The New Intimacy

Eden Photographers Club Meeting - Tuesday, February 21th @ 7 pm EST (Topic: Lighting for boudoir photos)

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Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Of course, the nature of the room in which you are photographing also makes a big difference. If you happen to be photographing outside, then that makes things more straightforward, but if you shoot inside, the amount and direction of light that can enter a room makes a big difference. If you are fortunate enough to shoot in a room that has many windows and skylights, you should have plenty of light and not have to resort to much artificial lighting. If your room has just one or two small windows, that's simply not going to be enough light and you'll need to depend heavily on artificial light.

We good so far?
02/21/2012
Contributor: Curiouscat Curiouscat
Quote:
Originally posted by HugsAndBites
when the clouds refract the light it may be good for pictures- but that is also why you can burn on a cloudy day...
I burn even when in doors...lol
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
That's a good idea! I will pick up some sheer fabric sometime.
Bring a strong flashlight with you when you go shopping. It will gave you a good idea of how heavy or sheer your fabric needs to be.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Curiouscat Curiouscat
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Of course, the nature of the room in which you are photographing also makes a big difference. If you happen to be photographing outside, then that makes things more straightforward, but if you shoot inside, the amount and direction of light that ... more
Yessir
02/21/2012
Contributor: Loriandhubby Loriandhubby
Quote:
Originally posted by Jul!a
I never realized what made evening light more golden than morning light. That's pretty neat!
I was not sure of what caused the change also. But I have found just by shooting during all times of the day this winter that at dusk the photos seem to have a warmer type feel to them. I have been experimenting with silhouette ( don't think this is spelled right. ) type photos during the evening. No luck yet, but I'm still trying.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
It's also why you get prettier sunsets in dry environments relative to wet ones. Desert sunsets are stunning because there is so much dust that gets kicked up, whereas where it is wet there is less dust kicked up and there is water vapor that ... more
That makes a lot of sense.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Loriandhubby Loriandhubby
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
It's also why you get prettier sunsets in dry environments relative to wet ones. Desert sunsets are stunning because there is so much dust that gets kicked up, whereas where it is wet there is less dust kicked up and there is water vapor that ... more
Great info. thank you very much. This explains why our sunset photos in Oklahoma look a lot better then here in Va.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Bring a strong flashlight with you when you go shopping. It will gave you a good idea of how heavy or sheer your fabric needs to be.
Good idea!

And yup, all caught up.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Artificial light is light that comes out of a light bulb or a flash. It is easier to control than natural light, but most light sources are nowhere near as strong as the amount of light that reaches the Earth from the sun. Many lights also put out unnatural colors, which may either be what you're looking for or something totally undesirable.

The first thing to mention is that a bare light bulb or flash is going to leave bright spots on the skin. Although I suppose there could be instances where this is desired, in general it is distracting and unpleasing. As such, a bare light bulb or flash will need a diffuser. They sell diffusers for off-camera flashes, and if you have a camera Otherwise, you'll need to improvise. Very thin fabrics placed close to, but absolutely not touching, the light bulb can work, but the light will also take on the color of the fabric, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Loriandhubby
I was not sure of what caused the change also. But I have found just by shooting during all times of the day this winter that at dusk the photos seem to have a warmer type feel to them. I have been experimenting with silhouette ( don't think this ... more
There is less evapotranspiration during Northern Hemisphere winters, so there is less less water vapor to scatter and wash out the sunsets.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Artificial light is light that comes out of a light bulb or a flash. It is easier to control than natural light, but most light sources are nowhere near as strong as the amount of light that reaches the Earth from the sun. Many lights also put out ... more
Why Vacci, you sound like you don't want us starting fires. *pout*.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Curiouscat Curiouscat
Very informative
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
LED lights often have a bluish tinge, fluorescent and incandescent lights generally have a yellowish tinge, and halogen lights often have a purple tinge, and tungsten lights often have a orange tinge, and so on. So, with your diffuser, you can change the color of your light source to whatever you want.

On-camera flashes are much trickier. taping some sheer fabric over the flash should accomplish many of the same things that placing it near a light bulb would, but I've honestly never tried it, so I can't claim that it will work.

Artificial light also has a strong directional quality to it. A floor lamp will have a different direction than an overhead light, and that will affect the shadows and contrast of your photo. Most artificial lighting isn't very strong, either, and thus more light sources might be necessary to get an appropriate shutter speed or desired aperture for the depth of field you want.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
Why Vacci, you sound like you don't want us starting fires. *pout*.
Let's just say that y'all should learn from others' mistakes.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
LED lights often have a bluish tinge, fluorescent and incandescent lights generally have a yellowish tinge, and halogen lights often have a purple tinge, and tungsten lights often have a orange tinge, and so on. So, with your diffuser, you can ... more
I love, in some of the steel toys' product pages, seeing all the reflections of the half-dozen lightbulbs they're using to help light the set.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Curiouscat Curiouscat
Ah i've just started fiddling with these settings on my camera
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
I'll give y'all a few minutes to digest all that, and while I'm waiting, I'll give out our first EdenFantasys gift card of the evening.

I'm going to give everyone a minute or two to catch up before posting the trivia question
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Curiouscat
Ah i've just started fiddling with these settings on my camera
One thing I didn't mention is that you can change the color of your photo by playing with the color temperature settings either on your camera before you take it or by using photo-processing software after wards. It's nice to be able to get rid of a color cast because of a particular kind of light.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
OK, the first person to answer this question correctly will win a $25 EdenFantasys gift card.

According to Cornell University, the 5th most photographed city in the world is Los Angeles. What landmark in that city is the most photographed?
02/21/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
OK, the first person to answer this question correctly will win a $25 EdenFantasys gift card.

According to Cornell University, the 5th most photographed city in the world is Los Angeles. What landmark in that city is the most photographed? ... more
I know less about Los Angeles than I do about San Francisco.

The only thing I even know about Las Angeles is that Jack Webb lived there, so I'm gonna say "Dragnet Headquarters!" ... but I know that won't be right.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Loriandhubby Loriandhubby
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
OK, the first person to answer this question correctly will win a $25 EdenFantasys gift card.

According to Cornell University, the 5th most photographed city in the world is Los Angeles. What landmark in that city is the most photographed? ... more
hollywood walk of fame.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Antipova
I know less about Los Angeles than I do about San Francisco.

The only thing I even know about Las Angeles is that Jack Webb lived there, so I'm gonna say "Dragnet Headquarters!" ... but I know that won't be right.
Spelling.

Los.

Whoops.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
Quote:
Originally posted by Loriandhubby
hollywood walk of fame.
Congratulations loriandhubby! Yes, it is the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
02/21/2012
Contributor: HugsAndBites HugsAndBites
yup walk of fame
02/21/2012
Contributor: Curiouscat Curiouscat
that was difficult O_O haha. Google was feeding me lies..
02/21/2012
Contributor: Antipova Antipova
Quote:
Originally posted by Curiouscat
that was difficult O_O haha. Google was feeding me lies..
You could just be like me and base your guesses on old 1940's radio shows! You'll still be wrong, but at least you won't feel like anyone's lying to you
02/21/2012
Contributor: Loriandhubby Loriandhubby
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Congratulations loriandhubby! Yes, it is the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
oh my gosh.. My hubby just guessed.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Curiouscat Curiouscat
Quote:
Originally posted by Loriandhubby
oh my gosh.. My hubby just guessed.
haha! Congrats! :3
02/21/2012
Contributor: Vaccinium Vaccinium
So, about those shadows. For many people, shadows suck. They obscure, detract, or otherwise take away for the photo. However, that doesn't need to be the case.

Boudoir photography can work well being so contrasty that you can't tell what's in the dark areas. It can give the photo an edgy quality or it can lead the viewer to focus on the curves and lines rather than the body itself. For most people, however, this isn't what you'll be going for, so you'll need to do something about the shadows. You still want shadows or else your photo will look like the two dimensional image that it is. Shadows help trick the mind into seeing three dimensions, even if there are only two there. However, losing all information about what's in the shadowed areas is generally not what you'll want.
02/21/2012
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Quote:
Originally posted by Vaccinium
Let's just say that y'all should learn from others' mistakes.
This is why I am very careful when starting fires in fireplaces.
02/21/2012