View Single Post
Old November 22nd, 2008, 12:34 PM   #8
Charles Papert
Wrangler
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 5,380
Roger:

Are you trying to achieve a look that is specifically shot in low light or just a low-key looking image (i.e. "believable" as if lit by candelight)?

If it is the latter, there is no reason to shoot in low light--it's just a matter of picking the right instrument, positioning it and cutting it properly. The intensity is somewhat irrelevant--you could light this scene with much bigger instruments than the ones you are using and achieve exactly the right look (it's just a matter of stopping down the lens). I feel like this is something you came around to during your tests, but your initial post seems to point otherwise (that you needed to shoot under "very low light"). One advantage of shooting at a higher stop is that you may start to be able to capture some detail in the flame of the candle itself rather than have it burn out completely--this is how the amazing fire sequences in movies such as "Backdraft" were captured (overall light levels were high and lens stopped down).

Duplicating the look of candlelight is actually tricky; because it is a small point source, it should nominally be duplicated with a small unit that delivers hard shadows. However our perception of candlelight is that it is "soft" and pretty, so a more diffuse light often appears more believable than a literal interpretation of true candlelight.
__________________
Charles Papert, SOC
www.charlespapert.com
Charles Papert is offline   Reply With Quote