Anyone want to reverse engineer an image?
 

Quiet here on the Flash technique forum, so thought I would see if anyone fancies a 'reverse-engineer the light' challenge rather than a straight behind the scenes. It would be interesting to hear how different people would tackle the same scenario.

How did I do this single exposure with standard PP?

Mark,

I was impressed with your photo when we were fooling around with laptop photos. The lighting is great and gives the impression of being lit solely by the screen. My guess how it was done is....

Slow shutter allowing light in from screen to be shown, I believe the screen is genuine not pp'ed like mine. A snooted flash to illuminate the bear to trick the viewer into believing as I did about the screen.

Am I close?

Getting close Stephen...

OOOoooo, but where am I adrift?

Its looking like this now, based on your guess so far...

I forgot to mention, f16 and 0.6 sec - spot on for the screen :)

Excellent image Mark and a great idea.

No time to get involved at the moment but I expect/hope to be totally clear to get involved in around 3 weeks time. I missed the laptops last time round.

Don

Okay, flash must have been used otherwise it would not be posted in the flash technique forum. So if a snooted flash was not used the light would have had to be from above and rear of the scene behind the laptop aimed at the bear.

No, you were right about the flash...but you haven't got everything lit yet - compare the original with the second one I posted which just has the snooted light on...maybe you need to see the keys better...

The lighting of the top of the bear's head suggests the use of flash as Foxy has described in post #7. The lighting around the right paw and front right edge of the laptop suggests another light source from that side. This is a very tightly controlled light, suggesting further use of a snoot as very little of it has spilled up beyond the bear's shoulder. I think this light is possibly level with the back edge of the laptop, off to the right hand side, pointing at about 45 degrees towards the right paw.

I'd thought this picture was good when it was first posted, now that I've been made to look at it in detail, I can see just how good it really is. Kudos to Mark for the work that has gone into it.

Duncan

Duncan jumps in to take the prize! Thanks everyone for the kind comments about the image.

This was shot in ambient light of about 1/8, f2.8, ISO 100. I only wanted the laptop and bear lit, removing any distractions and giving the impression of a late night computer session browsing the web/playing a game etc.

9" bare snoot aimed just over the top of the laptop screen to light the bear's face and front. I put a pale lavender gel on the end of the snoot just to colour the light slightly to mimic light from the screen.

6" bare snoot camera right, level with the top of the screen, aimed at the keyboard by the paw.

I turned up the screen brightness to max and set ambiant exposure for the screen with enough DOF for the whole keyboard. I have attached the screen light only image.

I then set the flash powers to light the keyboard and bear as I wanted.

Looking at this again, I should have dropped a 3rd light behind the screen on a very low power to highlight the edges slightly.

Who wants to set the next one then?

That will help to get my brain back in gear, so YES please.

Don

Does that mean you want to set one or want one set Don?

I continue to have very limited time - this is my first full autumn in New England for the colour (should be handy for this month's comp ;) ), so I will be grabbing every available moment to shoot leaves and I have visting family over the next couple of weeks too!

I would not want to divert you away from your Autumn project Mark, so I will get my thinking cap on.

Don

Its difficult for Don and I to set a photo to reverse engineer as we write-up most of our shots that use flash. Here is one that I don't think I wrote up and if I did it would be good reading trawling through the flash photography board for clues.

Now if that not a challenge I don't know what is. :D :p

Other stuff to do first in reply to a Sassan post see ' Advice on 35mm to buy for photography class ' :)


Don

Something to buy me a bit of time
 

Not really fair as this is from the filming of a storm scene so lighting is not at all subtle. Buys me a bit of time though. Large strobes being used to simulate lightning.

This scene is primarily lit by two banks of 48 lights similar to car headlights plus one standard in the movies large Arri light. Lightning is from 2 large strobes and you can see the cable going to one of them.

I have a shot from across the street taken earlier to act as a behind the scenes to post later.

Don

After saying I have no time I think I may have some for a while...I managed to throw myself backwards down a cascading stream yesterday and sprained my left hand quite painfully (its OK though, camera and tripod seemed to survive) - using a camera is just too hard at the moment and typing is proving interesting ;)

First guess at this image...one light through white brolly, camera right and fairly close to subject. Maybe some kind of reflector camera left, slightly behind the subject?

Hope you are well.

First guess is good with correct lighting but positioned incorrectly....

Behind the scenes of my shot of the filming a storm scene.

Don

So, the brolly must be right of the camera, but similar distance from subject and higher than camera?

Am I close with some kind of reflector on the left?

Sorry Don, meant to post a reply to that shot. Having seen these shots, not sure I would have got close though :)

Colder! :)

I'l do a little diagram by the weekend, keep guessing!

I must have hit my head harder than I thought :D

Allow me to provide a background. I was photographing something or other with a tethered PC. When reviewing images and thinking about the next 'take' Cat jumped up and sat with me. I unclipped the camera and took the shot but it was lit very badly so I slightly re-arranged the flash and refector and the image is the result.

Seconds later Cat was gone so no chance to get all her ears in :wink:

Here is how the cat pic was done....

First drawing is a general layout of the table flash camera and tethered computer. Cat jumped on the table as positioned.

A quick re configuration and introduction on a large reflector - Volia!

So I kept the flash in the same place and bounced light on Cats face. Main flash lit the hair as a hair light would.

All total fluke in two takes she was off!

Utterly brilliant drawings Stephen! They are genuinely charming, I'm not taking the mick, I really like them.

Ah, so I had it pretty much exactly in reverse then...doh! Great drawings BTW ;)

Long time comming but here is one. Took this today for our Fun Challenge thread. Anyone care to give it a go.

Due to the focal length of the lens, the distance from the camera was 10ft. Flash in use : SB80-DX connected to the camera to provide the trigger - Multiblitz studio unit and Metz 45CL.

Don

An easy one then Don :confused:

I'll have a think about this over lunch...

Perhaps I should put in a pic of the scene without the lights to give a flavour. I will go do that now. :)

Don

Here we go. A quick wide angle shot taken from as close as I can get at the moment to the original camera position.

Don

OK...white background behind. A s/box slightly camera left...looks fairly close to the machine. The second light above the machine, fairly diffused so another s/box? Both light sources look square (hence s/box rather than brolly), but tough to tell with all those reflecting curves :eek: :)

I'll have a look in a bit, might do one of my 'charming drawings' :D

Multiblitz plus softbox left of the lathe is dead on.

As Foxy has yet to do his drawing this is the other kit used.

SB80-DX at full power on a tripod connected to the camera to add light and trigger the other flash guns.
Metz 45 at 1/4 power with diy softbowl on a tripod.
Lastolite reflector

The problem was keeping everything out of shot.

I know the lighting is not very subtle but the machine is 3ft long and space between it and the other one on the bench is only 18 inches. I would have had to dismantle it to move it as it weighs a ton, but I chose it as the subject for the Challenge thread as it dates from the 1930's.

Don

The trigger flash contributing explains something (should have thought of that) - there are three lights showing on the wheel/handle/thingie on the right-hand side...

Reflector above and to the left of the machine - bouncing light from SB80 (and metz maybe) onto top of machine, metz slightly camera-right and higher...any warmer?

Pretty damn close Mark.

I think for any future ones we should list the kit used as we do not have any idea of the kit available to each contributor.

See attatched pic.

Don

Another one for anyone that fancies a go.

Working space between the lathe and the bench opposite is 3ft so seriously space limited for camera tripod and lighting kit.

Equipment used :
SB80-DX undiffused on full power.
Metz 45CL with diffuser bowl on full power.
Large sheet of foil - actually it is foil covered bubble insulation material.
Plus 3 tripods. :rolleyes: :D

Don

Very nice image Don, whatever the lighting. I am going to have to skip this one...bags packed ready for a couple of weeks down in southern Florida, leaving in the morning :D

Blimey Don, I don't know how you've done it, but it really is a masterclass in sublime lighting of a tricky subject. Bravo Don, bravo!