Money and Style

Posted on November 23rd, 2008 by wktd
  • In the studio. Comments are welcome.
    http://www.eravedesigns.com/pete2/content/bin/images/large/DSC01592_Edit.jpg


  • index of refraction- n=c/v


  • I think the harsh lighting works for the mood you're going for. The only thing I'm really iffy on is the cropping. It seems like the there should be either less of all of the right leg showing.


  • i'm still not getting this light meter thing ( i don't have one and have only used one once)


    but with my cam i can accuratly meter a face from pretty far away, meter the backdrop and all and decide proper exposure.

    and since its digital if its a tad off i can see it and correct for it, so really i only see it as neccessary for roughing in lights or when shooting with multiple cameras so you don't have to worry about meter differences. or if your shooting film and aren't comfortable with the meter built in.


  • Nice idea but the face is waaaaay too dark.


  • doesnt a light meter also measure the light hitting a subject instead of the light reflected by it? (not sure how this is an advantage, but it must matter somehow right?)

    Good light meters actually do both of these. Have you ever noticed that white little dome over the sensor? With most, this can slide away and leave the lens directly exposed. One of these positions measures reflected light while the other measures refracted (I think that's the right term), thought I'm not exactly sure how this works.


  • i like this version more than the color one you showed me, i think it adds to the mood. i agree with what people are saying here, but i think it looks good!


  • refraction is the bending of light when passing from one medium to a different more or less dense medium


  • refraction is the bending of light when passing from one medium to a different more or less dense medium

    LOL Physics! And for cameras lenses we want and low index of refraction.


  • It's called "incident" light.
    Reflected light meters read how much light is going into the camera from the subject and incident meters read how much light is hitting the subject.
    All in-camera meters are reflected meters.


  • everyone is trying to find a meaning in this photo. Thanks for the comments on how the face was a bit dark and such but the perspective was how I wanted to convey the picture and just my style.


  • Okay thanks


  • doesnt a light meter also measure the light hitting a subject instead of the light reflected by it? (not sure how this is an advantage, but it must matter somehow right?)


  • I've always kind of wondered why you would need a meter when shooting digital as well since you can see if it's way too dark or light.....
    Thanks for the examples of when you might need one Mike.
    But, what does "roughing in lights" mean?


  • the framing seems a little off or unbalanced to me. and i think the shadow is a bit odd and detracts from the over all image.


    i'm curious as to why you needed a light meter. is the sony's meter not terribly accurate or do you just not like moving the camera to check?


    i don't mean that in a sarcastic way, but seriously.

    No I just want to be more precise. My other shots I didnt expose the backdrop right and some of the spots were comming up weird. If i had a light meter I also could have metered his face and maybe gotten it to expose better


  • Well. I really wanted a light meter so I coudl just get accurate readings. I have used them at school and it just makes things a lot easier for me. When I get another light ratio will come in handy too. Light meters to me seem more accurate and I can get different readings that are more specific to just my strobe or bounced light. I also will be able to measure light more specifically in certain areas instead of my lens taking in only certain amounts of light (depending on what lens is on and how wide it is)


  • I can accuratly read the light with a constant light source, but not with monolight flash blocks.
    Thats where i'd use a flash meter or trial and error with a digital camera, but it's more accurate to read the light with a flash meter for exact areas and to get all my flash's sync'd to the correct ratios. :)
    I also use flash meter's for film, regardless of if lights are in the same position as they were when I shot the digital shot, my dslr reads light slightly different to my slr, so i'd prefer to get an accurate light reading for both of the cameras.


  • I think you could do with a reflector or a fill light to brighten up his facial shadows.
    Also with the pose... he's looking at the camera, but offering the money off to the side. I think he should be looking where he's handing the money or visa versa.

    Other than that, not bad :)


  • Apologies. I should have worded it differently. Naturally the perspective is not wrong, I just found it kind of contradicted the dark face and bad-ass attitude of the subject.


  • It's called "incident" light.
    Reflected light meters read how much light is going into the camera from the subject and incident meters read how much light is hitting the subject.
    All in-camera meters are reflected meters.


    OK, how is this possible? The meter is ONLY capable of reading light that its receiving. How could the light meter possibly read how much light the subject is receiving, unless of course the light meter is in the same spot as the subject. I suppose a meter could estimate how much light the subject is receiving by calculating every factor that effects light reflecting from the subject and removing it. Right?


  • Thanks. It was my first time in my home studio and I had a lot of fun. I was actually thinking during the shoot how I needed one but I didnt have time to make a cardboard one when we were doing the shoot. I could agree with you about where he is passing the money but its more like he is passing the money to someone and glancing at the camera as if he is afraid someone is watching. I should be getting another light soon too and I just got a light meter so things should get better from here.


  • I think there's something wrong with the perspective too. I like the way you emphasise the money with the wide field of view, but your perspective is very high and somewhat looking down. To me that almost makes it think as though I am the one with the power, and not the subject.


  • I think you could do with a reflector or a fill light to brighten up his facial shadows.
    Also with the pose... he's looking at the camera, but offering the money off to the side. I think he should be looking where he's handing the money or visa versa.

    Other than that, not bad :)

    Just ordered a umbrella and a 32" reflector.


  • ah-ha! now i see. although i'll probobly never own one, when it comes to ratios and light positions i just use what looks right to me, not numerically correct ones.

    roughing in lights would be like what a famous photog would have his assistants do before a shoot, or what we all do before a shoot with lights where you put them in a rough location before the subject is there to be shot, then only minor adjustments need to be done.


  • the framing seems a little off or unbalanced to me. and i think the shadow is a bit odd and detracts from the over all image.


    i'm curious as to why you needed a light meter. is the sony's meter not terribly accurate or do you just not like moving the camera to check?


    i don't mean that in a sarcastic way, but seriously.


  • I think there's something wrong with the perspective too. I like the way you emphasise the money with the wide field of view, but your perspective is very high and somewhat looking down. To me that almost makes it think as though I am the one with the power, and not the subject.

    He was sitting.

    I did the perspective how I wanted to do it not how you guys would have done it. He is relaxed with a lot of cash and at the same time its harsh because i was trying to make him look like a bad ass. Yes usually a higher perspective is domination over your subject but I didnt feel this through the image to me it was just another angle.


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