Lighting advice please

munge · 5 Mar 2013 at 20:34

Would appreciate some advice from anybody with respect to taking pictures of somebody who has a less than prominent chin. I find it really easy to make it look worse than it actually is!

I currently have a single 580 II, but am thinking about getting another second hand flash or a remote trigger to use it off camera. I don't want to spend a fortune on new kit (or at least any more than I already have!).

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Ksanti · 5 Mar 2013 at 20:51

bounce it off of a reflector or shoot through a large diffuser/softbox to soften the light, and have it be really close (if softened) and underneath their chin - but not close enough for the nose to start casting shadows over the forehead etc.

munge · 5 Mar 2013 at 21:49

Ksanti said:
bounce it off of a reflector or shoot through a large diffuser/softbox to soften the light, and have it be really close (if softened) and underneath their chin - but not close enough for the nose to start casting shadows over the forehead etc.

So on camera with reflector underneath?

An Exception · 5 Mar 2013 at 21:51

Are they able to grow some stubble?

munge · 5 Mar 2013 at 22:06

An Exception said:
Are they able to grow some stubble?

She'd be far less attractive unfortunately. Not mention I'd die if she ever found this thread!

Ksanti · 5 Mar 2013 at 22:33

munge said:
So on camera with reflector underneath?

Oh you don't have triggers? Okay on camera, bounce it off of a white wall or similar roughly horizontal and 90 degrees away from the subject, and have a reflector set up on the other side of the wall you're bouncing off of to give a little extra fill on the light to soften it all out?

munge · 5 Mar 2013 at 22:39

Do you mean so the light is coming in at 45 degrees to her on the horizontal, from both sides?

munge · 5 Mar 2013 at 22:39

And could get some triggers, they're not a fortune for what I want.

Ksanti · 5 Mar 2013 at 22:43

Something along these lines

Alternatively you could pick up one of those cheap beauty ring adapters and then sparingly use the heal brush in photoshop to soften the lines a bit if that's the problem?

PS sorry my handwriting is still god awful with the tablet haha

munge · 5 Mar 2013 at 22:50

Thought that was what you were saying. Nice impromptu drawing!

Bought a 580 a couple of years ago before a relative's wedding and found it so useful for getting pictures you just can't do with on camera flash (which I haven't got now anyway). Makes such a difference, but still struggle to sometimes avoid making pictures a little unflattering!

Ksanti · 5 Mar 2013 at 23:15

Basically just bounce off of any white wall or ceiling you can find and sort out your compositions so that this works is a fairly easy rule of thumb to work by to begin with. I very very rarely have flash directly on subjects as, as you said, it gets very unflattering and I can't be bothered to buy softboxes etc. - if I desperately need them for something I'd sooner just make them myself in any case.