This article was originally published in the April/May 2010 edition of PhotoLife magazine

Starting your home studio is usually a dream come true. However, behind this dream lies a challenge: going from “taking” pictures to “making” pictures. If you walk on the street and take an image, the light can be bad; in your studio, if the light is bad, there is no one to blame but yourself.

First Comes Light…

The first ingredient you will need is light. It seems obvious, but hopefully you have at least one window at your disposal. The window is the traditional light of choice when it comes to portraiture—think of the Mona Lisa or all those famous Rembrandt portraits. The sidelight coming from a window should provide all that you will ever be looking for: a large source of diffused light. The only piece of equipment you now need in order to create ideal lighting conditions is a tool that will shed some light on the shadowy side of your subject. “Voilà!” How near or far you place the reflector will determine the intensity of the reflected light.

The model is lit by the window and a reflector is positioned to send some light in the shadow area.

Another benefit of sidelight coming from a window is that it will make it easier to identify the direction of the light in your image; this is fundamental in giving the viewer a sense of depth, as light comes from one side and fades away. Try to give your images a sole-light feel. Remember, there is only one Sun. This single piece of information has helped my entire photography career.

…Then Comes Exposure

The next step is exposure. Here’s a starting point. On a bright day, cover your window with a light fabric or a very light curtain, set your camera on Manual, the white balance on the Daylight preset (the little Sun), and your ISO at 400. Select the largest aperture available on your lens and set the speed to 1/60th of a second. Then take a picture of your subject. To judge the results, look at the brightest side of your subject. The skin tones and other details should have a natural feel and colour. If they seem too dark, you have two options: lower the speed, which will require a tripod, or raise the ISO to 500, 640, even 800 if needed. When the brightest side is adequately lit, move the reflector to attain the desired effect and shoot. You’ve now done your first studio set-up.

This simple window-side set-up gave Joanie her simple and cozy look.

Any other method involving light, flash, or other pieces of equipment and tools will be a variation of this basic technique. Here’s one variation if you wish to experiment on a dull day or at night, I would suggest that you use photofloods as a starting tool. Position them behind some diffusing material to reproduce the main light source on one side of your subject.

On October 20th, Jean-François gives a workshop on studio portrait techniques. For more information, visit our Facebook page or give us a call at 514-645-8255 or 1-888-odcphoto

                          

514-645-8255
1-888-632-7864

Le jeudi 20 octobre

Okane.ca communication, 11625 Sherbrooke Est, bureau 250, Montreal
Durée : 3hrs (18h à 21h)
Coût : 75$

Soirée intime avec le Coach, pour explorer les techniques de portrait en studio dont:
- les techniques d’éclairage à basse intensité
- les différences entre parapluies, boîtes lumineuses de tailles différentes
- quelques trucs de pose pour le portrait
- utilisation de l’éclairage continu
- utilisation de l’éclairage flash

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Intimate evening with TheStudioCoach, to explore studio portrait techniques such as :
- low intensity lighting techniques
- diffrences between umbrellas, light boxes of different sizes
- tips for good portrait poses
- use of continuous lighting
- use of flash lighting

 BILLETS | TICKETS

                          

 11 septembre 2011 :

Durée : toute la journée | All day long

Inscription ici | Register here : http://grandeseance.eventbrite.com/

Journée dédiée à la pratique de la photographie en studio. Chaque Grande Séance réunit 50 photographes et 50 mannequins amateurs et professionnels. Séparés en petits groupes, ils improvisent de courtes sessions de photo dans 4 studios où sont installés différents éclairages, fonds de scène et décors. Des formateurs spécialisés (dont Jean-François à titre de conférencier!) ainsi que plusieurs bénévoles sont présents pour répondre aux questions des participants. Quelques places sont encore libres : inscrivez-vous !

A whole day dedicated to shooting in the studio. 50 photographers, 50 models, 4 studios with unique lights, screens and settings.Jean-François will be there as a lecturer. A few places are left, go register !

                          

FRANCAIS

ENGLISH

                          

LOOK FOR REBATES ON ALL SOFTWARES RIGHT HERE

                          

LOOK FOR REBATES ON ALL SOFTWARES RIGHT HERE

                          

EXTENDED TO MARCH 31ST, 2011
>>>> reviewed shipping date: 2011, march 11th.

You never really shoot with one light, by TheStudioCoach

On February the 20th the new DVD from Jean-Francois O’Kane will be launched in Victoria, British-Columbia, as a part of the SHOOT IT RIGHT tour.

This DVD walks you through 6 shooting situation, where you can use the strobist or the one light technique. Follow Jean-Francois O’Kane, a.k.a TheStudioCoach to learn the technique.

The DVD will be in French and in English, shot in english and doubled in french, languages will be on individual tracks.

Running time of over one hour.

2CheckOut.com Inc. (Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for goods and services provided by TheStudioCoach.

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TheStudioCoach 3 shots magic

I will demonstrate this technique live during each stop of the SHOOT IT RIGHT tour, I’ve learned it from my friend Jim DiVitale.

Here is what you need:

1 Quartz imager Q250 lamp

1 Grey card (PhotoGreyCard or PhotoMasterTarget)

1 white card board

3 or 4 fruits or actualy anything

An image editing software (Photoshop or other)

Nik Color Efex Pro (15%instant rebate Use code: JFOKane)

Shot on Olympus E5 / LensBaby double glass

and the method….. I’ll tell you there.

REGISTER TODAY:

                          

Plus d’information dans l’édition Février mars des magazines Photolife et Photosolution pour un article complet, et rechercher les formation de Jean-Francois chez PhotoService