New DIY Beauty Dish built.. Tests

[TheYard]

never used a beauty dish before.. so all critiques welcome


here are my test subjects:
my 8 yr old son


my 14 year old daughter



thanks

[Fireball]

Whoops, got your son twice instead!

[TheYard]

also took out the rim flash i had on the opposite side, because i couldnt get it low enough on power had it at 1/64 but only have room for like 2 feet from talent



fixed, lol thanks

[danchez]

colors/skin tones are off, and both images could really use a hair light for separation.

[TheYard]

Yes in was was having a hell of a time getting the skin tones right. I'm going to have to start of on the editing i think.

[arich]

Do you have pictures of your actual dish?

[mkothare]

A suggested variation. Try bringing the beauty dish very close to the subject's face (say if the beauty dish diameter is 18" bring it closer than 36" or 3 ft). That will make the shadows less specular or sharp, and more diffused as the light wraps around the face. If you like that kind of lighting that's a great way to use the dish.

Then, slowly build the lighting setup by add the hair light as suggested above and you'll see how the picture changes.

[BenE]

Originally Posted by arich

Do you have pictures of your actual dish?

Yep, without knowing what the light source is, the diameter, or if a light blocker is being used, it is almost impossible to say what to do or where to place it.

I have seen DYI dishes that are nothing more than a plastic bowl with a strobe sticking through a hole in it. How can anyone give advice or make comments until they see the light source.

[danchez]

another option is to turn off the auto white balance. Just figure out what temp of light you are using and set your camera to that.

[TheYard]

Sorry. Yes I will upload pics ASAP. But its a 18" dish with a speed light thru it reflecting off a 4.5" convex mirror

[BenE]

Originally Posted by danchez

another option is to turn off the auto white balance. Just figure out what temp of light you are using and set your camera to that.

Custom white balance is a very cool feature.
Shooting raw also has benefits.

[hue-e]

Originally Posted by TheYard

also took out the rim flash i had on the opposite side, because i couldnt get it low enough on power had it at 1/64 but only have room for like 2 feet from talent



fixed, lol thanks

seems like all my shots are at close range like that... try a neutral density filter.

and I agree about the color/saturation on the skin. the first one seems passable, but the second one, her skin looks a off.

[TheYard]

new edits, thanks...

I do shoot on raw, but I think stepping away from AWB might be the solution ive been seeking


thanks again all for your input

[arich]

Can a mod merge these two threads since they're the same thing? built a DIY BEAUTY DISH... but...

[Steve Balderrama]

the whites of her eyes are blue.