If you work for a university or school of any kind, it would be likely that you will take a few group photos.
I mean, after all, what is a yearbook for?
But! When having to LIGHT a relatively large group? …having the light consistent, natural, no conflicting shadows, and convincing… um… not artificially lit?
Of course, disregard the backdrop and floor, this photo is designed to be masked out:
There are three lights in this photo, yet there are not conflicting shadows. That’s a first task.
Secondly, the lighting has to be even and consistent all the way across the frame without it looking flat or done with a beauty dish… or lit from a single overhead source – which would also look pretty flat or just kinda look nasty with big shadows underneath the chins.
So, it was done with a 36 inch diffusion panel to the left with a single WhiteLightning. To the right there is an umbrella. To the right also there’s a hair light.
But, the trick here lighting position. The left light through the panel is positioned so that the light falls the most to the right, and the right umbrella light is aimed to the right. The hair light is aimed slightly behind the whole group. Its this criss-cross aiming is what makes the light even.
Now, this isn’t failsafe… of course, the subjects closer to the light are going to get a little hotter – you can see the hand on the left burned. Also, because the diffusion panel shoots a bit warmer than the silver of the reflective umbrella, and warmer still than the neutral density material over the hair light, there is a slight color shift across the front.
Okay, there’s my piece… all flaws included.
Oh, and this setup is VERY similar to the portraits:
I think that’ll do.
Stay tuned,
-Noah D.
