Lighting setup for newborn photo/video shoot?

[Rick Wise]

Ah, shooting beautiful babies! My favorite technique is to used either bleached or unbleached muslin with, in the old days, a 5K or 10K pushed through it. Today, with adjustable ISO on your DSLR, you could probably use your Kinos pushed through two layers of shower curtain liner with a foot or so between them, available at Home Depot and the like. The idea: place the key and diffusion to one side, about 90 degrees from the camera, and let the light wrap around that sweet face. Add a piece of foam core on the other side for fill, adjusting the distance to dose the quantity.

As to the angle, it could be overhead, or not so overhead, your creative choice.

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Stan Welks]

1.) Will one Diva be enough, or should I consider the larger 4-Bank as the key light?

2.) When you said “you could probably use your Kinos pushed through two layers of shower curtain liner with a foot or so between them,”

Would I use some C Stand to hold the two layers of shower curtain liner to the C stand with some spring clamps?

3.) As for the fill light, should I use foam core on a c stand vs. using the 2nd Diva or 4Bank since I have them? Will I get better results with just the foam core

Thanks!

[Mark Suszko]

In a shot like this the baby won’t know the difference between being in a bed and being on soft blankets on the floor. Don’t climb on chairs to hang gear out over over wee babies for no reason. Put the baby on the floor and work more normally.

[Rick Wise]

[stan welks] “1.) Will one Diva be enough, or should I consider the larger 4-Bank as the key light?

2.) When you said “you could probably use your Kinos pushed through two layers of shower curtain liner with a foot or so between them,”

Would I use some C Stand to hold the two layers of shower curtain liner to the C stand with some spring clamps?

3.) As for the fill light, should I use foam core on a c stand vs. using the 2nd Diva or 4Bank since I have them? Will I get better results with just the foam core”

I don’t know your ISO. Maybe a Diva will do the job, maybe not enough light. Also, the thickness of the shower curtain is a factor. The thicker it is, the more diffusion and the less light intensity. If this is a one-shot deal, bring enough extra fire power to meet possible problems.

I would hang the diffusion from a C-stand, and the second layer from another C-stand.

For fill, the foamcore will be softer than a direct light. With such a soft key you will need very little fill. It’s relatively easy to move the foamcore closer or farther away to adjust intensity.

There are NO formulas for lighting. Try something. Look at it. Make adjustments. Look at it again, etc.

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Stan Welks]

1.) My camera has an ISO range of 100–25600. How, if at all does this affect the lighting advice you provided previously?

2.) Is there anything I should look for in a shower curtain liner? If I have the option of thicker, thinner, white, cream, off white, etc.?

3.) If this works out with the lights, I will be using them often. I was looking at Kino Flo 4Bank Full Flozier – 4′ https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/258335-REG/Kino_Flo_DFS_4804_4Bank_Full_Flozier.html

and

Kino Flo Flozier Diffuser for Diva 200 and 2′ Double System – 1 Stop
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/258364-REG/Kino_Flo_DFS_D2_Flozier_Diffuser_1.html

will these do the same thing as the shower curtain liner for diffusion? If so, I won’t need 2 separate c stands to hold the liners.

Thanks!

[Rick Wise]

[stan welks] “1.) My camera has an ISO range of 100–25600. How, if at all does this affect the lighting advice you provided previously?

2.) Is there anything I should look for in a shower curtain liner? If I have the option of thicker, thinner, white, cream, off white, etc.?

3.) If this works out with the lights, I will be using them often. I was looking at Kino Flo 4Bank Full Flozier – 4′ https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/258335-REG/Kino_Flo_DFS_4804_4Bank_Fu...

and

Kino Flo Flozier Diffuser for Diva 200 and 2′ Double System – 1 Stop
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/258364-REG/Kino_Flo_DFS_D2_Flozier_Di...

will these do the same thing as the shower curtain liner for diffusion? If so, I won’t need 2 separate c stands to hold the liners.”

I suspect your camera begins to produce “noisy” images at any ISO higher than 1250. The higher the ISO, the less light intensity you need.

Shower curtain liners: they are relatively cheap. Get a couple of different ones. Cut them in half. Try them out. LOOK at the results. White balance manually when the light is coming through your curtain of choice. Those floziers are a quick way to slightly soften the lights. To get really, really soft light you need a large piece of diffusion close to the subject and far enough from the light that the light fills the surface. For an even softer look, use two layers. Two relatively thin layers will produce very soft light if they are spaced far enough from each other. Two thick layers will be even softer but may cut the light’s intensity down too much.

Play with different solutions. You can do that with a pumpkin or orange etc. long before the shoot.

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Stan Welks]

1.) I attached the Diva to a Matthews C stand, however, it seems as if it is just sitting on top of it, and it will not lock into place regardless of how much I tighten it. It doesn’t seem to fit all the way in. I also tried it with some other C stand attachments with the same result. I want to make sure that the Diva is very secure on the stand for obvious reasons, though no matter how much I tighten it, I’m still able to lift it off the stand. Am I using the correct pieces? If not, can you please suggest the type of connecting pieces I need?

Photo of Diva sitting on top of C stand, I can lift it off even though tightened

Photo of C stand attachment that connects to Diva

Thanks again!

[Todd Terry]

This is the most obvious thing ever and I almost feel silly for even asking… but are you sure you are loosing the knob on the Kino fitting before seating it down on the C-stand’s baby pin (so that it seats all the way), and then tightening it?

I know I know… that’s painfully obvious, but my only conceivable explanation for that. The only other thing I can think of would be that the bolt on the knob is too short to grab and lock on the pin, but why would it possibly be?? No explanation for that.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Stan Welks]

Please don’t feel silly for asking, I am very new to working with the stands and lights, and you nailed it. I feel silly for not figuring that out…

1.) The room is very small, so having to add two additional C stands to hang shower curtain liner 1-foot apart is going to be difficult. I think I may need to go with Flozier over the Diva strictly based on the limitations of the size of the room. I’m not sure if I will even be able to use one of the c stands for shower curtain lining. I guess I will try the flozier to see how soft of light it produces.

1.) As for holding the foamcore, just something like this:

OR I could try to place the foam core in the attachment on the end of this?

Any tips for doing this?

Thank you for your time, help and patience!!!!!

[Todd Terry]

Well… that device is for holding a mic boom. You might be able to figure out how to make it workable with some spring clamps or something to hold foamcore.

What you really need is what’s called a “Duckbill clamp” or a “Quacker clamp”… which is essentially two pieces of sheet metal welded to a pair of vice grips and a baby pin… that’s the “industry standard” piece of gak for holding foamcore.

I made this one myself, but we have some of the “store bought” ones as well. Matthews makes them, some other grip companies might as well.

You can also just “pinch” the foamcore in a grip knuckle without using a clamp, but it doesn’t give you quite the control of a real clamp.

However in the case of shooting a baby on a bed, I’d probably just prop the foamcore up on the bed with something… easier/faster/cheaper than doing it any other way.

And certainly put sandbags on those C-stands (you drape one over the highest of each leg) especially if you have gear hanging over something valuable… like a baby. Or a dog.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com