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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Beauty Lighting Question!

I would also add that great makeup is a must for beauty-type shoots. No amount of VFX or skin-smoothing can overcome bad makeup. But you can do a lot with great lenses, soft lighting, and some skin defocus/smoothing in post. There's lots of techniques to do this in post, including pulling a key from the actress' face, excluding her hair, lips, and eyes, then using defocus and/or heavy noise reduction to blur out the pores. You can also do what has been called "The Madonna Glow," where you add some luminance to the skin. All this is more difficult with (shall we say) actors of a certain age.
 
I've found that MANY of the 'beauty/cosmetic' type shoots employ some sort of softbox! They're designed to bounce light around in them and push them forward, thus softening it, which is why most have a trapezoid type shape from the light source. The BIGGER the box, the softer the light too! That's NOT to say that a closer, smaller box couldn't do the trick, but typically, the fashion world uses VERY large softboxes: 4'x3' and LARGER! I also agree that a 45° will help it 'wrap' around the face. Also, the larger the box, the more your light will dissipate too, that's why you may need to bring it closer, depending on the source.

Many softboxes have "modifiers" that can be velcroed to the front of them. Chimera makes a 'circle' for example that simulates a 'spot' type configuration. It's very plausible that this could be used to replicate your 'look.' Or there are makers of "octogon" softboxes too... it could be that, as well. The still world makes/uses circular boxes, but they're not built for the cine/video world, to my knowledge. You should be careful in choosing your softboxes. I used Chimera for years, and then converted to FJ Westcott, because I think they are constructed a bit better. Certain boxes are rated for particular light sources/types! "Hot lights" get, well, hot, rather quickly, and certain materials can take the heat and others can't! Be cognizant of that! Also, you can use extra 'modifiers' in the box, like an 'inner baffle' to knock down light intensity. There are also different 'front screens" that allow for full, half and quarter diffusion. You can stack those too!

One important question... are they asking you to replicate this exact look, even with the circular catch lights? Or are they just wanting something similar? You could also try bouncing light into a show card too! That will soften your light considerably as well.

I'd highly recommend that you get some 'practice' in before your shoot commences with the client. Try different locations of the box, and you'll have a good understanding, rather quickly of what you can do with it.
 
Incredible thread.

Curt : Thanks for the practical magic.
Bob : That 'r3d thekit' shot on Instagram really helps put things in perspective.
Marc : Useful Makeup Headup.
David, Tom, Daniel & Mark : Great insights.

AJ
 
Brandon, you get very nice result with a small para, like the broncolor 88 which I would choose over the big ones any time. Place it near the subject. A great part of the look is achieved by the strong fill light either done with boards or dedicated softboxes. Don't soften your light to much, you want a little punch and crispiness in your keylight. That said you can apply so many different lights and get a similar result. I take good care of the catchlights, I feel they add a lot to the image.

Cheers, Ulf

btw, I don't like this reference at all, really ugly...
 
Brandon, you´re welcome :-) I don´t have a lot bts to share at the moment but you may take a look at this one we did when the 88 was released, you get the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yontme2JnQo
The para 88 is very fast and easy to use and is a great keylight if you want a crisp not to hard keylight. Also the light output is great, not so bright to toast the model / melt the makeup, but bright enough even for some slowmo stuff. As others already pointed out, a good MUA is key to get perfect results. Good luck!

Cheers, Ulf
 
It very much depends on the face but we usually are closer, often like 35 or 50mm when using the entire sensor. The only thing that always proofs true, there is no standard portrait lens for us.
 
I wonder how much the price or manufacturer of the lens really matters.

What are REDUsers thoughts on this and what is your favorite beauty lens.

Please post a few and lets discuss the differences in focal length, speed, cost and manufacturer of each lens.
 
Here's one we just tried

Here's one we just tried

OK, here's a light setup we just tried out!

We used :

a Canon 90mm f2.8 tilt lens (shot at 5.6 split)

a great makeup artist

a very pretty model

a Broncolor Satellite reflector with a Broncolor 575 HMI head on a boom arm directly above the camera (about 5 feet from the model)

a silverized card just below her elbows for a little bounce

Hope you will share some of yours images and beauty lighting secrets to continue to pay the knowledge forward. :)
 

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I definitely prefer your shot to the original... :)

Maybe not kill the shot with copyright notices? Especially in the parts of the image we're all looking at to try to help and get an idea?
 
Thank you, Gunleik!

I had no choice about the copyright watermarks...(better that then no image at all, right?)

Looking forward to seeing you post one of yours too.
 
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