Lighing to produce warm/glowing skin
 

I'm totally new to doing lighting myself. I've been involved with advertisement film making and watched and learnt a lot (many years ago). Recently, I've bought a few DVDs and book on lighting to learn some more, and have spent a bunch of time on the internet researching the same.

However, with my limited budget I've got to get it right literally the first time.

I've box 3 light 300W each that have barn doors and umbrellas and additional filters (correcting as well as diffusion and ND). But I'm not able to get the effect I'm looking for.

I was wondering if anyone has suggestion/opinions on:
1. Softbox
2. Beauty Dish
3. DIY (This one DVD by Victor Milt talks aobut making a "nano light" that's made using an array of compact florecent dimable bulbs etc. http://www.victormilt.com/id54.html)


Essentially I'm not sure if it's just a matter of using a broad source. I've used the diffusion filters on the lights I have but they don't seem to do the trick.

I would appreciate any suggestions, tips etc.

Thanks.

Shiv.

Warm glowing can mean different things to different people, you would have to be more specific. But a broad soft light source would do soft, turning the temperatue higher than the shooting kelvin of your lights will produce a warmth, but a better way to have a true warm without any other color shifts would be to get a warming filter(which I do not like to use on camera) or best method is to get a cooling filter, 100-600 degrees or more, than place it on the lens and set a custom WB on that in the lighting you are using then remove the lens and you have balanced for any color shifts present in the environment, and by removing the filter you add the opposite effect (in this case warmth) to the shot.

For a glow you can mean a blown out effect like a commercial beauty ad or a camp fire effect which may be under exposed but low light. Again its hard to say until I have an idea of what warm glowing means to you. I have a lot of still images on my site (I am mainly a still shooter) if you see an effect you like I can better understand and explain it. For the campfire look check the male cowboy like shot.

http://www.StephenEastwood.com

Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com

Stephen,

Those photographs you have posted on your website are awesome! Gosh that's a whole lot of talent and experience.

I don't wok with models, in fact the problem I have is I need to make ordinary people look better (if not great).

If you go to the link below
http://www.adobe.com/creativelicense/

click on the "Web Premium" product box, you'll see a link to a video. That's the look I'm trying to produce.

In fact if you click on any of the boxes and look at the video for each you'll see the look I'm after. I like the video of the Production Premium (the Basement) a lot too.

There are others that I've seen just yesterday but did not book mark them, but will post if I find them again.

Softbox will do that, larger for the larger group but for a single person you can use one medium or small even, lots of fill in those, not from a fill perse but ambient was high, and alternative is to fill with a general bounce in room, and one key or a two key set up one softbox higher to camera right in most but thats preference or space allowed, and a fill lower from far left, I would add a backlight for effect and seperation, for women you may ad the fill lower down below eyelevel to fill from beneath just keep the ratio down to barel notice its on.

I must say after watching the basement, it makes me feel like I want to go to school and learn how to do what they are all doing. WOW!

Stephen,

Thank you once again for your reply and suggestions. I will see what I can do :)

I'm thinking I'll make a "broad source" using some compact florocent bulbs (their color temperature is the same as the halogen lights I have 5500k I believe, and their CRI is 82. Would that be ok, or should I go for one (maybe two) small soft boxes?


Yea, those basement guys really have their act together. Very inspiring and at the same time overwhelming.