Photographer
DeVaul Photography
Posts: 702
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
I always did my headshots with a very soft light-usually the foamcore V with the head facing in and bouncing out through a silk. Maybe a white board for fill. Since I came here, I've flipped over the way the top guys(Eastwood, Talbot, Armenta, etc.) light those shots. I've never used accent lights to really pop the subject off the background. I know you should never get locked into formulas, but do you find yourself using soft boxes most of the time, grids, strip lights? My budget is starting to tighten up a bit(the wife's giving me that look) so I can't go out and get everything. What would you suggest? Thanks.
Photographer
Hoodlum
Posts: 10254
Sacramento, California, US
Edge lights don't require a lot of power so any cheaper light like a A/B and a grid would work. After you experiment enough with them you will know what you need. Since cost is an issue I'd just get a couple A/B's some grids if I were you. Since they slave they will work with any other light, there cheap, but good enough to do what you need.
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
DeVaul Photography wrote:
I always did my headshots with a very soft light-usually the foamcore V with the head facing in and bouncing out through a silk. Maybe a white board for fill. Since I came here, I've flipped over the way the top guys(Eastwood, Talbot, Armenta, etc.) light those shots. I've never used accent lights to really pop the subject off the background. I know you should never get locked into formulas, but do you find yourself using soft boxes most of the time, grids, strip lights? My budget is starting to tighten up a bit(the wife's giving me that look) so I can't go out and get everything. What would you suggest? Thanks. I rarely use softboxes anymore, I use grids on everything even my grids have grids, only exceptions are lightsticks, fresnels, unbrellas and lights which are actually seen in the shots.
I use BD and grid, reflectors and grids, Especially on rear, rim, edge, accent lights, also lots of gels to warm or cool depending. Strip boxes with grids, lightbars with grids, sometimes for very commercial work I will use a octbank or octabox with grid. and if I need to an octahze on a ringflash. I do not like ringflashes though I have 4 from 2 from broncolor, 1 modeling light version one not, 1 hensel and 1 profoto adpated to speedotron black, I really only use them when being filmed for TV or behind the scenes as they look cool on FILM! 
Also I rarely use fill cards or reflectors as I much prefer to have an actual light to be able to control the amunt and exact size, shape and placement, OK, OK I am a control freak!! So what????
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Long Island Studios
Posts: 4162
Sayville, New York, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
I rarely use softboxes anymore, I use grids on everything even my grids have grids, only exceptions are lightsticks, fresnels, unbrellas and lights which are actually seen in the shots.
I use BD and grid, reflectors and grids, Especially on rear, rim, edge, accent lights, also lots of gels to warm or cool depending. Strip boxes with grids, lightbars with grids, sometimes for very commercial work I will use a octbank or octabox with grid. and if I need to an octahze on a ringflash. I do not like ringflashes though I have 4 from 2 from broncolor, 1 modeling light version one not, 1 hensel and 1 profoto adpated to speedotron black, I really only use them when being filmed for TV or behind the scenes as they look cool on FILM!
Also I rarely use fill cards or reflectors as I much prefer to have an actual light to be able to control the amunt and exact size, shape and placement, OK, OK I am a control freak!! So what????
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com Lighting this way requires how many heads (assuming 1 model head shot) on average?
Photographer
DeVaul Photography
Posts: 702
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
Thanks guys. Dan, I have 2 Speedo heads, one AB800, and one ABR800 ringflash, so for an extra light, I can go AB or Speedo. I have a friend who was selling his blackline, and I was going to call tonight to see about any heads for sale. I'm guessing there wouldn't be much difference in price, the Speedo might even be cheaper, so I can go either way.
Photographer
DeVaul Photography
Posts: 702
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
I rarely use softboxes anymore, I use grids on everything even my grids have grids, only exceptions are lightsticks, fresnels, unbrellas and lights which are actually seen in the shots.
I use BD and grid, reflectors and grids, Especially on rear, rim, edge, accent lights, also lots of gels to warm or cool depending. Strip boxes with grids, lightbars with grids, sometimes for very commercial work I will use a octbank or octabox with grid. and if I need to an octahze on a ringflash. I do not like ringflashes though I have 4 from 2 from broncolor, 1 modeling light version one not, 1 hensel and 1 profoto adpated to speedotron black, I really only use them when being filmed for TV or behind the scenes as they look cool on FILM!
Also I rarely use fill cards or reflectors as I much prefer to have an actual light to be able to control the amunt and exact size, shape and placement, OK, OK I am a control freak!! So what????
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com Stephen, I have a small shooting area(including my damn 8' ceiling height), so my guess would be that the grids would be especially useful(as opposed to sb's and strip lights) in controlling light spill in smaller areas. Would 7" grids be good if these accent lights could be no farther then 6'-8' from the subject. Also at that distance, what degree grid would work best for headshots to 3/4 lengths. Thanks.
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
NYC Nude Studios wrote:
Lighting this way requires how many heads (assuming 1 model head shot) on average? What type of lighting for what type of shot?
Lighting can go from 1 head to 25 heads, but on a small average of a small tight headshot in a small studio with a solid background figure 7-8 lights, unless you are doing something like a tri light main or quad lightmain setup.
Typical, would be one main, two rims, one hair, two backgound if the whole setup is no wider than 8 feet and no longer than a 12 foot square photographer to backdrop, if its longer you may use 4 rims, 1-2 hair, 4-8 backlights, and maybe a lower fill if any main fill is used, I am not a fan of fill lights unless its clean shadowless lighting.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
DeVaul Photography wrote:
Stephen, I have a small shooting area(including my damn 8' ceiling height), so my guess would be that the grids would be especially useful(as opposed to sb's and strip lights) in controlling light spill in smaller areas. Would 7" grids be good if these accent lights could be no farther then 6'-8' from the subject. Also at that distance, what degree grid would work best for headshots to 3/4 lengths. Thanks. 7 inch is good and get 30 and 10 degree 30 being more useful 10 or even 5 being tighter than a spotlight or snoot.
And go speedo blackline 800ws pack and cheap fanless heads as they are the smallest, lightest designed to shoot all day fanless at up to 2400 which means at a full 800ws you cannot overheat them only drawback is they have a 150 modleing light as oppose to 250, but thats ok, they are small and dirt cheap. And get two 800 packs, look used that way you can separate them for full control, and have redundancy if one were to ever fail.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
With the amount of typing I am doing this place needs a voice conference call type chat system, it woudl get so much more answered so much faster. Stephen Eastwood http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Digital Dragon
Posts: 420
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
I rarely use softboxes anymore, I use grids on everything even my grids have grids, only exceptions are lightsticks, fresnels, unbrellas and lights which are actually seen in the shots.
I use BD and grid, reflectors and grids, Especially on rear, rim, edge, accent lights, also lots of gels to warm or cool depending. Strip boxes with grids, lightbars with grids, sometimes for very commercial work I will use a octbank or octabox with grid. and if I need to an octahze on a ringflash. I do not like ringflashes though I have 4 from 2 from broncolor, 1 modeling light version one not, 1 hensel and 1 profoto adpated to speedotron black, I really only use them when being filmed for TV or behind the scenes as they look cool on FILM!
Also I rarely use fill cards or reflectors as I much prefer to have an actual light to be able to control the amunt and exact size, shape and placement, OK, OK I am a control freak!! So what????
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com I've always wanted to know what those light sticks you have in some of your pictures were called and where you get them.
Photographer
ddtphoto
Posts: 2590
Chicago, Illinois, US
i rarely use a softbox as a main light, unless i stick a grid directly in the center of it, but then it isn't really the main light anymore. umbrellas are great edge lights as well as the others already mentioned. i also like shooting heads through glass blocks, glass water juggs and such. also keg or "can" lights and any sort of frenel. i've shot heads through flourescent lighting diffusion panels as well. the elinchrome octabank is a great light, i especially like it with the diffusion off for some added snap crackle pop.
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
DE Studios wrote:
I've always wanted to know what those light sticks you have in some of your pictures were called and where you get them. Depends on I have several, some are strobe, sticklights, and some are overdriven kino tubes, the round are extra large custom overdriven tubes by lowel, not ever produced for production I also have LED and fiber optical designed ropelights, flexible glass tubing, colored glass tubing and a few other gadgets here and there as well as a specially designed bunch of slave strobes down to the size of a postage stamp that offers about f8 at 10 feet at iso 100, no real way to turn it down, so ND gels and napkins have to do, but they can fit inside anything including a girls mouth, and no she was not a big mouth to start
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
As you can see from my above post, I like to play with lights, and I used to do a lot for sevaral companies in china and they have some of the coolest gadgets never to hit the US market anywhere, obviously stolen designs from somewhere else but they make them cheap and fast and sell them for next to nothing its great!!!! Plus if you can think it they can build it, will only work for a week or two but hell they can build another one and its still cheaper than if a real company made them anywhere else.  Stephen Eastwood http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Digital Dragon
Posts: 420
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
As you can see from my above post, I like to play with lights, and I used to do a lot for sevaral companies in china and they have some of the coolest gadgets never to hit the US market anywhere, obviously stolen designs from somewhere else but they make them cheap and fast and sell them for next to nothing its great!!!! Plus if you can think it they can build it, will only work for a week or two but hell they can build another one and its still cheaper than if a real company made them anywhere else.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com I want to be you when I grow up...
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
And speaking of toys, whats with Kay B Toys? I mean do they ever have anything cool and fun??? I never find any cool toys there and always have to leave a mall and go to a Toys "R" Us to find all the cool toys... Whats with that? I mean the only cool toys in a mall are at spencer gifts and they are usually old fart jokes and fake sex toys and M&M viagra, (which do not work by the way, not that I need them mind you)  Stephen Eastwood http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Long Island Studios
Posts: 4162
Sayville, New York, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
And speaking of toys, whats with Kay B Toys? I mean do they ever have anything cool and fun??? I never find any cool toys there and always have to leave a mall and go to a Toys "R" Us to find all the cool toys... Whats with that?
I mean the only cool toys in a mall are at spencer gifts and they are usually old fart jokes and fake sex toys and M&M viagra.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com All the cool toys are at B&H....
Photographer
Digital Dragon
Posts: 420
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
And speaking of toys, whats with Kay B Toys? I mean do they ever have anything cool and fun??? I never find any cool toys there and always have to leave a mall and go to a Toys "R" Us to find all the cool toys... Whats with that?
I mean the only cool toys in a mall are at spencer gifts and they are usually old fart jokes and fake sex toys and M&M viagra, (which do not work by the way, not that I need them mind you)
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com I think they need a cool mascot like the Toys R Us Giraffe...
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
NYC Nude Studios wrote:
All the cool toys are at B&H.... Plus they give out free candy all over the store and soda, coffee and pretzels by the checkout lines, I tell all the homeless people downtown, to stop in and ask about the medium format backs and broncolor lights while they enjoy the food
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
DE Studios wrote:
I think they need a cool mascot like the Toys R Us Giraffe... How about a duck billed platypus?
I like them, they are more screwed up then I am and thats hard to be....
And for the fake viagra selling spencers I think the old man langor would do the trick.
![https://plasticmagonline.com/Canon/zoo/IMAGES/vr2d8474.jpg]()
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Long Island Studios
Posts: 4162
Sayville, New York, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
Plus they give out free candy all over the store and soda, coffee and pretzels by the checkout lines, I tell all the homeless people downtown, to stop in and ask about the medium format backs and broncolor lights while they enjoy the food
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com LMAO the candy is not all that great. I like the candy the nice guy in the van gives out....he said he had a puppy back at his house, but I do not believe him.
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
NYC Nude Studios wrote:
LMAO the candy is not all that great. I like the candy the nice guy in the van gives out....he said he had a puppy back at his house, but I do not believe him. I bet he offered to let you pet him when you got there 
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Digital Dragon
Posts: 420
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
How about a duck billed platypus?
I like them, they are more screwed up then I am and thats hard to be....
And for the fake viagra selling spencers I think the old man langor would do the trick.
![https://plasticmagonline.com/Canon/zoo/IMAGES/vr2d8474.jpg]()
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com I'm digging the platypus idea... and Strangers with candy rule, but don't fall for the "it's in my pocket" thing... that never turns out good...
Photographer
Digital Dragon
Posts: 420
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
To the OP:
Sorry for the thread hijacking by the way
Photographer
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS
Posts: 1466
FRESH MEADOWS, New York, US
DE Studios wrote:
To the OP:
Sorry for the thread hijacking by the way What? he did not ask about a platypus with candy in the pockets? I must have misread it
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
oblakphoto
Posts: 8
Los Angeles, California, US
Stephen,
On your cover page, the woman with the blue headscarf...there are two concentric rings visible in her eyes, what gives, a ringlight with a modeling lamp?
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
oblakphoto wrote:
Stephen,
On your cover page, the woman with the blue headscarf...there are two concentric rings visible in her eyes, what gives, a ringlight with a modeling lamp? Custom designed lighiting, thats a round beautydish with two sets of lighting sorrounded by a grip and black blocker in center, I liked it, used it a few times. seems to be interesting to lots of people who see it, only really works on real tight shots like that otherwise you lose the effect. And with a strobe a modeling light is never powerful enough to be seen even the 250watt broncolor.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
Sing Lo Photography
Posts: 58
London, England, United Kingdom
oblakphoto wrote:
Stephen,
On your cover page, the woman with the blue headscarf...there are two concentric rings visible in her eyes, what gives, a ringlight with a modeling lamp? Let me guess but I could be wrong...two daylight co-axial fluorescent ring lights, one is close to the camera lens and anothor one is close to the model. I have seen large chinese made daylight fluorescent ring for sale in Hong Kong...they are dirt cheap. Think how much the cost of a Kamio ring light for cinematography. I picked up two small daylight flicker-free flourescent striplights while I was there..at a small fraction of a Kino flo.
Anothor source of light that gives funky somewhat concentric ring catch lights in model's eyes are Briese Focus light...large and expensive parabolic reflector come in HMI or flash unit. I think the effect is something to do with how light reflect inside those reflector panels as the head move in and out of focal point of the reflector.
Photographer
Sing Lo Photography
Posts: 58
London, England, United Kingdom
StephenEastwood wrote:
Custom designed lighiting, thats a round beautydish with two sets of lighting sorrounded by a grip and black blocker in center, I liked it, used it a few times. seems to be interesting to lots of people who see it, only really works on real tight shots like that otherwise you lose the effect. And with a strobe a modeling light is never powerful enough to be seen even the 250watt broncolor.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com I was wrong then lol you typed at the same as me.
Photographer
Sing Lo Photography
Posts: 58
London, England, United Kingdom
I wonder what it does the quality of light other than giving that funky catch lights? I have seen people stick black mask in the center of a large Octa.
Photographer
Jamie-JAYCE-Charles
Posts: 2207
Hollywood, Florida, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
And speaking of toys, whats with Kay B Toys? I mean do they ever have anything cool and fun??? I never find any cool toys there and always have to leave a mall and go to a Toys "R" Us to find all the cool toys... Whats with that?
I mean the only cool toys in a mall are at spencer gifts and they are usually old fart jokes and fake sex toys and M&M viagra, (which do not work by the way, not that I need them mind you)
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com lol idk what we are going to do with you but lets just make sure you dont leave ok thanks
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
Sing Lo Photography wrote:
I wonder what it does the quality of light other than giving that funky catch lights? I have seen people stick black mask in the center of a large Octa. Its closer, so fall off is greater (read faster, sharper, stronger)and its a harder source of light than you could ever get from an octa.
As for two florescent tubes I actually have a setup similar for HD video work that is very cool.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
DeVaul Photography
Posts: 702
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
NYPHOTOGRAPHICS wrote:
What? he did not ask about a platypus with candy in the pockets? I must have misread it
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com No I didn't, but I am going to ask this-M&M flavored Viagra you say? Of course I'm only asking for a friend !!
Photographer
Rich Meade
Posts: 1302
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Grids grids, and more grids.
everything I use has a grid, with the exception of the umbrellas...(but I'm working on that)
Photographer
StephenEastwood
Posts: 19585
Great Neck, New York, US
DeVaul Photography wrote:
No I didn't, but I am going to ask this-M&M flavored Viagra you say? Of course I'm only asking for a friend !! We all have those special friends we care to help out whenever we can
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com
Photographer
DeVaul Photography
Posts: 702
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
StephenEastwood wrote:
We all have those special friends we care to help out whenever we can
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com And my special friend has been feeling down lately, at least that's what my wife says! LOL
Photographer
Sing Lo Photography
Posts: 58
London, England, United Kingdom
StephenEastwood wrote:
Its closer, so fall off is greater (read faster, sharper, stronger)and its a harder source of light than you could ever get from an octa.
As for two florescent tubes I actually have a setup similar for HD video work that is very cool.
Stephen Eastwood
http://www.StephenEastwood.com yeah love the rapid fall-off and softness of two Kinos that you can shoot with telephoto lens having aperture wide open. Very nice out of focus highlights can be achieved with reflective material background. Something that you can't reproduce with strobes and strip softboxes...even you use modeling lights only.
There is nothing more fun than inventing and making your own light modifiers.
Photographer
T A R I Q
Posts: 1302
Baltimore, Maryland, US
love to see some good examples of grid work for creative head shots
Photographer
DennisRoliffPhotography
Posts: 1929
Akron, Ohio, US
T A R I K wrote:
love to see some good examples of grid work for creative head shots This isn't a headshot but we're discussing the use of grids so I thought I'd throw it in. It's an example of glam work that I used to do a few years ago but have since moved into fashion work.
This was kind of a formula lighting for me. I lit the face with a boomed monolight fitted with 7" reflector with two layers of tuffspun, a 10º grid stacked on top of a 30º grid. Breast light was a monolight, 7" reflector and 10º grid, kicker light (edge light?) camera left, monolight, 7" reflector and 30º grid. Kicker light camera right (highlighting the front of the thighs), chimera extra small fitted with a 20º metal grid, mounted low about 30" off of floor. Kicker light camera right (highlighting hair and shoulder), monolight with 7" reflector and 20º grid, mounted high, about 66" off of floor. The front of the thigh is highlighted with a photogenic 200w mini spot (because I ran out of strobes at that point, ha ha).
For overall fill I placed an elinchrom octabank with monolight, directly behind camera position and about 12 feet from subject. All strobes were gelled with Rosco 1/4 straw. Oh, and the background was lit with a Strand 2K fresnel spotted down a bit. Glad I don't do this kind of work anymore (unless someone requests it). Too much damn work, ha ha.
![https://dennisroliff.com/samples/glam_samples/jpegs/glam_001.jpg]()
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