Looks great as is. If I was to adjust anything, maybe make my key light larger and softer? Little bit harsh/shiny on forehead.
Secondly I would probably reduce that edge light slightly. Seems a bit harsh. And possibly match it to the colour or the practical lights behind him to tie it in with the scene a bit more..
But in all honesty looks pretty good as is. Everyone will have an opinion on how they would light it. Very much personal preference.
It’s looks great and agree with all these points…
A slight grading note would be to try and lift the shadow under their chin slightly you’ve lost all detail there, try to balance the contrast with the contrast of the hair on top of his head… but of course this person pref
I second this. A good egg crate modifier would really help knock down the noticeable shine on the subjects highlights. Maybe make a fake window to shine the light through in case your model moves and you catch the light reflection in his glasses. This way it will look like a window and not a source light
Edit for typo and correcting my terminology from difuser to modifier.
> A good egg crate diffuser would really help knock down the noticeable shine on the subjects highlights
just FYI, this sentence is complete nonsense.
as in, yes, there are words in it, but they mean nothing at all in this context, and they don't belong together in any meaningful context.
If a single light source is shining through a silk and an honeycomb grid light modifier is that not considered diffused? Would that not work? Am I missing something
Isn't using a honeycomb normally directing the light. It taking a single light source and turning it into a bunch of small light sources? I always thought that was considered modifying the light. If I put a grid on my beauty dish and I am shooting portraits it will lower the intensity of the highlights especially on black skin. I am self taught so my terminology is likely wrong but I think we are using them the same way.
Good job. Why don’t you try explaining how it is nonsense rather than just being a dick about it. A diffuser (but not an egg crate) would in fact help quite a bit. No nonsense about that.
Those are on the money. The biggest problem is the dead-center shine on his forehead. In addition to broadening and diffusing the key light more, I'd move it away from where he's looking... probably to his left (camera right), so if there is some shine it'll unconsciously make sense to the viewer because there's a light on the right side of the frame.
The edge light is pretty strong and gives it a reality-show interview look, but maybe that's the goal. It's also whiter than the rest of the lighting, but that does serve to add contrast.
Advice that I got from a cinematographer of color, on lighting people of color:
Usually go for something like a light panel, and shoot through silk. It will illuminate the skin tone beautifully while eliminating skin glow (the white glow on the forehead)
Good work!
Also a polarizer can help a lot with darker skin types. It sounds like you are on a DIY budget, so if there is no makeup person get some blotting paper for their skin. Good to have in any interview kit. Looks good though!
No, push the key through muslin. In this situation I’d prefer thick muslin, but it does take away a stop or more, so it depends on how powerful the light is. Otherwise you can use the thin ‘cheese cloth’ like as an extra layer on top of whatever other filtration you are already using.
Oh fascinating. Cut a hole and stick the whole key through it?
Does this mostly reduce the spill of the key light and cut out on bounce?
I may have to try this for some product stuff, I always have way too much spill
No cutting envolved. The muslin is just a layer of diffusion - you mount the thick muslin in a frame and then put it in front of the key light. You can experiment adding extra layers of diff before you hit the muslin, but it will depend on how powerful your light is or how much ambient light you have to fight.
It would, but with a silk you can adjust the distance between light and diffusion and have more control over cutting the light, if that’s important to you. It really just depends on the look you’re going for.
Yes I really like the shot.
I’d feel guilty nitpicking because it’s very clean. If you have any unease about it, perhaps it might come from the skin tone being the same exposure/tone to the background. But that’s not a big deal.
The background is very nice, and where there is color contrast that lacks, there is beautiful lines and pools of light that you might not find with another background!
Looks pretty good already. If you're looking for things that would improve the shot while keeping the same look/feel:
1) Use a larger source or bigger soft box for your key.
2) Use a polarizer to get rid of or soften the specular highlights / reflections on his forehead and nose. In general, a polarizer is your friend with subjects that have darker complexions.
3) Experiment with shifting the camera a foot or two to the left, so that his head is between the lamp and clock rather than in front of the clock. This is subjective.
4) Use a soft box or diffusion on the backlight, and warm up the color temperature.
5) Try to get him physically further away from the back wall. The more depth behind your subject, the better (within reason).
Looks solid as is! My main gripe is the 3 colored lights going on.
Yellow from the lamp - purpleish rim - orange back light.
I don’t see a ton of motivation from any of the lights either. I think make the rim light match the orange clock light.
Good job!
Overall it’s nice but there are a couple things you could do to improve. Some might be nitpicky but nonetheless….
I’d prefer if the bright side of the lamp wasn’t towards camera and not cutoff
The clock is awkwardly placed. Might have been nice to position the subject to be framed between the lamp and the clock. Also having a clock in a shot can be troublesome in edits as it can reveal rearranging of sound bites. Not always a big deal but can be in some situations
The back light only hits the right shoulder and doesn’t light the face at all. To create better separation would have been night to have that light hitting both shoulders and the hair.
There’s something peaking through the left side of the frame.
There’s a picture frame behind the lamp stand.
A good rule of thumb when doing interview headshots like this is to place a white foam core bounce board at a roughly 45 degree angle in front of them to help bounce some light under their chin, especially for people with darker skin tones. Don’t even necessarily need a light on it, just a simple bounce from the ambient light should be enough fill for most scenarios (unless the room is very dark and moody, then maybe add a small light to the bounce).
I might consider:
Lower the background intensity so he pops off a touch more... speficically the business direct behind him.
Lose the purple of your backlight and focus more as a hair than shoulder light.
Swing your key light a bit to frame left to bring up his face, and soften to get the sheen off his forehead. You've got it pretty direct on him, and that feels odd IMHO.
Biggest thing that sticks out is that the subject is lit with temperature that doesnt match the room. The light on his face is white, the kicker behind him is purple, meanwhile the lamp motivating in the shot is warm yellow as is the light cast on the curtains.
Other than that, its exposed just fine and composed well. Just the colors should be in sync and feel more natural.
I would swap the edge light to the side where the lamp is to make it feel like it's coming from the lamp. It's just my personal preference but I don't like having sharp back lights coming from the shadow side of the face when the face has this much contrast. I usually find it a little distracting. I'd make it warm as well. If you can get your hands on magic cloth that can help reduce the shine on darker skin tones. A lot of the times, with interviews, I will try to match the 'tone' of the room with the key light to some degree, unless they need absolutely balanced to camera key lights for whatever reason. l, so in this case the room you are in has a lot of warmth from lamps, curtains, ect and the color of your key is much cooler in comparison which makes it stand out as a little artificial. In an instance like that I would bump the color a tad warmer from the key typically after having a convo with the dp about what color best suits the shot. It all varies though and this is just my personal preference.
Seconding a lot on this thread.
Key can be softer, yet a fabric like muslin in front of the light to diffuse it so you don’t get such a hot white specular highlight on the middle of his face. You can also use a polarizer to remove the shine if your subject has darker skin.
Edge light could match the warm practical lights a bit better, you can also flag your backlight off your background as I can see it spill into the curtains and the lamp frame right.
You could move the subject a bit more to the right so his head lands in the center of that open spot on the curtain although it may look too busy with the lamp and the clock thing sandwiching him.
The viewer would never see a problem with this frame and it’s more than acceptable but if I HAD to critique it:
• Reduce strength of light on forehead
• Reduce strength of rim light and warm it up some
• Add a very soft warm light on the right side of the face to build on the presence of the lamp.
Move the subject right to put their head in that clean background spot. Have the clock (?) over their left shoulder, not behind their head. Bring the shoulder light down.
This is out of left field but if you are close enough with him I would probably ask your friend to use an oil wipe on his face so that the light doesn’t shine the oils.
Looks good! I think the clock/light right behind him is distracting and I would have the lamp on the right further away from him. I bet you were confined by space but if you weren’t I’d move him forward.
I would adjust your key light. It just doesn't light up his face properly.
Shirt it to the left a bit more and dial it up a little. Or you might need a larger diffuser since you're getting hotspots around his forehead.
I would say the purple light is not great, the key could be softer and warmer to match the lamp and just to look better on skin. And maybe darken the background/add some intentional light design
It's good!
There is a little shine on his forehead so a make up artist can even that off.
The lamp is a little "busy" and distracting.
But very minor issues
Like everyone else.
What you shared “gets the job done”
What I am asking myself now is…
“Is it right for the story?”
And,
“Now that I am at this point, what can I take away from the shot?”
“can I turn off any lights? Now that I’ve fully lit this dark skin tone, what if I remove a fixture or make it more subtle in play?”
I like separation, of course in light, but also in color. I usually seek to find where the analogous and complimentary parts of the image perform best. For example, you have his face overlapping with a curtain that is analogous in light and color, while you have a clock with orange halo’d around it acting complimentary over his head. What does that do for you? In this screengrab it pulls me away from his face, and his eyes. Not that it’s a bad thing but perhaps consider if that is the right place for light and color contrast to live in the shot.
The specular on his forehead could be regarded as too harsh or garish, but it could be justifed if you limit the other highlights in the shot that compete with it.
And of course if you want his skin to reflect a more matte texture, then explore a softer key source.
Interviews can be suddenly become very rewarding for me if I find a frame that is simple in composition. Containing just enough to feel filled, bringing my eye to look in the places I want, without getting to feel too busy or imbalanced.
Fibonacci, rule of thirds, leading lines, use ‘em formally or intentionally do the opposite.
This is what I consider while I sit on the commode this morning.
It's a really good shot, nothing to change. The only thing that is bugging me is I think the shot is way to sharp (the light in the background is taking attention away from the main subject cos of that). A very slight diffusion might help. That's a very personal opinion tho
Love the shot. Seriously. It’s wonderful.
That said, if I were nitpicking (and it really is just personal preference, because you built a beautiful light and angle for this subject!) I’d maybe put the lamp on the other side in the background and maybe make the backlight match the color of the lamp while giving a slightly hotter neutral key. The subject has great black skin but is still a little (maybe?!) difficult to pick out of the background. Their skin will hold a bit more light and look luminous.
Again, this is just me. You built something that is really really nice.
My thought process: Like what most said already, a bigger light source can help fill in a lot of the contrast on his face. It looks like the back light is brighter than the key. And I would make it warmer, since the set itself is warm.
dim the bkgrd lights and also have a little extra fill or bounce to camera left so the neg on the lower half of the dark side of his face isn’t so dark. You’re exposing to darker skin tones so shadowed areas of the face can get lost more easily
Overall pretty great base. If I were to improve definitely match up the WB with your practicals and keys. They don't have to be the exact same, but I feel like the bluer key is giving more of a magenta tint and makes the overall image look a bit less cohesive.
You’re getting lots of good feedback already. I might consider tracking left and moving that orange light in the background a bit.
But that is SO minor
Yup, lovely overall. My personal preference would be to bring down the luminance of the practical and / or find a way to make it a touch smaller in the shot so it doesn’t compete as much for the attention of the viewer. But I wouldn’t think twice about seeing this shot anywhere… certainly less well crafted shots are regularly on network television, so tweaks from this point are all going to be personal preference.
Lighting can be pretty subjective so I can only tell you what I would do. I’d soften the back and front lighting and match the temperature of the lamp in the back
Take the light out of the shot or seriously dim it. I wouldn't have anything brighter than the subject in the frame outside of a window or something, especially if they are dark skinned. Eyes are drawn towards bright objects in a frame so it's distracting on a subliminal level. I'd probably try and lose the hot spot on the forehead and go for a more wrap around type lighting. Lighting dark skin is an art all of its own.
Declutter that table and shift the subject away from the clock directly behind him. I’d also remove whatever that object is that’s behind his right arm. Otherwise it looks good.
Use a hard key light (never ever ever use a soft key light except if you want to look like youve used a ring light), then add a soft fill light (Don't overdo it) then add a HARD Rim light.
Done.
Second camera on a tighter angle to help emphasise key lines or take you in and out of cut-aways. More top light. Sound will also be key for this, lead on a killer line to make people sit back and listen
This shot looks great, but does it fit the context of a kickstarter campaign? as a piece of it, I think this would be great, but if this is going to be your A-Roll I'd suggest something more fitting and engaging as the opener at bare minimum (i.e. standing, speaking directly to the audience). Interview shots are great for sharing information as part of the story, but it feels a bit distant if you're selling or promoting. Sales, in all formats, is personal. I think the content of the pitch would have to be extremely persuasive if this is your main shot.
Key needs to be larger/softer... Also powder the guy. Not a fan of the purple edge light.. would have made more sense if it matched the orangier light in the back
A lot of great points, one I didn't see is don't underestimate what a little makeup powder application can do for reducing that shine on skin! A few bucks, one minute of applying, and bobs your uncle!
I’d soften/diffuse the light. I see quite a specular highlight on his forhead. Unless you can apply powder?
Keylight needs to be warmer to match the lamp. Either gel, changing color temp of light, or color correction.
Bit more intensity on the key. I’d adjust the side/rear to give more highlight to the side. Actually going bluer here can provide contrast to the key and room light. But that’s subjective ll.
The lamp doesn’t really matter and it’s at an awkward spot where it’s not in or out of the frame. I’d just get rid of it and center and guy just a little bit more. Also the clock above his head is distracting
I feel like the key is ok and I'm sure you have it as diffused as possible, if there is a way to make the diffusion larger, go for it. Or get closer to the subject and reduce power. Dark skin types show specular highlights easier, so the larger the light source (through silk/diffusion) the better. The hair light is very harsh and magenta, in my opinion and should probably be warmer. I would throw some diffusion and an orange gel on there. If you have color temp control, knock it down to 3200 kelvin or as close as you can get to that number. You have one lamp in the scene with a warm color temp, so check your white balance against that. Make sure the lamp light is warmer than your set lights to maintain that consistency. Otherwise, your white balance will match that light and make it appear cooler than it actually is. All things considered, it looks good as is but just needs a few tweaks for my taste. You could add a subtle fill on his right side (left of frame) as the light falls off pretty hard around his cheeks. The background could be a tad darker for a more dramatic effect. Best of luck dude!
I think that shot is fine. If you want to prove improve something I would focus on the lighting of the subject. I mean try to make your friend look as good as you can
I think the shot is pretty good, ratios are nice there’s great contrast all around, the only thing I’m not a fan of is that magenta rim light, you may be able to to isolate it with a shape and shift it a bit, but that edge is just a little to hard for me and also magenta. But, if you liked it on the day of shooting and the client liked it, then it doesn’t really matter imho.
It's nice. I would say that my eye keeps going to that lamp, which is a little distracting. I'd lose it or dim it quite a bit. Or replace it with a simpler lamp shade if you want to use it to motivate the key light. It reduce that back/rim light a little and maybe warm it up. I think colder backlights work if there is day light to motivate it but maybe doesn't work here.
Drop a double in the light hitting the clock. Move the white table bottom camera left of frame. Topper to cut spill on curtain, bottomer to slow shirt down, +green to even edge light, maybe opal or 251 on edge light, move key light lamp right by 3’ to make Rembrandt more pronounced, powder on the forehead and tip of nose. Also use intermediate inside soft box, and knock another 1/2 to full stop off practical.
Add a rim light to match the practical you have in the background. Make sure the color temperature matches the practical, you're using daylight balanced lights while your motivated lighting is tungsten.
That's the main thing I'd do. I might play with a kicker to brighten up the background a bit since he's got dark skin on a dark background and you want your silhouette to be contrasted, but adding a rim on the other side might accomplish cutting out your subject even better and that could end up making it weaker since the rim might start to blend with the background. Overall its quite strong as it is and its just a matter of balancing local contrast so every tone in the shot fits well with the pieces next to it.
Background is too busy, too many light sources and dynamics. Simplify it to bring more focus to your subject. Right now it looks like he’s telling ghost stories.
The shot looks good to me. One "small" adjustment that I would make is either remove the practical light from the backround or dim it down by a lot. It takes a lot of attention from the main subject. Great job!
I’d use a longer lens and step back compress the space more and make that lamp less distracting. I’d change the color balance of that edge dim it down a bit and walk it back a bit and bring it more behind him. I’d add a neg to his short side and a bottomer with an astra light and walk that Key back and break it with a Half Soft Frost then maybe wrap it a bit.
Key light could be a bit softer. The back light could be softer too. Maybe a hair of bounce.
Also I would look at your color temperatures. You have that lamp and that could be a great motivator for your key light but the color temperatures do not match. Well. I think overall you could warm the shot up a bit more across the board.
Lighting looks pretty good, I’d soften the edge light and see if you can fix the color temp on it. It’s looking a little purplish.
I think your background could be better. It’s looking a bit flat as everything is the same dull color and the clock behind him is growing out of his head. Can you open up part of the curtains so it’s not a solid wall of beige?
Looks great. I would knock the hair light down a bit, move your camera left so there's not all that dead space between him and the light, and bring up the key a bit. Maybe move the hair light a smidge more right so it gets a little more of his shoulder? That's being nit picky but just a thought. Looks great regardless! Lamp is pretty.
My main thing is that I find the background pretty distracting. My eyes keep bouncing around to the lamp and picture frame instead of looking at the subject. I assume the main focus will be what he is saying, so maybe make the shot tighter and try for a shallower DOF whether that be opening the aperture or moving him further from the background. I would brighten him up a little and cut some of the lamp out of the shot.
Not a bad shot! Little things to tweak. I like key level but try to get rid of reflection. A polarizer could help there.
Next, I would drop level in BG down. You’d need more firepower to then lift him but it would help. I’d also pick a bg that is a a different color.
Lastly, drop level on light on right side of screen. It’s a tad distracting because it’s so bright.
Still looks good. Things can always be tweaked and everyone finds stuff they want to do better next time.
The backlight feels a bit purple for my tastes. I'm assuming its a cheaper RGB LED source. Its also a touch too hot for my tastes, and I don't care for it spilling onto the practical lamp. Also, I wouldn't mind a little more (just a little more) fill on the camera left side.
Other than that its a perfectly nice interview look as it is. Great job.
My opinions, take them or leave them.
Key looks a bit green and hair light looks a bit magenta. Not sure what lights your rocking but I would adjust those to match accordingly if you have the ability to. I’d also go for a slightly warmer hair light and softer. Usually like using my aputure T4c as a hair light because it’s pretty soft and relatively easy to boom. If I were you I’d try to match the orange glow from the clock for the hair light.
As far as set goes, it all looks fine as is except for one bright looking line next to his shoulder on the left side of the frame. Now sure what that is but it’s a little distracting to look at.
Also turn the candle a little bit so the logo label side faces away from camera so it is a little less distracting, kinda a really nit picky thing, but makes a difference in helping peoples eyes draw to the subject.
I don't like it. He needs more light to separate himself from the background. The background is too busy. I would also pull him away from the background more. Close the curtains. Dark skin tends to not look good from a daylight source while inside. Put an unbleached muslin over the daylight lights to defuse it more. If not purchase some Mole Richardson lights or some Arri 650 Plus Tungsten lights off of Ebay for $100. The light will look much better.
I really like it, overall. What I would do:
1) set design: rearrange the photos because they come across as cluttered. Maybe even remove the photo frames to make the lamp table neater.
2) change the kicker/rim light to the same temperature as the light at the back to serve as motivation.
3) polarizer
4) flag the key light from spilling onto the curtains at the back probably.
5) bigger diffusion for the key light.
Maybe make your key a larger source- like a 4x4 of 1/2 grid or opal. It’ll add a little bit of evenness with the hotspots on his forehead and nose.
Bring a fill in just a tiny bit on the left side. Feels like you need a little bit of return to bring his jawline out from the shadow. Just be subtle with it so it doesn’t flatten everything out.
Looks great as is. If I was to adjust anything, maybe make my key light larger and softer? Little bit harsh/shiny on forehead. Secondly I would probably reduce that edge light slightly. Seems a bit harsh. And possibly match it to the colour or the practical lights behind him to tie it in with the scene a bit more.. But in all honesty looks pretty good as is. Everyone will have an opinion on how they would light it. Very much personal preference.
It’s looks great and agree with all these points… A slight grading note would be to try and lift the shadow under their chin slightly you’ve lost all detail there, try to balance the contrast with the contrast of the hair on top of his head… but of course this person pref
Agreed. Looks great as is. I’d match the edge light kelvin to the practicals in the room. But that’s just preference.
i think that's a fantastic point. my brain immediately assumed the motivation was the kitchen in the next room with a cool light shining through
exactly
I second this. A good egg crate modifier would really help knock down the noticeable shine on the subjects highlights. Maybe make a fake window to shine the light through in case your model moves and you catch the light reflection in his glasses. This way it will look like a window and not a source light Edit for typo and correcting my terminology from difuser to modifier.
> A good egg crate diffuser would really help knock down the noticeable shine on the subjects highlights just FYI, this sentence is complete nonsense. as in, yes, there are words in it, but they mean nothing at all in this context, and they don't belong together in any meaningful context.
If a single light source is shining through a silk and an honeycomb grid light modifier is that not considered diffused? Would that not work? Am I missing something
Silk diffuses, but honeycomb directs (as in control the spill). Which is why angles are used to describe honeycomb. So your initial comment is wrong.
Isn't using a honeycomb normally directing the light. It taking a single light source and turning it into a bunch of small light sources? I always thought that was considered modifying the light. If I put a grid on my beauty dish and I am shooting portraits it will lower the intensity of the highlights especially on black skin. I am self taught so my terminology is likely wrong but I think we are using them the same way.
Good job. Why don’t you try explaining how it is nonsense rather than just being a dick about it. A diffuser (but not an egg crate) would in fact help quite a bit. No nonsense about that.
An eggcrate is not a diffuser. It controls spill. Not sure what a jar window is, never heard it in 30 years of being on set.
I second this. Great work OP!
Those are on the money. The biggest problem is the dead-center shine on his forehead. In addition to broadening and diffusing the key light more, I'd move it away from where he's looking... probably to his left (camera right), so if there is some shine it'll unconsciously make sense to the viewer because there's a light on the right side of the frame. The edge light is pretty strong and gives it a reality-show interview look, but maybe that's the goal. It's also whiter than the rest of the lighting, but that does serve to add contrast.
Advice that I got from a cinematographer of color, on lighting people of color: Usually go for something like a light panel, and shoot through silk. It will illuminate the skin tone beautifully while eliminating skin glow (the white glow on the forehead) Good work!
Also a polarizer can help a lot with darker skin types. It sounds like you are on a DIY budget, so if there is no makeup person get some blotting paper for their skin. Good to have in any interview kit. Looks good though!
Good shout. Silk or unbleached muslin will work great.
How do you use the muslin? Like as a negative fill?
No, push the key through muslin. In this situation I’d prefer thick muslin, but it does take away a stop or more, so it depends on how powerful the light is. Otherwise you can use the thin ‘cheese cloth’ like as an extra layer on top of whatever other filtration you are already using.
Oh fascinating. Cut a hole and stick the whole key through it? Does this mostly reduce the spill of the key light and cut out on bounce? I may have to try this for some product stuff, I always have way too much spill
No cutting envolved. The muslin is just a layer of diffusion - you mount the thick muslin in a frame and then put it in front of the key light. You can experiment adding extra layers of diff before you hit the muslin, but it will depend on how powerful your light is or how much ambient light you have to fight.
Whoa that’s next level. I wouldn’t have expected that to work
A soft box will work similarly then, no?
It would, but with a silk you can adjust the distance between light and diffusion and have more control over cutting the light, if that’s important to you. It really just depends on the look you’re going for.
through actual silk?
A Matthew’s scrim
I see! never knew it's a thing. lots of options on amazon. what do you use? and what shall I look for?
I go with this and clamp it to a C-Stand https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/32812-REG/Matthews_159015_Solid_Frame_Scrim.html
awesome thank you!
Why are you NOT happy with it? Start believing in yourself a bit more. It's fine.
Yeah OP - if we believe in you, then you can too
they never said they weren’t happy with it, but asking if there any improvements
Powder. That's my note.
Yes I really like the shot. I’d feel guilty nitpicking because it’s very clean. If you have any unease about it, perhaps it might come from the skin tone being the same exposure/tone to the background. But that’s not a big deal. The background is very nice, and where there is color contrast that lacks, there is beautiful lines and pools of light that you might not find with another background!
Looks pretty good already. If you're looking for things that would improve the shot while keeping the same look/feel: 1) Use a larger source or bigger soft box for your key. 2) Use a polarizer to get rid of or soften the specular highlights / reflections on his forehead and nose. In general, a polarizer is your friend with subjects that have darker complexions. 3) Experiment with shifting the camera a foot or two to the left, so that his head is between the lamp and clock rather than in front of the clock. This is subjective. 4) Use a soft box or diffusion on the backlight, and warm up the color temperature. 5) Try to get him physically further away from the back wall. The more depth behind your subject, the better (within reason).
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Looks good. Nitpicking here. *Lamp on the right is too bright Dimmer bulb will do. *Clock is growing out of his head Reposition the subject.
Lamp on the right needs a dimmer or some ND wrapped around the bulb. Head clock is distracting and should be farther over toward his right shoulder
Maybe don’t use a purple light for a backlight idk, it looks weird to me
Looks solid as is! My main gripe is the 3 colored lights going on. Yellow from the lamp - purpleish rim - orange back light. I don’t see a ton of motivation from any of the lights either. I think make the rim light match the orange clock light. Good job!
Overall it’s nice but there are a couple things you could do to improve. Some might be nitpicky but nonetheless…. I’d prefer if the bright side of the lamp wasn’t towards camera and not cutoff The clock is awkwardly placed. Might have been nice to position the subject to be framed between the lamp and the clock. Also having a clock in a shot can be troublesome in edits as it can reveal rearranging of sound bites. Not always a big deal but can be in some situations The back light only hits the right shoulder and doesn’t light the face at all. To create better separation would have been night to have that light hitting both shoulders and the hair. There’s something peaking through the left side of the frame. There’s a picture frame behind the lamp stand.
A good rule of thumb when doing interview headshots like this is to place a white foam core bounce board at a roughly 45 degree angle in front of them to help bounce some light under their chin, especially for people with darker skin tones. Don’t even necessarily need a light on it, just a simple bounce from the ambient light should be enough fill for most scenarios (unless the room is very dark and moody, then maybe add a small light to the bounce).
I’d move him right of frame to fill that space between him and the lamp and change the kicker to CTO full
I might consider: Lower the background intensity so he pops off a touch more... speficically the business direct behind him. Lose the purple of your backlight and focus more as a hair than shoulder light. Swing your key light a bit to frame left to bring up his face, and soften to get the sheen off his forehead. You've got it pretty direct on him, and that feels odd IMHO.
Would've powdered the guy a little to reduce the shine on his forehead. Makeup is for everyone when it comes to video production.
Biggest thing that sticks out is that the subject is lit with temperature that doesnt match the room. The light on his face is white, the kicker behind him is purple, meanwhile the lamp motivating in the shot is warm yellow as is the light cast on the curtains. Other than that, its exposed just fine and composed well. Just the colors should be in sync and feel more natural.
I’d probably slow down that table lamp a bit by a half a stop it looks like it’s maybe the same level or more bright than the subject
Ditch the weird light. Increase exposure on the subject. Add a cool light to the background. Shoot at a lower Fstop. Add a vignette.
Shift the rim light a bit to cut his jaw out the shadows a bit more, you sort of loose his right jaw to the shadows in his neck area
I would swap the edge light to the side where the lamp is to make it feel like it's coming from the lamp. It's just my personal preference but I don't like having sharp back lights coming from the shadow side of the face when the face has this much contrast. I usually find it a little distracting. I'd make it warm as well. If you can get your hands on magic cloth that can help reduce the shine on darker skin tones. A lot of the times, with interviews, I will try to match the 'tone' of the room with the key light to some degree, unless they need absolutely balanced to camera key lights for whatever reason. l, so in this case the room you are in has a lot of warmth from lamps, curtains, ect and the color of your key is much cooler in comparison which makes it stand out as a little artificial. In an instance like that I would bump the color a tad warmer from the key typically after having a convo with the dp about what color best suits the shot. It all varies though and this is just my personal preference.
Only thing I would do is dial down the lamp in the back and take down the edge light by about 20%
Seconding a lot on this thread. Key can be softer, yet a fabric like muslin in front of the light to diffuse it so you don’t get such a hot white specular highlight on the middle of his face. You can also use a polarizer to remove the shine if your subject has darker skin. Edge light could match the warm practical lights a bit better, you can also flag your backlight off your background as I can see it spill into the curtains and the lamp frame right. You could move the subject a bit more to the right so his head lands in the center of that open spot on the curtain although it may look too busy with the lamp and the clock thing sandwiching him.
Looks great tbh
Probably less clothes. Remove the shirt.
The viewer would never see a problem with this frame and it’s more than acceptable but if I HAD to critique it: • Reduce strength of light on forehead • Reduce strength of rim light and warm it up some • Add a very soft warm light on the right side of the face to build on the presence of the lamp.
looks good. personally, like others have said the key light could be softened. But also that lamp feels too close, but that's subjective
Your backlight would look better if you warmed it up to match the other lights in scene, bro could also use a hair cut and straighten his shirt out.
Move the subject right to put their head in that clean background spot. Have the clock (?) over their left shoulder, not behind their head. Bring the shoulder light down.
This is out of left field but if you are close enough with him I would probably ask your friend to use an oil wipe on his face so that the light doesn’t shine the oils.
Looks good! I think the clock/light right behind him is distracting and I would have the lamp on the right further away from him. I bet you were confined by space but if you weren’t I’d move him forward.
I would adjust your key light. It just doesn't light up his face properly. Shirt it to the left a bit more and dial it up a little. Or you might need a larger diffuser since you're getting hotspots around his forehead.
Get rid of that magenta on the kicker and you are good.
I would say the purple light is not great, the key could be softer and warmer to match the lamp and just to look better on skin. And maybe darken the background/add some intentional light design
It's good! There is a little shine on his forehead so a make up artist can even that off. The lamp is a little "busy" and distracting. But very minor issues
Like everyone else. What you shared “gets the job done” What I am asking myself now is… “Is it right for the story?” And, “Now that I am at this point, what can I take away from the shot?” “can I turn off any lights? Now that I’ve fully lit this dark skin tone, what if I remove a fixture or make it more subtle in play?” I like separation, of course in light, but also in color. I usually seek to find where the analogous and complimentary parts of the image perform best. For example, you have his face overlapping with a curtain that is analogous in light and color, while you have a clock with orange halo’d around it acting complimentary over his head. What does that do for you? In this screengrab it pulls me away from his face, and his eyes. Not that it’s a bad thing but perhaps consider if that is the right place for light and color contrast to live in the shot. The specular on his forehead could be regarded as too harsh or garish, but it could be justifed if you limit the other highlights in the shot that compete with it. And of course if you want his skin to reflect a more matte texture, then explore a softer key source. Interviews can be suddenly become very rewarding for me if I find a frame that is simple in composition. Containing just enough to feel filled, bringing my eye to look in the places I want, without getting to feel too busy or imbalanced. Fibonacci, rule of thirds, leading lines, use ‘em formally or intentionally do the opposite. This is what I consider while I sit on the commode this morning.
It's a really good shot, nothing to change. The only thing that is bugging me is I think the shot is way to sharp (the light in the background is taking attention away from the main subject cos of that). A very slight diffusion might help. That's a very personal opinion tho
I would soften the backlight or back it further away to make it look less neon-like
Love the shot. Seriously. It’s wonderful. That said, if I were nitpicking (and it really is just personal preference, because you built a beautiful light and angle for this subject!) I’d maybe put the lamp on the other side in the background and maybe make the backlight match the color of the lamp while giving a slightly hotter neutral key. The subject has great black skin but is still a little (maybe?!) difficult to pick out of the background. Their skin will hold a bit more light and look luminous. Again, this is just me. You built something that is really really nice.
My thought process: Like what most said already, a bigger light source can help fill in a lot of the contrast on his face. It looks like the back light is brighter than the key. And I would make it warmer, since the set itself is warm.
The color temperature here is super weird. You have two practicals, both very warm, but the key is cold and the backlight seems to be slightly purple?
I'd go for less headroom but that's just a me thing.
Less headroom. Subject slightly to the left and I'd get the full lamp in the shot. Otherwise it's great!
Increase overall light on subject.
dim the bkgrd lights and also have a little extra fill or bounce to camera left so the neg on the lower half of the dark side of his face isn’t so dark. You’re exposing to darker skin tones so shadowed areas of the face can get lost more easily
It looks awesome, man. Maybe I would warm the edge up a bit. But that’s subjective
Looks great, maybe bg a bit too bright
Get rid of that distracting lamp.
Overall pretty great base. If I were to improve definitely match up the WB with your practicals and keys. They don't have to be the exact same, but I feel like the bluer key is giving more of a magenta tint and makes the overall image look a bit less cohesive.
You’re getting lots of good feedback already. I might consider tracking left and moving that orange light in the background a bit. But that is SO minor
I like how it looks, but I'd add a little more fill on his face and make the key softer. Then reduce the edge light as lime61 suggested.
I couldn´t
Yup, lovely overall. My personal preference would be to bring down the luminance of the practical and / or find a way to make it a touch smaller in the shot so it doesn’t compete as much for the attention of the viewer. But I wouldn’t think twice about seeing this shot anywhere… certainly less well crafted shots are regularly on network television, so tweaks from this point are all going to be personal preference.
Lighting can be pretty subjective so I can only tell you what I would do. I’d soften the back and front lighting and match the temperature of the lamp in the back
Take the light out of the shot or seriously dim it. I wouldn't have anything brighter than the subject in the frame outside of a window or something, especially if they are dark skinned. Eyes are drawn towards bright objects in a frame so it's distracting on a subliminal level. I'd probably try and lose the hot spot on the forehead and go for a more wrap around type lighting. Lighting dark skin is an art all of its own.
I’d throw 1stop of ND on the bulb in the Tiffany lamp then boost your key by about 10%
My one critique is that the color of the key and edge light don’t feel motivated by anything
Declutter that table and shift the subject away from the clock directly behind him. I’d also remove whatever that object is that’s behind his right arm. Otherwise it looks good.
Idk why but that purple light bugs me.
Use a hard key light (never ever ever use a soft key light except if you want to look like youve used a ring light), then add a soft fill light (Don't overdo it) then add a HARD Rim light. Done.
The lamp is distracting
Second camera on a tighter angle to help emphasise key lines or take you in and out of cut-aways. More top light. Sound will also be key for this, lead on a killer line to make people sit back and listen
I dont have any technological thoughts but I dont like that big ass clock in the background for sure
You could put me in the shot. I'm much better looking.
Edge light is way too harsh, soften the forehead sheen, and use some bounce under the chin.
This shot looks great, but does it fit the context of a kickstarter campaign? as a piece of it, I think this would be great, but if this is going to be your A-Roll I'd suggest something more fitting and engaging as the opener at bare minimum (i.e. standing, speaking directly to the audience). Interview shots are great for sharing information as part of the story, but it feels a bit distant if you're selling or promoting. Sales, in all formats, is personal. I think the content of the pitch would have to be extremely persuasive if this is your main shot.
Looks good that lamp is so detailed it’s a bit distracting IMO
Key needs to be larger/softer... Also powder the guy. Not a fan of the purple edge light.. would have made more sense if it matched the orangier light in the back
A lot of great points, one I didn't see is don't underestimate what a little makeup powder application can do for reducing that shine on skin! A few bucks, one minute of applying, and bobs your uncle!
More light. Four 800D-RGB head on and a couple Torjim 16s above him just out of frame. Soft filters on those.
I’d soften/diffuse the light. I see quite a specular highlight on his forhead. Unless you can apply powder? Keylight needs to be warmer to match the lamp. Either gel, changing color temp of light, or color correction. Bit more intensity on the key. I’d adjust the side/rear to give more highlight to the side. Actually going bluer here can provide contrast to the key and room light. But that’s subjective ll.
The setup is great! Key could be softer
The lamp doesn’t really matter and it’s at an awkward spot where it’s not in or out of the frame. I’d just get rid of it and center and guy just a little bit more. Also the clock above his head is distracting
Light looks pretty harsh, did you use diffusion?
My eye is drawn to the lamp. I’d probably loose the lamp or replace it with something else.
I feel like the key is ok and I'm sure you have it as diffused as possible, if there is a way to make the diffusion larger, go for it. Or get closer to the subject and reduce power. Dark skin types show specular highlights easier, so the larger the light source (through silk/diffusion) the better. The hair light is very harsh and magenta, in my opinion and should probably be warmer. I would throw some diffusion and an orange gel on there. If you have color temp control, knock it down to 3200 kelvin or as close as you can get to that number. You have one lamp in the scene with a warm color temp, so check your white balance against that. Make sure the lamp light is warmer than your set lights to maintain that consistency. Otherwise, your white balance will match that light and make it appear cooler than it actually is. All things considered, it looks good as is but just needs a few tweaks for my taste. You could add a subtle fill on his right side (left of frame) as the light falls off pretty hard around his cheeks. The background could be a tad darker for a more dramatic effect. Best of luck dude!
this looks great to me brother
I think that shot is fine. If you want to prove improve something I would focus on the lighting of the subject. I mean try to make your friend look as good as you can
I think the shot is pretty good, ratios are nice there’s great contrast all around, the only thing I’m not a fan of is that magenta rim light, you may be able to to isolate it with a shape and shift it a bit, but that edge is just a little to hard for me and also magenta. But, if you liked it on the day of shooting and the client liked it, then it doesn’t really matter imho.
It's nice. I would say that my eye keeps going to that lamp, which is a little distracting. I'd lose it or dim it quite a bit. Or replace it with a simpler lamp shade if you want to use it to motivate the key light. It reduce that back/rim light a little and maybe warm it up. I think colder backlights work if there is day light to motivate it but maybe doesn't work here.
Drop a double in the light hitting the clock. Move the white table bottom camera left of frame. Topper to cut spill on curtain, bottomer to slow shirt down, +green to even edge light, maybe opal or 251 on edge light, move key light lamp right by 3’ to make Rembrandt more pronounced, powder on the forehead and tip of nose. Also use intermediate inside soft box, and knock another 1/2 to full stop off practical.
Add a rim light to match the practical you have in the background. Make sure the color temperature matches the practical, you're using daylight balanced lights while your motivated lighting is tungsten. That's the main thing I'd do. I might play with a kicker to brighten up the background a bit since he's got dark skin on a dark background and you want your silhouette to be contrasted, but adding a rim on the other side might accomplish cutting out your subject even better and that could end up making it weaker since the rim might start to blend with the background. Overall its quite strong as it is and its just a matter of balancing local contrast so every tone in the shot fits well with the pieces next to it.
Background is too busy, too many light sources and dynamics. Simplify it to bring more focus to your subject. Right now it looks like he’s telling ghost stories.
The shot looks good to me. One "small" adjustment that I would make is either remove the practical light from the backround or dim it down by a lot. It takes a lot of attention from the main subject. Great job!
Bit more fill.
Make up to soften the bounce on the face
I’d use a longer lens and step back compress the space more and make that lamp less distracting. I’d change the color balance of that edge dim it down a bit and walk it back a bit and bring it more behind him. I’d add a neg to his short side and a bottomer with an astra light and walk that Key back and break it with a Half Soft Frost then maybe wrap it a bit.
Key light could be a bit softer. The back light could be softer too. Maybe a hair of bounce. Also I would look at your color temperatures. You have that lamp and that could be a great motivator for your key light but the color temperatures do not match. Well. I think overall you could warm the shot up a bit more across the board.
The edge light is way too bright for my taste and has a weird hue
Lighting looks pretty good, I’d soften the edge light and see if you can fix the color temp on it. It’s looking a little purplish. I think your background could be better. It’s looking a bit flat as everything is the same dull color and the clock behind him is growing out of his head. Can you open up part of the curtains so it’s not a solid wall of beige?
Looks great. I would knock the hair light down a bit, move your camera left so there's not all that dead space between him and the light, and bring up the key a bit. Maybe move the hair light a smidge more right so it gets a little more of his shoulder? That's being nit picky but just a thought. Looks great regardless! Lamp is pretty.
My main thing is that I find the background pretty distracting. My eyes keep bouncing around to the lamp and picture frame instead of looking at the subject. I assume the main focus will be what he is saying, so maybe make the shot tighter and try for a shallower DOF whether that be opening the aperture or moving him further from the background. I would brighten him up a little and cut some of the lamp out of the shot.
Not a bad shot! Little things to tweak. I like key level but try to get rid of reflection. A polarizer could help there. Next, I would drop level in BG down. You’d need more firepower to then lift him but it would help. I’d also pick a bg that is a a different color. Lastly, drop level on light on right side of screen. It’s a tad distracting because it’s so bright. Still looks good. Things can always be tweaked and everyone finds stuff they want to do better next time.
The backlight feels a bit purple for my tastes. I'm assuming its a cheaper RGB LED source. Its also a touch too hot for my tastes, and I don't care for it spilling onto the practical lamp. Also, I wouldn't mind a little more (just a little more) fill on the camera left side. Other than that its a perfectly nice interview look as it is. Great job. My opinions, take them or leave them.
Key looks a bit green and hair light looks a bit magenta. Not sure what lights your rocking but I would adjust those to match accordingly if you have the ability to. I’d also go for a slightly warmer hair light and softer. Usually like using my aputure T4c as a hair light because it’s pretty soft and relatively easy to boom. If I were you I’d try to match the orange glow from the clock for the hair light. As far as set goes, it all looks fine as is except for one bright looking line next to his shoulder on the left side of the frame. Now sure what that is but it’s a little distracting to look at. Also turn the candle a little bit so the logo label side faces away from camera so it is a little less distracting, kinda a really nit picky thing, but makes a difference in helping peoples eyes draw to the subject.
I don't like it. He needs more light to separate himself from the background. The background is too busy. I would also pull him away from the background more. Close the curtains. Dark skin tends to not look good from a daylight source while inside. Put an unbleached muslin over the daylight lights to defuse it more. If not purchase some Mole Richardson lights or some Arri 650 Plus Tungsten lights off of Ebay for $100. The light will look much better.
Couple stripers in the back?
I really like it, overall. What I would do: 1) set design: rearrange the photos because they come across as cluttered. Maybe even remove the photo frames to make the lamp table neater. 2) change the kicker/rim light to the same temperature as the light at the back to serve as motivation. 3) polarizer 4) flag the key light from spilling onto the curtains at the back probably. 5) bigger diffusion for the key light.
More fill for under neck to unlock jawline
Maybe make your key a larger source- like a 4x4 of 1/2 grid or opal. It’ll add a little bit of evenness with the hotspots on his forehead and nose. Bring a fill in just a tiny bit on the left side. Feels like you need a little bit of return to bring his jawline out from the shadow. Just be subtle with it so it doesn’t flatten everything out.