Studio this week

So 'Master Photographers' we'll be doing some multiple exposures and 'painting with light' next lesson. Please bring something to 'paint'. 'Painting with light' can be achieved with almost any form of light source but we do have a nifty little hand-held strobe light that works a treat. Laser pointers might be fun too.

Jorge's non-trip

Bad news I'm afraid. Jorge cannot change his Brisbane visit and I cannot organise at short notice alternative accommodation for a big group so the formal trip is off. Jorge will discuss an alternative on Thursday night which will be a completely private arrangement that doesn't involve CIT. So something will happen!

Studio this week

I know this is late but things conspired..... Anyway my plan is a 'Challenge Shoot', sounds a little Masterchef doesn't it. I bring the things to be shot and you do the shooting.

TASMANIAN Exhibition, September 7-11th.

We have booked the Design Space for a short exhibition from September 7-11 with an opening on Tuesday the 8th. for the Tasmanian Field Trip group. We'll each have around 1.5m of horizontal wall space. I'm suggesting we hang the work on the morning of Monday the 7th of September, although I'll check the availability of the space on the Friday before. You'll need to provide all your own hanging materials. I am happy to make name tags for us but if someone would like to produce a poster and invitation with a suitable name for the exhibition that would be great. I have emailed Senator Bob Brown to ask him to open the exhibition but have had no response so far. I'll follow this up this week. I'd like some ideas for what you'd like as an opening, do you want a big affair, food, drink and speeches or a small affair (if I can't get Bob) with just drinks and snacks and more drinks and no speeches, or something in between? Please get back to me with your thoughts ASAP. For those that are completing a Tassie Negotiated Study this will draw a line under it and you'll earn a result based on the work hung.

What we're doing in the studio next week.

Read the bottom of the post below.

Week 3 in the studio

This week we got to know the Pulso and Primo units intimately and had fun doing it too. How easy it is to forget everything there is to know about the 'P' settings and flash synch speed for that matter! You worked quickly and confidently and were able to easily deconstruct the portraits in the books and magazines and reproduce them in our studios. You also recognised when things were not working and adjusted lighting and props until they did. Calculating exposure with flash meters is becoming easier and I think you are pretty confident in that area.

One thing we did do this week that is very important is to take readings of all areas of the set to confirm how those areas are to be reproduced. Backgrounds versus subjects, for example.

Lets assume a lit subject is 3m from a (ZONE V) grey paper background and the background is lit with a separate light-source. Ideally of course you should try to get hold of two power-packs so that you can more easily control/vary the lighting on each. That being the case you would ensure that the modelling light settings on both packs were set to the same P setting, P1, P2 or P3 on both. Now what you see is what you get, or is it? It is very very easy to see what you want to see. The (ZONE V) grey paper, for example, is grey paper whether it is lit or not but will only appear grey if lit at the same level as the subject. Lets assume an incident reading at the subject indicates correct exposure at f11. If an incident reading AT the background paper position also indicates f11 then the paper will be reproduced as a grey background paper value in the image, simple eh?

Let's revive this ZONE SYSTEM stuff, it lets us communicate levels of tone in a common language.

Given: Incident at subject is f11, grey paper is ZONE V grey paper (mid-tone)

Questions:

Incident at background is f64, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f45, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f32, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f22, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f16, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f11, paper is rendered as ZONE V

Incident at background is f8, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f5.6, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f4, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f2.8, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Incident at background is f2, paper is rendered as ZONE .....

Please remember that this example is for a ZONE V grey background.

If you use a different paper, such as black or white you need to remember that it will be reproduced as its true value only when the light level on the background is the same as the light level on the subject, other renderings can then be calculated according to how it is lit.

Another way to confirm the rendering of a background is to use a spot meter.

Lets assume an incident reading of the subject indicates correct exposure of the subject is again f11, one can then assume then that a spot reading of a grey card at the subject would also be f11. If a spot reading of the background indicated f11, REGARDLESS of the paper colour or tone, it will be rendered as mid grey, ZONE V. If the spot reading indicated f16, regardless of the colour or tone of the paper it will be rendered as ZONE VI and so on. We'll be using this technique with the small products which we'll be starting NEXT week.

I've decided it's time to move on so we'll start small product work in week 4.

You'll need to bring at least one small small electrical or electronic product no bigger than a toaster (no smaller than a gnat), or bathroom products, or a bottle of beer. If possible bring new or very clean objects. NO OTHER FOOD products please and also no fluffy toys or cheap nasty trinkets. Apart from the beer don't bring glass or chrome/silver objects. We need to start with some really simple lighting techniques. I'll also have a Portrait Folio brief ready for next week.

Better late than never

Trying to remember what we did last Monday and Tuesday in the Studio. Pulso and Primo.

Broncolor Pulso 2: A mains powerpack that distributes output evenly (symmetrically) between the number of heads attached. You’ll remember that the output starts at level 6, the lowest, and goes as high as 10 with each whole division altering the output by a factor of two or one ‘stop’. Setting 7 being twice the output of setting 6 and so on. You’ll also remember that you can adjust the output by tenths of ‘stops’ as well. Modelling light settings, Off, Low, Full, P1, P2, P3.

Broncolor Primo: A mains powerpack with the same output as the Pulso 2 which also distributes the output evenly (symmetrically) between the number of heads attached. This unit has a few less features than the Pulso, only 3 head sockets, a 4 stop range (1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8) with 1/3 stop increments only and where 1/1 is the same outpout as 10 on the Pulso. A couple less modelling light settings, Off, Full, P2, P3 only. Check the 100 year old notes I distributed, the diagram show P1 and P2, it took all these years for an observant person to notice this.

Use of the Modelling Light settings.

The modelling light shows us what the flash exposure will look like and ideally if you have two flash units on different output settings the modelling lights should show this difference. Modelling light settings of Low and Full are independent off the flash out, in other words regardless of what you set the flash output to the modelling light will only ever be on Low or Full. This is fine for a unit that distributes flash evenly between the heads, for an asymmetrical unit it would be important to match the modelling light output to the flash output so that you can SEE the difference between the heads. If you manage to get your hands on more than one of the Pulso and Primo powerpacks for a shoot you can set each pack to a different flash output and therefore have more creative control over the lighting. If you do this you need to ensure your modelling lights are set to a Proportional setting, P1, P2 or P3 and it should be the same P setting on each unit. Using the modelling light proportional settings means the modelling light changes along with the flash, in other words the modelling light is in proportion to the flash output, it’s a case of WISIWIG, what you see is what you get. It is very important however that which ever P setting you choose it MUST be the same on each unit, this means P2 or P3 on BOTH.

A reminder that you are going to bring in some portraits to use as inspiration for your shoot this week. You’ll be deconstructing the shots to establish how they were shot, you’ll then reproduce the lighting schemes. You’ll also plan your own shots with.

Quick quiz:

For a given flash to subject distance a Pulso 2 on flash setting 10 and with a P70 reflector dish is measured with an incident meter and the reading is f64.

What is the flash to subject distance? Answer: 1m

What would the indicated f-number be at a 2m flash-to-subject distance? Answer: f32 (inverse square law)

If in a given situation the meter indicates f64 when the Pulso 2 is set to a flash output of 10, what would the indicated f-number be when the flash is set to;

Output 9 Answer: f45

Output 8 Answer: f32

Output 7 Answer: f22

Output 6 Answer: f16

Output 8 on the Pulso 2 unit is the same as 1/4 on the Primo unit. (2 stops down from maximum)