I finally got the guts to pick up my camera again...C&C welcome

[IzzieK]

Thank you Manfred for your tips. I will want to copy and paste this in my word processor so I can print it and add it to my references when I go back to photographing this little gal again sometime this week. There are a few there I already know and some more I want to explore and expand more on...like the eye lights direction and nose shadows just to name a few. In these shots I only took advantage of the natural light from the front yard and was too lazy to use my lighting system. I thought it was bright enough to do all what I wanted to achieve at the time. I have a hair light on my system too but did not use it. I thought that hair light is only used at night when there are no natural light.

Thank you for the encouragements and the tips...it spurs me to move on further than what I already did. I am more used to photographing airplanes, I suppose...they do not need hair lights... Really appreciate your comments. I've learned more everytime you respond even to someone else's post too...

[Manfred M]

I have a hair light on my system too but did not use it. I thought that hair light is only used at night when there are no natural light.

No, not really. A hair light is used to visually separate the hair from the background. If you are shooting a dark-haired person against a dark background, the hair and background can appear to merge together. Put a hair light on the subject's hair, you will create a brighter area and the hair and background won't blend together.

A rim light does something similar, except for more of the head and body, not just the hair.

[IzzieK]

Aaaahhhhhhhh...now that seems to be simple enough to understand. With my relations, they will always have darker hair. This will be useful...thanks again.

No, not really. A hair light is used to visually separate the hair from the background. If you are shooting a dark-haired person against a dark background, the hair and background can appear to merge together. Put a hair light on the subject's hair, you will create a brighter area and the hair and background won't blend together.

A rim light does something similar, except for more of the head and body, not just the hair.

[Manfred M]

Aaaahhhhhhhh...now that seems to be simple enough to understand. With my relations, they will always have darker hair. This will be useful...thanks again.

So shoot them with a light background...

Examples - I took these next two shots during a lighting workshop where we were using some rather ancient Mole-Richardson hot lights.

This shot of Yoko was taken against a black background and she was wearing a black velvet dress, so she and her hair fade into the background.





In this shot, the same background, but a hair light brings some definition to the hair so that it stands out from the background.




And finally, here is a shot taken against a grey background (actually a dirty classroom blackboard), and the model's hair does not blend with the background.

[IzzieK]

Wow! Manfred! Those are spectacular shots! I'd like to learn that kind of shoot...hmm...so the background and the hair lights did it along with the out colour...I'd like to experiment in white too...

As soon as light comes today...I will do my setup and try your examples and also some white background...

I hope others are looking into these posts too....and try to emulate. Very interesting tutorial...A lot of possibilities...water and glasses too comes to mind...

Thank you, thank you...thank you...exactly what I want to learn...I'll get there....sooner with practice...lots of practice...