The Price of Power - Part 2

Creating a Oversize Backdrop
Before we could do anything with our lighting, we had to figure out how to make a backdrop large enough to fit six cheerleaders. We had our ProDuty Backdrop Support Kit system and a 20-foot x 10-foot Muslin backdrop, but that setup would only suffice for a maximum of two people photographed full length.

Luckily, we had just the solution. First, we took our ProDuty Backdrop Support Kit and added a simple brass stud extension on to one of the stands. This enabled us to attach a second backdrop pole and a third leg to support it (figure 1). Doing this effectively doubled the size of our backdrop pole making it possible to support a 40-foot cloth backdrop.

The next part was a bit more challenging. Where could we find a nice looking backdrop that was at least 40 feet wide and long enough to cover the floor? After a lot of research on the web, we concluded that there is no such product on the market. We knew that one way to make a huge backdrop was to sew two or three smaller ones together. This method is widely accepted by studio photographers, however, it required two things that we didn't have: a sewing machine and a lot of time.

Our solution was somewhat less high-tech, but just as effective. Instead of sewing two backdrops together, we decided to try using some carpet tape bought at a local hardware store (figures 2 and 3).

Carpet tape is extremely strong, but not permanent. It was definitely strong enough to hold the two backdrops together. After the shoot was over, we were able to pull the fabrics apart without damaging either of them.

With our two Photoflex 20-foot Backdrops taped together, we were then able to attach the entire backdrop to the extended support system. When we did this, we found that there was still not enough fabric to cover the floor. Our solution was to grab a third 20-foot backdrop and lay it down carefully to cover the extra floor space we needed for the shot.

Using the StarFlash 300 with Umbrella
With our backdrop in place, we were ready to bring in the models. For the first part of this lesson we wanted to see just how far we could push the 300-watt StarFlash to photograph this group of cheerleaders. To get things rolling, we setup a StarFlash 300Ws Umbrella Kit as our main light (figure 4).

The result (figure 5) using the StarFlash 300 with 43-inch silver umbrella is very high in contrast. The lower right portion of this shot is much too bright (almost blown out) and the deep shadows on the left make this group portrait anything but flattering.

Next, we placed a 42-inch white translucent LiteDisc in front of the umbrella to diffuse the lower half of the light source (figure 6).

This worked great to eliminate the bright highlight on the floor and helped to direct most of the light at the group (figure 7). However, we still felt that the contrast was too harsh, especially for a posed group portrait.

Adding a Second Light
Next, we added another StarFlash 300 umbrella kit to use as a fill light. We positioned the fill light just to the right of the camera and pointed it towards the far left side of the group (figure 8). We positioned the light this way, because we wanted to maintain a sense of depth to the shot and to make sure that the fill light would reach the person in the back.

This result (figure 9) using two StarFlash 300-watt heads with umbrellas was a dramatic improvement over our first shot using only one light. The fill light worked beautifully to illuminate the shadows thereby reducing the contrast overall in the image.

Shown below (figure 10) is a side-by-side comparison of our first three shots.

• In the first shot (left) we used a single 300-watt StarFlash with silver umbrella as the main light.
• In the second shot (middle) we used a white translucent LiteDisc to diffuse the lower portion of the main light.
• In the third shot (right) we added another Starflash 300 with umbrella to act as a fill light.

The Issue of Power and Aperture
The results we obtained using two StarFlash 300 Umbrella kits appeared almost acceptable. However, upon closer examination of this shot, we noticed that there was not enough depth of field in this image to keep everyone in the shot (from front to back) in focus (figure 11).

This problem is directly related to power. For this last shot, we used two 300-watt strobes with umbrellas. With both lights set to full power and our ISO set to 100, we had to use an aperture of f/4 to get an accurate exposure. As you can see from the close-up example above (figure 11), f/4 did not give us enough depth of field to render everyone in focus.

We knew that to achieve good depth of field with this shot, we would need an aperture of at least f/8, but we would prefer an even smaller aperture of about f/11 or f/16. One way to achieve this would be to raise the ISO to somewhere around the 800 to 1600 range. Doing this would force us to sacrifice image quality, and that was the last thing we wanted do.

A better solution would be to upgrade the light source from a 300-watt strobe to a 1000-watt strobe. And, that is precisely what we decided to do.

Using the StarFlash 1000 with 5-foot OctoDome
For the next shot, we pulled out the 300-watt strobes and positioned a StarFlash 1000 with a 5-foot OctoDome as the main light (figure 12).

With the power dial on the StarFlash 1000 set to almost full, we were now getting a good exposure using an aperture of f/11 (figure 13). By focusing on the person in the middle of the front row, we were able to ensure that everyone in the shot from front to back was in focus.

In addition to the extra depth of field allowed by the increase in power, we were also quite fond of the soft quality of light produced by the 5-foot OctoDome. No longer did we need to use extra diffusion to control the bright highlight on the floor. The 5-foot OctoDome produced a nice, even light across the entire frame.

Next, we added a less powerful fill light to the shot. We used a StarFlash 300 with a 3-foot OctoDome. After some experimentation, we found that the ideal placement of the fill light was just to the left of the camera (figure 14). The StarFlash 300 was set to full power.

The fill light worked nicely to add some light to the shadows and reduce the contrast of the entire shot without overpowering the main light (figure 15). Thanks to the extra power of the 1000-Watt strobe, this shot was now acceptable.

Stylizing the Shot With Rim Lights
To add the final touch, we decided to employ the two StarFlash 300 Umbrellas kits as rim lights. We hoped that this would add a little more flare and excitement to this team photo. We started with one 300-watt head with umbrella raised almost as high as it could go. We positioned it behind and to the left of the group angled down (figure 16). The power was set to full on the strobe.

In this result (figure 17) we can see that our 1st rim light worked nicely light the background, and the other edges of the people standing closest to that light. This helped to separate the people from the background and added a more dimensional quality to the shot.

Then, we repeated the same setup with our other 300-Watt strobe positioned on the right side of the group (figure 18).

The result was a dramatic improvement (figure 19). Now the shot had more depth, separation, and more life.

Shown below (figure 20) is a comparison, showing our process for building up lighting in this shot.

• The first shot (left) shows the effect of the main light, a single 1000-watt StarFlash with 5 foot OctoDome, positioned to the right and slightly above the group.
• In the second shot (middle left) we added a fill light, a StarFlash 300 with 3-foot OctoDome.
• The third shot (middle right) shows the result using a single rim light positioned behind and to the left of the group.
• The fourth and final shot (right) shows the result after we added the second rim light on the opposite side of the group.

After we had our group shot done, we went ahead with some fun shots using the same lighting setup. We tried a few different formations that the girls had practiced together (figure 21).

One of our favorite shots of the shoot is shown below (figure 22).

A Digital Touch-Up
For this shot after the shoot, we decided to use the Rubber Stamp tool in Adobe Photoshop to smooth out the wrinkles and adjoining areas of the background for a more seamless result (figure 23). For a closer look at how to use this tool, among others, check out the following lesson on Web Photo School: Using Photoshop Tools

Then, using the same lighting setup we took another fun shot as an alternative to the formal team pose (figure 24).

As you can see, this two lesson series clearly demonstrates that making an intelligent investment in your lighting can give you the versatility you need in the studio. Having a little bit more power in your strobe system than you think you need will go a long way towards making you feel more secure about taking on larger studio productions when they come up. Having extra power will also mean that you will not be using your strobes at their full capacity all of the time, thereby saving the life of the capacitor and flash tube (discussed in "The Price of Power Part 1").

In each of these lessons, we encourage our readers to experiment and have fun. But, keep in mind that not having enough power to get the shot you want is never any fun.