night time contrasting lighting...

[kyle_noad100]

I need to shoot a simple shot of someone walking down a road in the dark. I want there to be lots of contrasting shadows on both the subject and the foreground, but at the same time to be not too well lit, which to my knowledge = grain. What would be the best possible way to achieve this - set up etc.

Thanks in advance.
Kyle.

 

[j]

Re: night time contrasting lighting...

I'm not sure what you mean by a contrasting shadow, but...

As long as the blacks are not pumped up, there will be no grain. A good trick is to have at least one highlight in the shot, so the eye, and the monitor knows what black should be.

-j

 

[Walter_Graff]

Re: night time contrasting lighting...

If you can get some street lights or some light in the distance in the shot that will help. Can you get a light to splash a tree in the background? Even better can you get one high to be a backlight of the person walking?

 

[10s]

Re: night time contrasting lighting...

As previously stated by Walter, take a regular PAR and aim it at the camera from quite a distance...and then your subject is seen in the foreground silhouetted. Make sure the light has some reason (motivation) for being where it's located other than to give you your shot.