Using the Photoflex First Studio Backdrop Support Kit
When setting up photographic equipment, it is important to do things step by step and to have a clear plan of how the different elements will come together with the greatest level of efficiency. In this particular situation, our first step was to set up our gray muslin backdrop using the Photoflex First Studio BackDrop Kit illustrated in Figure 1. We found this backdrop support system to be ideal for many situations both in the studio as well as on location. Included in this kit are two stands, a telescoping support pole (extends from 55 1/2 inches to 12 1/2 feet), and a handy carrying case.

For detailed information on how to setup this kit, we recommend that you view the lesson on Photoflex Lighting School entitled "First Studio BackDrop Support Kit" (Clicking on this link, or any others, will open a new window, so that you can continue on this lesson at your leisure.).

Setting the ISO with the Olympus EVOLT E-330
Before we began to position our lights and model, we took our time to make sure all of our camera settings were in order. The camera we chose for this shoot is the Olympus EVOLT E-330.

(NOTE: Most digital cameras will allow you to make some or all of the adjustable camera settings we use in this lesson. Please refer to your camera manual for more specific camera model instruction.)

We started by changing the ISO speed rating on the camera to ISO 100. Using a low ISO setting ensures the best possible image quality and minimizes any pixel noise, which can result from using higher ISO settings. This will prove essential when we decide to make a high quality print of our final image. For a more detailed explanation of ISO or film speed please refer to any of our basic camera startup lessons such as the lesson titled, "Olympus EVOLT E-330 Basic Start Up."


Figures 2 and 3 illustrate how to change the ISO setting on the EVOLT E-330.

In photographic terms, the color of light is measured in degrees 'Kelvin' or 'K'. Daylight is approximately 5500K. A household (tungsten) lamp is around 3200K.

The chart in figure 8 shows a comparison of the color temperature for a variety of light sources.

For our portrait, we used two of the FirstStar light sources, which come with the First Studio Portrait Kit. We know that these lights are tungsten and are fairly consistent in their color temperature. Therefore, we needed to set our white balance setting to match the color temperature of our tungsten lights. We chose 3300 as our custom white balance setting, took a shot, and reviewed the preview on the LCD to make sure our image looked neutral or without a colorcast. We tried a few settings within the 3000 to 3600 range to see which looked better. 3300 proved to be the most accurate for our lights.

Using the EVOLT E-330 in Manual Exposure Mode
As do most of today's fully featured digital SLR cameras, the Olympus EVOLT E-330 comes equipped with several exposure modes. These are P (program), S (shutter priority), A (aperture priority), and M (manual). Modes P, S, and A are considered auto modes because they use the built-in light meter of the camera to calculate and set the correct exposure automatically. These modes are great in many general outdoor lighting situations and are especially useful when there is simply no time to think about f-stops and shutter speeds.

It is important to understand that even the most advanced built-in meter can only estimate an average exposure for the light being reflected off the subject. The problem arises when the subject is either too bright or too dark overall. For example, if we were to photograph a bride wearing a white dress on a white background, the built-in light meter would overcompensate for the bright subject matter and would give an exposure that would render the white dress closer to a middle gray. In fact, all light meters are calibrated to render whatever is being measured middle gray. This is where manual exposure control becomes essential.

In our case, we realized that our model was wearing a dark shirt and we wanted to photograph her on a relatively dark background. We also realized that as we made our lighting adjustments, the exposure would have to be compensated. Instead of relying on the built-in meter of the E-330 to give us an average exposure for the light reflecting off of our model, we decided to use a separate handheld, incident light meter to measure the light falling on to the subject. This ensured consistency in exposure from one shot to the next and allowed us to compare our various lighting adjustments without worrying about how they were affecting the light meter of the camera.

Figure 9 shows how to change the exposure mode on the EVOLT E-330.

For more information about exposure settings on the Olympus EVOLT E-330 please refer to the lesson titled Olympus EVOLT E-330 Basic Startup.

Using the Photoflex First Studio Portrait Kit
Years ago, photographers discovered that adding an umbrella to a light source would increase the size of the reflected light coming from their light source, greatly improving the quality of light for portraiture. The increased size gave them a broader light for portraiture that was lower in contrast. Remember, "the larger the light, the softer the light". And a larger light source illuminates more of the subject producing a more natural looking result with lower contrast.

Photoflex has designed the First Studio Portrait Kit to enable you to achieve exceptional portrait results in quick and easy set-ups at an extremely affordable price (figure 1).

The Photoflex FirstStar™ lights in the Portrait Kit have 8-inch reflectors, which are much more suitable to umbrellas, than the 12-inch reflectors on other manufacturers' kits.

The white interior umbrella in the First Studio Portrait Kit is the highest quality white photographic umbrella in the world, so it reflects the highest amount of light onto your subject. No sense in developing the most powerful light source and then wasting it by having the light go through the umbrella.

All these elements combine to produce an unparalleled, affordable portrait light source that is 200% to 300% more powerful than the light sources produced by the competition. In short, even though the Photoflex First Studio Portrait Kit is comparable in price to other manufacturer's portraits, it ain't cheap!

Tips for Using Umbrellas
Umbrellas do, however, take a little bit of understanding so that they are aimed at the subject properly. First you must attach the umbrella to the Photoflex FirstStar reflector correctly.

The reflector should not be positioned too far into the umbrella. If it is, the entire umbrella reflective surface will not be used, which will in effect make it a smaller reflector (figure 11).

If the reflector light is positioned too far from the umbrella, light will "spill out" around the edges (figure 12). This will waste the light, and reduce the effective power of your light source.

Place the umbrella on the reflector and position it so that the light from the reflector is just inside the rim of the umbrella and you can see the edge of the light all the way around the circumference of the umbrella (figure 13).

Now we want to show you how to aim your umbrella so that your subject is in the center of the light area created by the umbrella. The shaft of the umbrella acts as your guide. Since is in the center, you should use it as a pointer to place the umbrella reflector in the middle of the subject that you are trying to light.

Figures 14 and 15 show the umbrella shaft pointing over the model's head, which would be too high for the portrait that we are trying to take. Figure 16 shows the resulting picture. Notice how the shadow under the nose is long and falls over the side of her mouth.

In this set up example, we have the umbrella aimed to low to the model. Figures 17, 18, and 19 show the set up and result.

We are not saying that the above two portraits are bad. In fact, some photographers do this intentionally to accomplish what they call "feathering the light" from the umbrella. We just want to show you the basic position that you should start with and practice, so you will understand how an umbrella portrait light set-up basically works before you try other light modification techniques.

In this set-up example, the umbrella shaft is aimed at about the model's nose so that she will be in the center of the reflector, and the light from the reflector will hit the top of her head and her body.

Figures 21, 22, and 23 show you the set up and the result.

This lighting progression can be more easily understood when compared to the final result. The left result in the comparison below is the umbrella set up too high, the center result is the umbrella set up too low, the right result is the umbrella positioned in the middle, which is where we want it for this lesson (figure 23).

This then brings up the question, "How high do I place the umbrella aiming down on my subject?". In photography, there are no hard and fast rules. Lighting rules are more like lighting guidelines. Proper lighting is determined by the photographer's taste or the subject's requirements.

Setting the Main Light

We chose what appears to be about a 30-degree downward tilt because we wanted some light to hit the model's hair, and the shadow from the nose and chin to look as if they were produced by a window slightly above the model. You may choose to raise the umbrella higher and point it down at a 45-degree angle, or you can bring it lower so that the umbrella is pointing directly at the model from the side.

In fact, when shooting, you can and should try these different light variations to see the results. This is what makes lighting fun and exciting. Slight changes can make dramatic results in the portrait and lead you to new things.

Another frequently asked question is, "How far away from the subject should the umbrella be placed?" Once again, there is no exact answer to this question. However, placing the "main" light farther from the model will decrease the size of your light source, giving you a smaller illumination area, and more high-contrast shadows.

Placing the "main" closer will increase the "hot spots" (areas of brighter illumination caused by non-diffused lights) on the model usually found on the tip of the nose, right above the eyebrow and on the cheek closest to the light.

Try these variations out so you can see these results for yourself and determine what you like in your results.

For this lesson, we placed the umbrella "main" about 3 feet away from the model so that we would have an illumination area from her waist up. Figures 25 and 26 show you the set up and results of the "main" light only.

Introducing the Fill Light Umbrella
Next, we set up our second umbrella in the Portrait Kit and positioned it to the left of our model the same way we put up the "main light" or our first umbrella. How close you put the "fill" to your subject is up to you, again depending upon your artistic taste. If you place the fill at the same distance from the model that the main is placed, you will get very little shadowing and a lighting ratio that is commonly called "1 to 1", or 1:1. The farther away you move the "fill" from the model, the darker the shadows on the face get.

For this lesson we put the "fill" about 4 feet away from the model so that we would get less light on the left side of the model's face giving us soft shadows along the nose and cheek.

Note: We took the "main" light down for the purpose of this lesson demonstration (figures 27 and 28). During a portrait shoot we would never do that, we would just turn it off so we could "see" what the fill looks like on our model.

In the results you can see where the "fill" light is hitting the model and determine if the results are what you want (figure 29). It's important to turn the main light off, especially when you are just starting out shooting portraits, as it is much easier to see the effects of one light at a time.

The images below show you the model with the main light only (figure 30) and the results when we added the fill light to the set (figure 31).

Now that you have the Photoflex First Studio Portrait Kit set up where you like the results, feel free to change the model's poses, and shoot a variety of photos from which to choose. The following results show that you can either move your tripod closer to the model to focus more on her face or zoom in your camera lens (figures 32 - 35).

The broad light source created by the umbrellas give you the ability to take portraits in this set up from the waist up. So take advantage of that and try different crops of your subject.

After you have finished a shoot, it's a good idea to take a photo of the lighting set up that you ended up with (figure 36). Then, make a small print of the set up and put it next to a results shot in a file, so you can see the set up and the results together in the future. This way, when you want to repeat a specific portrait, you will have a photo of how to set up the lights to begin your shoot. Then, you can get the lights set up prior to your client, subject, or model coming to the set.

When the portrait subject arrives, you can fine tune the lighting by turning on the "main" light first, then turn it off and turn on the "fill" light next, to get ready for your first shot.

In this way, your subject will not have to sit and wait while you set up your lights, and will be fresh when you start shooting.