School photos
- Thread starterMillburyAuditorium
- Start date
Well, this year when I went for school photos, they were held in on the stage. Different but it worked. Anyways so I am there and I am thinking "They could of used our lighting for the pictures." Guess they didn't notice the racks of lights above them as they were setting up
As a photographer, it is a lot easier to work with lighting that you know well and can really control. Using photo strobes or other studio lighting equipment guarantees that they get consistency from shot to shot. This includes factors like color temperature, even light, correct exposure settings on the camera, etc.
Oh god please no don't use theater / show pro lighting to take photographs. -cringes-
Lighting for Film / Photography is a different beast than theater lighting. However most of the time I wish to god that the film kids had taken theater tech first. But there's issues with Color Temperature and the such.
Lighting for Film / Photography is a different beast than theater lighting. However most of the time I wish to god that the film kids had taken theater tech first. But there's issues with Color Temperature and the such.
last125eagle
Member
having seen and use lighting from theater, video, and photography. I am a lighting technician in theater and an avid photographer. I have spent much time with union lighting guys that do movie and commercial work most of them professors. I have helped on some low budget and student films. Every time there is a film shoot in the area I obeserve as much as I can too see if I am missing out on something and or If people I now are among the grips.
They can be used interchangeably with the right knowledge. Well theater lights are used a lot of photography and video. Photography lights are too frail for theater most of the time. The 2k Fresnels are nice if you have the dimmer and a purpose that can handle them. Theater lighting kind of trumps all though.
The video guys may have more money, larger reflectors and diffuser sheets, a whole bunch of 2k Fresnel, and 000 gauge power distribution networks. They however don't have to have nearly as much control as theater.
The only thing photogrpahic lights have on them is portablity. I have soft boxes and umbreallas. They set up and break down in a small package. I use CFL's to cut down on power consumption and increase protablitiy further. I will take a 575 watt etc s4 over a 500 watt soft box any da of the week.
I can get any color temperature I want out of an ETC. I can order lamps and put them in if I can't find a gel that makes the exact light I want.
With theater lighting one can get a nice even wash to isolated points of light. We are made to cast light from many angles. some normal some definitely not. The lighting grid is a photographers oyster. Any color, any diffusion with the right gel. We have set ups for back drops, scrims, bonces, cycs, strips, scoops, you name it.
We use theater lighting for photo shoots. It works darn well.
I have seen the graduation photos, then I compare them to the on the fly stuff I did. It is night and day. The people look like a well lit person and not an over smoothed and diffused blob.
Then I break out out press photos and its just wow. I only wish I could take pictures as well as she can. Our photographer does work for the New York Opera, we are spoiled. Envious doesn't not begin to quantify the feeling.
Oh to have the money for a nice bogen tripod, a 200mm f2.8 prime, and a high class canon. I may not take any better of a picture but atleast I could have the equipment to try.
They can be used interchangeably with the right knowledge. Well theater lights are used a lot of photography and video. Photography lights are too frail for theater most of the time. The 2k Fresnels are nice if you have the dimmer and a purpose that can handle them. Theater lighting kind of trumps all though.
The video guys may have more money, larger reflectors and diffuser sheets, a whole bunch of 2k Fresnel, and 000 gauge power distribution networks. They however don't have to have nearly as much control as theater.
The only thing photogrpahic lights have on them is portablity. I have soft boxes and umbreallas. They set up and break down in a small package. I use CFL's to cut down on power consumption and increase protablitiy further. I will take a 575 watt etc s4 over a 500 watt soft box any da of the week.
I can get any color temperature I want out of an ETC. I can order lamps and put them in if I can't find a gel that makes the exact light I want.
With theater lighting one can get a nice even wash to isolated points of light. We are made to cast light from many angles. some normal some definitely not. The lighting grid is a photographers oyster. Any color, any diffusion with the right gel. We have set ups for back drops, scrims, bonces, cycs, strips, scoops, you name it.
We use theater lighting for photo shoots. It works darn well.
I have seen the graduation photos, then I compare them to the on the fly stuff I did. It is night and day. The people look like a well lit person and not an over smoothed and diffused blob.
Then I break out out press photos and its just wow. I only wish I could take pictures as well as she can. Our photographer does work for the New York Opera, we are spoiled. Envious doesn't not begin to quantify the feeling.
Oh to have the money for a nice bogen tripod, a 200mm f2.8 prime, and a high class canon. I may not take any better of a picture but atleast I could have the equipment to try.
That really depends. Sure, the instruments might be different, but ultimately light is just light, color temperature can be corrected and diffusion can be applied via a variety of methods. If you're flexible in your space you can re-task instruments for a variety of tasks you might normally think they would be unsuitable for, and obtain the effect you're looking for. While the methods might not be traditional teachings in a theater space, it is probably possible to do.
That said, I'll still take 3-4 strobes and soft boxes any day of the week over three-dozen Source4's for photography.
last125eagle
Member
GrayeKnight
Member
Lifetouch. Haha. They are such a joke.
midgetgreen11
Active Member
I think I just saw the word Lifetouch and photography used in the same sentence. Apocalypse.
masterelectrician2112
Active Member
Lifetouch...Where do I start? Perhaps the most annoying thing being a "client" of theirs is the fact that for school pictures, you have a choice of three "poses". They think all their poses are really cool. Well, IMHO, I wouldn't be caught dead in any picture looking like that! The old company that my old school used was wayyy better. The one photographer (yes, they hired one photographer. Very small school.) would make sure you were facing the camera and he would know what pose you should be in because he was a TRAINED professional. Lifetouch...the name just makes me sick. LifeTouch Professional Photography...yeah right! /end rant
/end rantI was a victim of Lifetouch. Rip off artists!
having worked in the pro photo industry a long time, let me offer my impressions on this thread. 1) lighting using photo gear vs. theatrical fixtures. Good photo gear is very very flexible in its use. a good umbrella or softbox system can add warmth to the photo by having the inside of the umbrella use a half or full gold reflector. reflectors let you bounce a diffused light right where you want it. Believe it or not, but good photographers have a great understanding of light, color temp, reflectivity, and balance. Remember what photography is at its very simplest core. the capture of light. In order to capture light well, you have to understand the concepts and laws under which light is created, altered, and destroyed. Light is created naturally (from the sun, often my favorite source of light for portraiture), created artificially thru a flash, or a continuous source, altered by diffusion, focusing, color gels, or reflection, and destroyed by blocking, or absorbtion (using a black cloth to stop light from reflecting off of a surface).
2) Lighting a stage is a lot more forgiving about color temp of the source than photography. Before you go hitting the reply button to refute me, allow me to explain. the difference is in the capture of light. A theatrical performance is captured primarily by what? Thats right, eyeballs. A properly functioning human eye has a talent that cannot currently be replicated by a electronic device. True auto white balance in a mixed environment. If you are in a room with all blue lights, and all white furniture, you know its white furniture, don't you? Even though there is no point of comparison in the room. How do we do that? I don't know, but we do. Cameras... they can't pull off that trick. They get really confused by a lack of reference. you have to tell it what color temp the source light is so it can properly capture the scene. Obviously, if you are setting up your stage for a filmed performance, color temp is very important because it has to be captured by a video camera. however, in straight theatre, with no photography or video taping, this is not a concern.
Hence, photographers and videographers understand color temp better than most lighting designers. Of course there a caveats to everything, especially when it comes to blending moving lights with a regular fixture.
Onto the next point, lifetouch guys don't have to be great photographers. the gear is set up to provide a consistent environment to phtograph the same thing over and over and over again. That said, however, I do know a couple of lifetouch photogs whose personal work is shown in gallerys in DC ona regular basis. You can't judge a book by its cover and you certainly can't judge a photographer by his day job.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
2) Lighting a stage is a lot more forgiving about color temp of the source than photography. Before you go hitting the reply button to refute me, allow me to explain. the difference is in the capture of light. A theatrical performance is captured primarily by what? Thats right, eyeballs. A properly functioning human eye has a talent that cannot currently be replicated by a electronic device. True auto white balance in a mixed environment. If you are in a room with all blue lights, and all white furniture, you know its white furniture, don't you? Even though there is no point of comparison in the room. How do we do that? I don't know, but we do. Cameras... they can't pull off that trick. They get really confused by a lack of reference. you have to tell it what color temp the source light is so it can properly capture the scene. Obviously, if you are setting up your stage for a filmed performance, color temp is very important because it has to be captured by a video camera. however, in straight theatre, with no photography or video taping, this is not a concern.
Hence, photographers and videographers understand color temp better than most lighting designers. Of course there a caveats to everything, especially when it comes to blending moving lights with a regular fixture.
Onto the next point, lifetouch guys don't have to be great photographers. the gear is set up to provide a consistent environment to phtograph the same thing over and over and over again. That said, however, I do know a couple of lifetouch photogs whose personal work is shown in gallerys in DC ona regular basis. You can't judge a book by its cover and you certainly can't judge a photographer by his day job.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
There's the biggest issue right there IMO. Generally, if you want nice flattering portraits, you want to avoid a small lighting source. Soft boxes up close = good. S4 from 30' = blah.
zuixro
Active Member
Don't get me started on Lifetouch. They effed up our photos every year. Once, 42 students got dropped from the yearbook (no idea how) and we had to have a sticker printed, and put in the back. $300 or so. I don't remember if we got them to pay.
This year (I'm in college now, but my mom told me about it), There was a bright bar across half of the photos, so they had to retake them all (to make sure they were all good). That company needs to go away.
Similar threads
