a secondary light right now!

 

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Luis-F-S

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moodlover

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Hi Luis thank you for the suggestion I'll look into that book since I keep hearing about it! Until then, perhaps you can offer some of your knowledge for the rest of us please?
 

frank

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A big reflector on the side she is facing away from will bring up those dark shadows.
Then you can reduce exposure so the highlights aren't that hot.
 

removed account4

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softbox /chimera / soffbox
you are using your light bare-bulb
does it have a reflector and honeycomb scrims ?
 
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moodlover

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AgX said:
What is a "V-flat" ?
Click to expand...
Sorry I assumed people here knew what a v-flat is, but some of you may call it foamcore or a bounce card, something like this: https://robertharringtonstudios.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/rvh3544.jpg

jnanian said:
softbox /chimera / soffbox
you are using your light bare-bulb
does it have a reflector and honeycomb scrims ?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by "softbox /chimera / soffbox"? Yes my light is barebulb so it bounces inside my "giant homemade softbox" well. I have the basic reflector for it but didn't put it on since I figured it would be better bare? I thought the light would spread to the sides as well this way, do you suggest otherwise?
 

Chris Lange

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alternatively, simply lower the power on your main light by 1/3 or whatever and open your aperture a bit to compensate in some ambient light (if there is indeed enough of it)
 

Sirius Glass

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frank said:
A big reflector on the side she is facing away from will bring up those dark shadows.
Then you can reduce exposure so the highlights aren't that hot.
Click to expand...

That is what I would do or fill in flash from the left.
 

Chris G

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Chris Lange said:
alternatively, simply lower the power on your main light by 1/3 or whatever and open your aperture a bit to compensate in some ambient light (if there is indeed enough of it)
Click to expand...

Depending on what color the ambient light is.

What about just using some fill cards on the camera left side to fill in those shadow areas? What film are you using? It looks very contrasty.
 

gone

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Sadly, judging by the photos (absolutely no shadow detail), it is surely digital.
 

removed account4

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hi

what i mean is get a large soft box ( also called a chimera or soff box if made by larsen enterprises )
they sometimes have a "filter" inside to cut and soften the light even more, so the it won't be so harsh ..
 

frank

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There's nothing wrong with the OP's main light source. I'll restate that all that is required is giving her shadow side more illumination with a very large reflector, perhaps another sheet of white foamcore or polystyrene.
 

ic-racer

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What film? Your lighting setup needs to be adjusted to the tonal range of the film and printing process you are using. For example you picture indicates the highlights are 'too hot.' But, if that is just a 'machine print' the negative may have detail and you are going to chase yourself in circles due to poor printing technique.

If you are using slide film, then, of course, your metering technique needs to revolve around the highlights.
 
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moodlover

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The film(s) I'm intending to use are 120 rolls of: Portra 160, Portra 400, Tri-X 400, T-MAX 100 - I'm super new to film so I don't really know much about how film stock and contrast work together, and how I control that? Generally I want very low contrast, I hate having to decrease contrast to get the look I want. The original photo is digital yes, but just to test how my general lighting looks. I wish I could make my digital work lower in contrast as well before the editing stage.

@lc-racer: okay I think I can understand that. How does one generally control the tonal range though? Is that done by controlling the exposure settings, main light power and fill light?

@frank: I can add a large reflector, does the angle of it matter? I ask because I have a white wall I can push the entire set towards but it will be parallel to the set, not 45º.
 

Sirius Glass

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moodlover said:
The film(s) I'm super new to film so I don't really know much about how film stock and contrast work together, and how I control that?
Click to expand...


Store the film in the freezer. Freezing film in its original sealed packaging effectively stops the normal degradation. When I worked at Kodak, I learned that film will easily keep for ten years. I have had no problems with freezing Kodak, Ilford and Fuji film. When you are ready to use the film, let the film warm up to the ambient temperature before opening the foil seal.
 

Sirius Glass

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As you gain experience you will see that higher contrast often results in photographs with more "pop". Do not be so fast to get rid of contrast which will lead to boring flat photographs. Dull gray is just dull.
 

RobC

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one of these on the shadow side to control balance from light side to dark side

http://www.lastolite.com/panelite-18x12m-silver-white-lllr7231

Adjusting the reflector angle and/or distance will adjust the balance releative to the light side.

I would bring the model and the sheet forward from the background so that the background isn't illuminated as much as it is.

The highlights are too bright because you have got your exposure wrong. That can be adjusted either by lowering the strobe output or by actually metering correctly.
 
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M Carter

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"The highlights are too bright because you have got your exposure wrong. That can be adjusted either by lowering the strobe output or by actually metering correctly."

I don't agree - changing exposure will make the shadows even deeper. If you're holding highlight detail, you're in the ballpark exposure wise - maybe a tad hot but nothing major.

A softbox isn't the answer, either - you've already made a huge softbox, anything you can buy commercially will be much smaller and won't give the look you want. Regular softboxes don't work well for this kind of setup, but you're on the right track by making essentially a 10' softbox.

I would bring the sheet closer to the model, and wrap it all the way to camera, but keep the light where it is in relation to the model - this will give you some more wrap, but the light will fall off naturally. Add a BIG reflector and play with its distance.

For soft light, it's big and close. You might find the reflector has to be as close as possible to give the soft fill you want.

From there, you need to dial in your film & processing to control contrast.

And an edit: the size of the light on the v is also really important - get that as big as possible; a bedsheet is pretty extreme diffusion so you shouldn't get hot spots. If you find the sheet is eating up too many photons, hit the fabric store and look at some ripstop nylon - pretty much the same as pricey "diffusion" rags.

 

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