Photography question?

Question

How do you take a picture where its completely black and only your face is lit.
heres an example :
http://i14.tinypic.com/4kyl99w.jpg

(i couldnt find the ones Ive seen with a face so heres what i could find)

Ive tried taking the picture in the dark but it just lights up the whole room

Answer 1

The super simple answer is to use a light other than your cameras to light just what you want and take the picture with no flash. If you have a point and shoot you might not be able to dis-able your flash.

The pic you use for an example is lit from just bellow and to the right of the camera. Its obviously a defined light beam and not just a bare bulb.

Answer 2

How I would solve this:

Using the example you've posted -
You'll need a completely dark room. Your key light is off to one side aimed directly across the subject(side lighting).

You might need to take a test shot and see what exposure you are getting. Remember, digital cameras are looking to get a middle gray tone(18%) to the image. With something that black, the camera will try and make it look grayish.
This can be overcome in two ways.

1) Exposure compensation - turn your exposure compensation down a few stops(-2 maybe? You'll have to experiment to get the right balance between the lit subject and the black background).
2) Shoot in manual - take an meter reading on auto, then swithc to manual and change the shutter speed to be 2 stops(or whatever works) slower than what was metered.

Do not use on camera flash.

Also, your camera might have an issue with focus in such a dark room(depending on where your focus point is. You might need to focus manually. Probably not, but just in case focus is an issue, you can auto focus with the lights on, then switch to manual, turn the lights off and take your shots.

Use a tripod.

This should be enough to get you in the right direction.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Grid spot used to give a very directional controlled small area of light - whether studio strobe or lights does not matter.

Yes, as noted, controlled studio or room where lights can be turned off.

Yes, as noted, no on camera flash.

But probably most important, use a photo black fabric background including being wrapped around the arms and other parts of the body to make them disappear.

I used to do this in the studio all the time and the black photo background makes it easy.

Answer 4

In addition:

You CAN disable the flash on pretty much any P&S camera, at least in some modes.

This shot looks like it was lit as described, but it may have also had the backgound burned in in Photoshop (etc) or it may have had the background treated as a separate layer to get it totally dark.

Answer 5

use a directional key light, lighting the whole romm?- turn off the flash


a