How should I set up my studio to take sharp portraits without shadows with two white umbrellas and one silver umbrella?

Question

What would be the best studio setup using two white umbrellas with lights, one silver umbrella with a light and canon 430ex ii? My goal is to take sharp pictures of people without shadows. I am not looking to create any special lightning effect, i.e. Rembrandt lightning.

I have spend an enormous amount of time experimenting with different setups. I get nice pictures but I think I could do better. I am just wondering if somebody could suggest the best setup for this simple studio. I get the best results using the bounce mode (pointing behind me to the white ceiling), however I find the pictures seem a bit underexposed and sometimes out of office.

I actually like using direct flash but having problems with the shadows. I tried using the slave flash to light up the backdrop with poor results. I'd appreciate if somebody could suggest the optimal setup using the equipment I have. Thanks in advance.

I have the following equipment: T3i canon 430ex ii canon 50mm f.18 lenses two white umbrellas one silver umbrella tripod backdrop stand with 4 different backdrops. mainly white walls and white ceiling.

Answer 1

It doesn't matter if you're using canon, nikon or monolights. Correct positioning of your source of light can produce results you want to achieve. In your case, to get rid of shadows behind the person, you may want to invest into a second source of light, which will can be placed behind the person. Here's an example I shot with 2 lights (strobes): http://500px.com/photo/20408789?from=set/535071

Answer 2

Probably the best source of free information on shooting with a Speedlite and umbrellas is David Hobby's Strobist site. http://strobist.blogspot.com/

Do you have two 430s? If not, how are you using the three umbrellas? Most folks put a flash in each umbrella (that they are using) and shoot though the white, so that it diffuses the light.

Typical sets have one umbrella on each side, next to the camera, at a 45 degree to the side and 30 to 45 degree down angle.

Or you can go "clamshell" and have one umbrella under the camera position, and one above.

Answer 3

Shadowless lighting requires a broad light source directly in front of the subject or a high enough volume of (omnidirectional) light coming from all around the subject to wash out any shadows. A speedlite and on camera flash combination is unlikely to be made sufficiently broad or produce the volume of light necessary to get the shadowless effect you desire.

In your case, using your speedlite shooting thru a white umbrella is a start toward broadening the source but the light is still going to be directional as opposed to omnidirectional and that means its going to cast some shadows. If you had other white reflector material you could try surrounding your subject with it to bounce light back into the shadows.

Keep in mind that shadowless lighting is not generally the most flattering lighting for portraiture, but hey, try it anyway and see if you can get pleasing results.

Answer 4

There are two different kinds of shadows that you will care about with portraiture. One kind of shadow is shadows of facial features on the face itself. These shadows are often consdiered desirable, as they give shape and dimentionality to an otherwise 2D picture.

Typically there will be one major light source that is away from the camera and pointed towards the subject. The further away from the camera the camera, the longer the shadows will appear. Typical placement is at about a 45 degree angle away from the camera. If the light is on the same axis as the camera, located on or very close to the camera, therre will be few or no shadows on the subject.

Another way that the quality of shadows is controlled is by the use of lighting modifiers such as umbrellas to increase the apparent size of the light source with respect to the subject. A small light source like a bare speedlight will create shadows with very sharp edges. A large light source like a flash shoot through an umbrella placed close to the subject will create shadows with very indistinct, diffuse borders.

If an off axis main flash is used a second flash placed near the camera, with a lower power setting than the main flash, will make the shadows less dark. Alternative, a large white card can be used to reflect the main flash into the shadows to make them less dark.

A second kind of shadow that may appear in portraits is the shadow of the subject onto the background. This is typically considered undesirable and is controlled or eliminated in a number of ways. One way is to increase the distance between the subject and the background, so that any shadow falls in a place that isn't seen by the camera. Using a large light source like an flash with umbrella will make any shadows on the background less distinct and thus less objectionable. Finally, a light source may be pointed at the background to illuminate it, and if the light source is bright enough, it will eliminate any shadows.

So to achieve a completely shadowless portrait given the equipment in the original question, the best option would probably be to set up the speedlight using one of the white umbrellas (either bounce or flash through) immediately behind and slightly above the camera.

Answer 5

maybe a reflector ? .. If you cant get your hands on one you could always go to the store and buy some large white poster board. Don't be scared of shadows work with them.