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January 19th. 2007
Lighting
Your Portraits
by Darwin Drake
 |
Probably the most important
aspect of portrait
photography is lighting. You can use the greatest poses but
if you create harsh shadows and blown-out highlights on your
subjects you will need to relight AND reshoot. The
sign of a true professional portrait photographer is being
able to use light and shadow to convey some type of mood
or emotion.
When we control lighting we control subtleties. The first consideration when
shooting portraits is what are you trying to achieve? Do you want drama. tranquility,
fun or seriousness? You'll need to be able to control your lighting ratios to
convey the mood of the portrait.
Lighting Ratio
Now what is a lighting
ratio? The ratio is the difference between the
main light and the fill light. If your main light were twice as bright as the
fill, the ratio would be 2:1. Therefore a 2:1 ratio would mean there is
a one stop difference between the lights. A 3:1 ratio would be a stop and a half
difference and 4:1 would be two stop difference.
The lighting Ratio’s most commonly used are 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 (Click examples
to enlarge).
1:1 Ratio |
Lighting Setups
Single light setup
A single light source can be used as a flat light if it is placed 0' to
5' from to front of your subjects face,
and slightly above eye level. This is a safe light setup for an inexperience
photographer. It’s hard to mess up with a direct flash, usually there are
no harsh shadows. (See example 1).
The definition of a flat light is that it should identical on both sides of the
face 1:1 A single light source can also produce a 4:1 ratio by setting your main
light at a 45° to your subject’s face, leaving the adjacent side in
shadow (See example 4).
2:1 Ratio |
Two light setup
By adding shadow to subject’s face you are now
able to control that shadow with a two
light setup; here's
an mportant note:
1. Placing your main light at too much of an angle will cause
a nose shadow to fall on the adjacent cheek
2. Placing your main light too high will cause a shadow 'beard' under the chin
and on the neck of your subject. Use care and look for the shadow details before
taking your portrait. The most common two light placement is the main light at
a 45º angle and your fill light set to the opposite side of your camera. A
bounce panel can replace your fill. They are white, silver, or bronze reflectors
set one to two feet away bouncing the light from the main light on to your subject. A
bounce panel can also be used outdoors to reflect the sun.
4:1 Ratio |
3:1 Ratio |
Three light setup
Adding a hair light or a separation light should be done
with care: light from above is like garlic: a little goes
a long way. A hair light is mounted above, or above and behind
your subject. Meter at least one stop less than the main
light. Separation light is above and to either side,
separating the subject from the backdrop. The separation
light should also meter at least one stop less than the main.
My portrait pictured here above was shot using the three
light setup. I used a 4 to 1 ratio, the main light F-11,
fill F-5.6 and the separation light F-5.6
I don’t recommend using ratios beyond 4:1. If you do, you will have shadow
area with little or no detail.
Consider Us "Your Own Personal Ad Agency"
by
Holly McCoy
Did you know you have creative design services at your
fingertips? Candid Color Systems Advertising & Marketing
Department offers full creative services to all of our
customers. That includes design, printing and delivery
to your door. We design and print custom brochures, flyers,
newspaper ads, posters, stuffers, and anything that you
need for your business.
We have several in-house designers
and a production manager that are ready to help you with
any of your marketing needs. Since Candid Color Systems
does bulk marketing materials on a regular basis, we are
able to get really good pricing on printing, so you might
be surprised how much money you could save by letting us
help you! If you have any questions or you would like to
discuss yourcreative design needs, please contact
Holly
McCoy at X198.
2007 Winter Seminar
February 25 - 27, 2007
Miami Beach, Florida
With Christmas safely tucked away until next year and
the BCS championship giving way to college basketball,
it can only mean that the Candid Color Systems Winter Seminar
is on the horizon. In just 45 days CCS customers and a contingent of CCS associates will
occupy the newly refurbished beachfront property of the
Eden
Roc Resort Hotel in Miami Beach. These three days of
information and training will help you in setting a course
for your business; not just for the next 12 months, but
for years to come.
Beginning on Sunday, February 25 with an optional half-day
of software and photography training, and continuing through
general sessions on Monday and Tuesday, February 26 and
27, the CCS seminar will present a variety of topics and
presentations created to inform, teach, and enlighten.
As the digital photography marketplace adjusts and shifts
like the sand on Miami Beach, it’s crucial for you
to be equipped with effective strategies, evolutionary
software tools, and a keen business eye to the future of
the special event photography business. The CCS winter
seminar is the perfect environment to come together with
others in this industry to discuss and discover best practices,
the latest marketing weapons, and how to scale your business
to the next level.
If you are new to the CCS family it’s important to
note that there is no cost to attend this three-day beachfront
gathering. In addition to the training sessions and
informative presentations, CCS will also be bestowing our
annual awards to those customers that have distinguished
themselves in a variety of business areas over the past
year. The CCS awards presentation will culminate in the
selection and the recognition of the 2006 CCS Customer
of the Year with the awarding of the prestigious green
bathrobe. (If you don’t know about the green bathrobe,
we’ll explain when you get there).
Please note that the deadline for reservations at the
Eden Roc Resort Hotel is January 25, which is less than
three weeks away. The room rate is $169 per night which
is a fair rate considering the hotel location and especially
the time of year! Be prepared for a lot of fun, a
spirit of lively discussion and brainstorming, and some
beachfront cocktails.
The agenda for this seminar provides something for everyone
from Sports to Weddings; Grads to Groups; and even a special
outdoor portrait session conducted on the beach—flip
flops optional—a first for CCS! By popular
demand, our Table Topics lunch session will make a return
and some late night entertainment in the Miami South Beach
neighborhood would seem to be a certainty.
To register for this annual event please follow this link where you can register online. We look forward to
seeing you in sunny Miami Beach.
Seminar Agenda
Sunday, February 25th
Training Sessions (Optional)
3:00p- 5:00p
Digital Reality - Steve Foisy, CCS
Intermediate digital photography training- If you
have been shooting digitally for a while, but still
have difficulties fully understanding white balance,
resolution, compression, cropping, file management,
etc., then this is the class for you. The class
will focus on your biggest challenges with digital
and we will show you how to overcome these obstacles
WITHOUT using Photoshop!
3:00p- 5:00p
Studio Posing and Lighting - Brian Allen, CCS
An encore presentation from the summer workshop
training, Brian will cover the latest on lighting
techniques and posing in studio photography for
seniors, families, kids, and composites.
5:30p- 7:00p
CORE Features & Benefits - Denise Mangiante & Demetri
Barges,CCS
If you are photographing grads, races, proms, sports,
schools (and even Quicpics) and want to learn how
to maximize your sales potential through the use
of this software platform.
5:30p – 7:00p
Outdoor Photography - Tom Davis, Northern Images & Brian
Speers, CCS
Take advantage of the beautiful sunset on Miami
Beach to learn outdoor photography techniques from
Tom Davis. During the summers in Cape Cod, this
is a large portion of his business shooting families
and seniors on the beach. No ocean in your market?
All of these skills are easily adaptable to parks,
ponds, lakes and other outdoor venues.
7:00p- 8:30p
Meet & Greet
Before you head to dinner on the town, join us
for light hors d’oerves to meet new and current
CCS customers and CCS staff.
Monday, February 26th
General Session
8:30a – 9:30a
Introduction - Jack Counts, Jr.
Evaluating opportunities for growth and developing
a sales effort to make your plan a reality. This
involves making the decision about what kind of
business you want to have. Learn how to utilize
CCS measurement reports and the new invoicing program
to gauge your success towards your goals.
9:30a – 10:30a
Taking advantage of technology to grow your business
- Steve Foisy & Dana Hill, CCS
Topics to include: Internet based software (Both
CCS and “off the shelf” versions),
equipment advancements (use of digital recorders,
wireless, portable hard drives for large events),
using the internet as a resource to find/book new
business and find staff, maximizing email campaigns,
online surveys to gather information from your
prospects and customers, and software for image
management and more!
10:30a- 10:45a - Break
10:45a – 11:45p
Scaling your business for growth - Gene Mangiante,
Mangiante Photography
Transitioning from a one person operation to hiring
a sales force to grow your business and serve other
markets. Learn how to leverage your staff, equipment
and software knowledge base most efficiently. Plus,
how to survive the “ramp-up” process
and recruit and pay the sales force necessary to
move your business to the next level.
11:45 – 1:30 - Lunch (on your own)
Break-Outs* (choose one per session)
Session #1
1:30 – 3:00 Grad
1:30 – 3:00 Special Events / Venue
3:00 – 3:15 Break
Session #2
3:15 – 4:45 Campus
3:15 – 4:45 “Taking Your Wedding Market
by Storm!”
How to make your mark in your local wedding market
About the speakers: Radley and Tina Muller opened
Yary Photography in Bellingham, Washington almost
four years. Their studio covers weddings, portraits,
sports and events, and school pictures. Their largest
area of growth has been in the wedding market – photographing
19 weddings their first year, 60 weddings their
second year, and 80 weddings their third and fourth
year. Their unique photographic style and down-to-earth
personalities has made them one of the most sought-after
wedding teams in their area.
Program details: Radley and Tina will be covering
effective wedding marketing that includes websites,
bridal shows, brochures, print competitions, and
press releases. They will also be covering the
initial consultation, wedding contracts, photography
timelines, and the importance of an engagement
session. They will spend time covering their style
of wedding photography, including the posing and
lighting of the formals while also capturing those
details and candid moments that their wedding couples
fall in love with. They will be ending the program
with a section on post-wedding production that
includes loading and renumbering the images, editing
the images, creating the proof book, hosting and
selling the images on the web, and delivering the
finished products to the clients.
*Market specific break-out sessions are interactive
discussions that will cover products, marketing
methods, and software.
6:00p - CCS Awards Ceremony- A surprise venue
is in the works!
Tuesday, February 27th
General Session
8:30a – 9:15a
CCS Software Update - Demetri Barges, CCS
9:15a – 10:00a
What’s New from CCS - Danette Reinbold & Charles
Cummings, CCS
From products to candidnet to new tools to manage
your business, a lot has been happening at CCS
that can benefit your business.
10:00 – 10:15 Break
10:15a – 11:15a
What is your local high school worth? - Dan Hays,
CCS
There is at least one in every town. This could
be your “market”. A look at all the
opportunities present under one roof and what that
could mean for your business if you really “go
deep” at one particular school.
11:15 – 12:30
Lunch - Table Topics (Grad, Campus, Sports, Prom,
Group and Portrait)
Grab a box lunch and join your colleagues at a
table topic of your choice to brainstorm, network
and discover best practices for specific markets.
12:30 – 1:30
Compete in Sports - Brian Speers, CCS
If there is one new market you are considering
serving, this is the one. Sports has the best potential
for the fastest growth. This market does not only
include “traditional” teams but also
dance schools, bands, martial arts, etc. With continually
growing demographics, year-round opportunities
and a menu of marketing methods, this is CCS’s
biggest growth market and could be yours, too.
Hear the latest on “posed” action as
an alternative to true action sports, enhanced
sports products, and an in-depth comparison between
pre-sold and the increasingly profitable speculation
method.
Break-Outs* (choose one per session)
Session #1
1:30 – 3:00 Sports
1:30 – 3:00 QEMS
3:00 – 3:15 Break
Session #2
3:15 – 4:45 Senior Class Groups – New
Approaches
3:15 – 4:45 Race
*Market specific break-out sessions are interactive
discussions that will cover products, marketing
methods, and software.
CCS Service Times for
the week of January 7-13
by Bo Lewis
