For god's sakes, this CANNOT be this hard! Lighting for physique shoot. Please HELP

K

KuriousJorj

Active member
So I'm cut up and ripped, in full physique mode. I don't do much filmmaking any more, so going to someone else for this project; a local photographer. Said she would make my abs and muscles pop. I had my doubts; all her other pics I've seen, even studio shots, they're all run of the mill, basic flat lighting. (most of her stuff is just shooting newborns curled up w/ some goofy hat on, or something; all exactly the same, no skill or insight required)

So I do my shoot, get the pics... and that's EXACTLY how they looked. Flat as hell. Boring, standard lighting. (I suspected as much while shooting, but was stressed and distracted and didn't bring it up)

For crying out loud, I looked better in her dressing room, with the harsh, overhead light, than I did in her 'professional' pics!

HERE'S MY QUESTION:

I still got knowledge, and a buddy had a nice camera. Surely I can get 1-2 lights and shoot this myself.

What would you recommend to re-create that singular, harsh lighting that brings out the definition -- think Brad Pitt in the basement fights of Fight Club -- but also have a secondary light on my face, to take away the harshness of that solo light? What's the quickest, cheapest way? What angles, set-up would you recommend.


thnx
 
well, you could start with a singular, harsh light that brings out the definition. don't forget to add a secondary light for your face.

i mean, what exactly do you want us to tell you? Sounds like you already know exactly what you want. If you just want to rant about a bad photographer, that's cool. Sounds like you probably knew what you were getting going in.
 
If there's "no skill or insight required", you should be able to use your phone and a lightbulb and rock that ripped bod huh? If you have such a low opinion of the skill required to master specific photographic techniques, I'm glad I won't be the next person you hire. Here's a tip though: next time you need to get on the cover of Muscle Mag, choose a photographer who's work you don't despise so much! ;)
 
roly said:
Overhead gridded beauty dish. Two gridded rim lights on either side, feathered.

You NEED harsh light to provide the shadows for the muscles to pop. A big, diffused light is exactly what you don't need.

http://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/sketching-light-an/9780321712684/graphics/p0173-01.jpg
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Right, that's what I was figuring... But wondering if it has to be overhead, or if other angles might work. As well as other details or experiences folks might share.


sonofaresiii said:
well, you could start with a singular, harsh light that brings out the definition. don't forget to add a secondary light for your face.

i mean, what exactly do you want us to tell you? Sounds like you already know exactly what you want. If you just want to rant about a bad photographer, that's cool. Sounds like you probably knew what you were getting going in.
Click to expand...

What do I want you to tell me? How about details? Yes, I already know exactly what I want. What I obviously don't know, is if there are details, tricks, examples folks could provide, insights I may not have had, etc.

Did I really need to explain that?

jsolterbeck said:
If there's "no skill or insight required", you should be able to use your phone and a lightbulb and rock that ripped bod huh? If you have such a low opinion of the skill required to master specific photographic techniques, I'm glad I won't be the next person you hire. Here's a tip though: next time you need to get on the cover of Muscle Mag, choose a photographer who's work you don't despise so much! ;)
Click to expand...

No, because using a phone vs fancier stuff has nothing to do w/ skill. That's just about money.

So do you have any actual input into how you might light such a shot? Have you ever done or experimented w/ such a lighting setup? Any feedback?

???
 
KuriousJorj said:
What do I want you to tell me? How about details? Yes, I already know exactly what I want. What I obviously don't know, is if there are details, tricks, examples folks could provide, insights I may not have had, etc.
Click to expand...
Not really, lighting people isn't all that complicated. Lighting the location is usually the hard part, but for this I would probably use a 4x4 bay light skinned with a relatively thin diffusion. Maybe a 4x4 bead board with roscoflex placed in front of the camera right under it's field of view would be all you need in the way of fill.
 
Form and texture come from shadow. In order to see shadow you need the light to not come from the front. Side or top light will be ok. You can angle a bit to the front, depending on how much drama you want, but generally keep it side-ish or top-ish. Soften by taste: hard will cut features more, but lacks half-tones, and half-tones can also suggest form. If there is ambience and your key is large enough, you don't really need a second light.
 
Thanks for the feedback and links... Lots of good info here for me to chew on. though some of your solutions would require me buying the fancy stuff; not practical for only one shoot. Fortunately I'm usually pretty good at improvising w/ 'regular' materials and getting the exact same end result using cheaper methods.

I haven't done any filmmaking/cinematography in years. I think this might be fun.
 
negative fill on your body will also help, you could use 4x4 or 4x8 black & white foamcore on both sides just out of frame
 
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