Continued to test different lighting and shadow effects using DIY flags. The effect this time was to test a slotted “skylight” vibe. I’ve mentioned this before, my studio doesn’t have windows or skylights so any “natural” lighting needs to be done on location, out of the studio or created using studio lights.
To get the effect I cut 9 x 1” slits in a 28” x 36” piece of cardboard. Here is the flag. I made this flag a few weeks ago for a “window blind” test.
A Manfrotto 175 spring clamp on a Kupo Tilting Umbrella Adapter mounted on a mini boom arm / offset arm from Paul C Buff was used to secure the cardboard on a standard light stand. Here is the clamp setup
I then simply mounted the clamp and cardboard on a standard light stand and propped it against the wall about 7” high. I used a Paul C Buff Einstein 640WS studio light with a standard reflector as my only light. The light was mounted on a mini boom arm light stand placed directly above the flag. Here is the setup.
My model for the test shoot, AK from LModelz Model Management simply stood directly under the light with her back touching the wall. I played around the camera settings but settled on my typical setting of f/9, ISO 160 & speed 1/160. The light was metered to get this setting. The camera used was a Nikon D810 with a Nikkor f/2.8 24-70 lens.
I moved AK around but found the best vibe was having her face looking up and her hands showing. This kept her face well lit with strong shadows, but kept her eyes out of total shadows if she looked down. She was originally wearing a black turtleneck but that didn’t work very well. I asked her to change into a black jumpsuit with the buttons low enough to create a deep v of skin complimenting the shadows. I liked the effect.
Here is the output of the test
I’ll try this look again in color, but use a yellow or orange filter to get a warm sunshine look. That should be a cool effect.