Taking the review and advice from the interim exhibition peer review in to mind I decided to try out a different camera and external lighting. I chose to try the Nikon D7100 Cropped Frame and Nikon 18-105 f3.5-5.6 ED – 22 wide to telephoto zoom lens, I also used a Nikon Speedlite SB910 and an Expro RF – 154 reflectors which was all available to book from the University. I started by testing this equipment on location on a friend and getting used to the Speedlite and camera as I had never used them before and was used to using Canon. I picked a spot close to the University that had an equal balance between natural light and shade and began to shoot. The first image I took was correctly exposed, I could see already that the Nikon Camera and Nikon Speedlite was a lot clearer than the Canon 600D and was picking up on and defining the models features and details in her clothing. However, a cold blue hue seemed to be cast over it, I realised then that the white balance on the camera need changing, so I set it to automatic. Once corrected the colour looked how it should, however the model and image looked over exposed. From the models shoulders upwards was too bright, this was because I had the Speedlite facing the model directly which was leaving a harsh light in the models face. To solve this, I rotated the Speedlite from a 90-degree angle to a 45-degree angle.
However, this was still to over exposed so I had to rotate the flash head again so that it was pointing away from the model and to the left of me. I also brought in the Expro RF – 154 reflectors. I placed this low down to the right of me in a diagonal line from the models elbow. I did this so that when rotating the Speedlite I didn’t lose any light on the left hand side of the model. Doing this corrected the exposure and softened the light that was highlighting the models face.
Lisa Castle Photographer 