Making skin warmer

[JohnRushing]

If I have a person who is very light skinned what would be the best way to give them more skin tone (tanned look)? I have gold reflectors and also gold panels that can be added to my soft boxes which work good but is there a better way? What about using colored gels? I can get some of the desired skin tone in photoshop but would like to get as close as posible before photoshopping. Any help here would really be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

[srwatters]

I like to use my beauty dish. It's good for about 600-800 degrees warmer than the 5500 degree strobes. Honestly, shooting raw and warming with WB in post isn't hard at all. Watch out for other whites in the scene (eyes, teeth, clothes, etc). You can't fool mother nature (tm).

[JohnRushing]

Thanks for the fast reply there Scott! I have an 18" beauty dish but haven't tried it yet. It really wasn't made to fit a JTL strobe (think it was a photogenic) but I had an old bent 7" JTL reflector so I put that mount on the 18" dish and it fits great. I'm not sure JTL even offers a beauty dish. I know I'm not going to be able to make her look like she has spent the last three months in the Bahamas but she at least wants a little tan and I don't want to make her look like she has yellow johndous (sp?). I had considered using some colored gels but wasn't sure if I would get a natural looking color or make her look like she was from mars or something. I'll give the dish a try on my her and see how it turns out. Thanks for the help.

[txphotog]

I find a weak photo filter in photoshop adds a nice warmth. just pick a weak warming filter and adjust.

[TJPhotoGuy]

I've also been told a "bastard amber gel" works well, but i've never tried it. I was reading last night that underexposing just slighting also warms skin a bit.

[JohnRushing]

I know this might sound dumb but whats a Bastard amber gel? I might even have one and not know it .

I gave the dish a try on my son and it did seem to give him a little more skin tone although he is pretty dark already from playing ball and being outside so much.

I hope to pick up some at the lighting class this weekend, just hope I don't look to dumb by asking so many questions. I'm still a newby at this stuff but I'm soaking up as much as my malfunctioning brain can.

[TJPhotoGuy]

Google Rosco #2

[boxofrocks]

there are some examples of CS2 warming filters that I used in this thread.

Katelyn

If you compare the first couple of shots with the last couple, you can see the difference.

Mind you, I'm no PS master, but you get the idea.

[pziasd]

Why don't you use AEB with a flash?

[JohnRushing]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I found the perfect way to do what I was wanting at Scott's class yesterday. All I had to do was change the K-temp in my camera. I might try adding a gold reflector to bounce some light also just to see how much more that effects it. Great class and Scott and Gregg did a very professional job, well worth the money! Only regret I have is I didn't sleep the night before and after leaving Carthage at 5am to get there It left me feeling like a zombie all day, man I slept good last night though!

[Kevin Curtis]

Hi John,

If was nice meeting you at the workshop Saturday.

Here is an example of using a large white reflector as a block between the model and the direct sun light and then a gold reflector to bounce light back up into her face.



Kevin

[TJPhotoGuy]

Originally Posted by JohnRushing

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I found the perfect way to do what I was wanting at Scott's class yesterday. All I had to do was change the K-temp in my camera.!

That definitely helps (or you can do the same thing using photoshop), but one thing, it warms the whole sceen. One thing that possibly might not work for, would be if you just wanted to highlight the face with a tight grid or small softbox and didn't want the rest of the scene to be the same K value. I am a big fan of the "light on light" effect and butterfly lighting esp for women, such as in this photo I did for a girl a couple of months ago:

[rolando]

John,

There are many ways to skin the cat, but one must take inconsideration where and when to warm? In the old days we popped a roll of Kodak E100SW (SW stood for Saturated Warm) or if we shot negs, an 81A filter.

Today we have many options. My favorite for digital, which is the way I shoot all my glamour and people shots, I set my cameras at the white-balance of 6000K, this fools the camera into thinking the light of the scene is cool, thus adding some nice natural warmth. I use this indoors and outdoors, sunset to sunrise.

Another option, that can be combined with the above, if you're shooting a sunset, place a Rosco #02 Bastard Amber in front of your light source, point it at the subject. This can be a beauty dish, soft box, grid, etc., any light source, I even do this with my Hensel Ringflash and Sunhaze attachment.

Still another option, especially if you're not shooting a sunset, place a Rosco 3/4 CTO (Continuous Temperature Orange) gell in front of your electronic flash, then set your white-balance at 3200K. What the 3/4 CTO does is convert flash (5500K) to tungsten (3200K). By white-balancing to tungsten, especially when shooting outdoors, you'll get more blue in areas where the flash doesn't hit--outdoors this will make your sky go dramatic, like a polarizer.

Still other options, place 1/8 or 1/4 CTO's in your softbox or in front of your light or light modifier. The last option, the Rosco "Straw" gel works great too.

On the Bastard Amber, that gel is designed to mimic "sunset light" so I use it for sunsets more than anything. I hope that helps, wishing you the best, rg sends!
(my kids in San Antonio, Hensel Ringflash with a 3/4 CTO)

(April 2006 Playboy Playmate Holley Dorrough, Virgin Islands, Hensel Ringflash w/Sunhaze w/Bastard Amber in housing, white-balance 6000K)

[dorkn]

Great info there Roland, thanks for sharing that.