articles/Location/surfergirl-page1

Surfer Girl - Location Lighting with Multiple Strobes Part 1 - part 1 of 1 2 3

by Craig Minielly Published

Craig Minielly M. Photog., MPA, SPA, Cr. Photog., CPP
Beach Workshop in Puerto Plata, DR.
Multiple Strobe Set Up
Total Session Time: 11 Minutes

I had the pleasure of presenting for a day at a convention held at the IberoStar Dorada in Puerto Plata, DR. A great group of people from the NOBS Forum got together for some serious ( but not all the time ) learning... What follows over the next few pages, is the basic setups and settings used during the session and then the production involved in creating the final image, as seen below.

Some things just work out for the better...

During a recent workshop held in the sunny tropics, my scheduled models ( local vacationers ) had succummed to the all-inclusive bottle flu and missed our start time... One of the organizers worked his magic on the Dive & Surf Shop manager who was kind enough to pose but only had a few minutes left from her break - So what followed was a very fast, un-rehearsed and completely real-time location operation.

* The specs that follow relate to my Nikon gear and the SB800 Speedlights, but the positioning, exposure values, camera settings and shooting considerations are all universal. The Nikon iTTL Creative Lighting System system ( the technology built into their strobes) allowed me to achieve the final results all that much easier - and under some challenging conditions.Step 1 - Seek out your model and explain to her that she's absolutely perfect "As Is" for your session , and also to ignore the crowd of 20 other people with cameras watching her...

Step 2 - Have a good look at the general location considerations, and evaluate how they may affect your image.

Here we can see that the background is brightly lit by high overhead sunlight. Our subject is in a shaded area with a considerable difference in brightness, light direction, white balance and colour values.

I need to be concerned about keeping the naturalness of the background, not losing the white details in any hilights, lighting my subject in a manner that works with the existing ambient AND filtered sunshine breaking through.

Shooting in a different setting with everything evenly lit from the sun would definitely be easier, but I personally prefer depth in my images, and that usually involves setups that are a bit more challenging - but always more rewarding!

Step 3 - Pre-Visualize your results and decide on your Lighting.

The image below gives an overview of the area and how I have placed my lights... It will almost always change as the session progresses, but at least figure your basic starting points and work up from there

• Surfer Girl - Location Lighting with Multiple Strobes Part 1 page 1
  
• Surfer Girl - Location Lighting with Multiple Strobes Part 1 page 2
  
• Surfer Girl - Location Lighting with Multiple Strobes Part 1 page 3
  

There are 55 days to get ready for The Society of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Wednesday 15th January 2025