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Takahisa Grandview
Born in Tokyo in 1980. After graduating from university, he joined a printing company. Graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Photography. After working as an advertising photographer assistant, he became an independent photographer. His main career is beauty, fashion, portrait, advertising and magazine photography.
Combining black softness with strobe shooting can increase the change of light, which is characterized by weakening the sense of digital and reducing the contrast and sharpness of the picture. We've summarized the differences in the effects of the 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 black soft filters, as well as the idea of shooting with different gears.
The black soft effect varies in different gears
NiSi black soft filters come in three different gears, and many people may not know how to choose. First of all, we will compare the effects of black soft shooting in different gears.
The image below was taken in the studio using the 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 stop black soft filters, respectively, with a constant-light LED light as a point light source.
1/8 black soft
1/4 black soft
1/2 black soft
1/8 black soft
1/4 black soft
1/2 black soft
The Black Soft filter lets the light highlights shine out and preserves the details of the highlights. The atomization effect around the light source is also more pronounced with the increase of the black soft gear. Therefore, the picture shot by the 1/2 gear black soft is the softest.
Shooting scheme 1
1/4 gear black soft + basic lighting
Black background plus basic dual lighting, shooting with a constant light source and flash with 1/4 black soft.
By using black softness, after softening the highlight, the whole person is surrounded by a dreamy light, which can make the picture more harmonious and unified. Use flash to create crisp shadows. The Black Soft Filter maintains shadow detail while reducing the contrast of the picture and creating a smooth gradient transition from the light to the dark.
FUJIFILM GFX 100
Fujifilm Fujinon GF+NiSi 1/4 Black Soft
110mm, 1/13 sec., F4, ISO 100, white balance: 5600K
No filters are used
Shots without filters are sharp, and the model's skin contrasts sharply against the dark background, giving the impression of being blunt and stereotypical. The picture shot with 1/4 black softness has a smooth transition between light and dark differences and rich layers.
Use NiSi1/4 Black Soft
Use NiSi 1/2 black soft
Shooting with the same settings using 1/2 black soft is compared with the 1/4 gear, the 1/2 black soft light blend spreads too much and the contrast is weakened, while the 1/4 black soft, while making full use of the contrast generated by the lighting, produces a delicate chiaroscuro gradient transition, which can better depict the contour of the model.
Shooting scheme 2
1/8 black soft + color lighting
Similar to neon lighting, there are colored LED lights behind the side, and it is shot with 1/8 black soft. The color LED light is dyed by the black soft halo, depicting the contours of the model and highlighting the layers of the picture. By using 1/8 of the black softness with a weak softening effect, the picture level becomes richer and fuller without affecting the details of the dark part of the picture.
FUJIFILM GFX 100
Fujifilm Fujinon GF+NiSi 1/8 Black Soft
1/60 sec., F2, ISO 500, white balance: 5600K
Shooting scheme 3
1/2 black soft + halo
I try to shoot portraits with the highest gear and the strongest 1/2 of the black softness effect. Illuminating light from the side of the lens reduces overall contrast and shoots with a 1/2 black soft high hazy haze effect.
FUJIFILM GFX 100
Fujifilm Fujinon GF+NiSi 1/2 Black Soft
1/80 sec., F2, ISO 100, white balance: 5600K
No filters are used
Use NiSi 1/2 black soft
By using 1/2 black softness, the overall contrast of the picture is greatly reduced. This can be seen by comparing the shadowed parts of the garment. The skin of the characters has also become more delicate, and the film sense of the picture has been enhanced.
1/4 black soft can make the picture become delicate and layered. 1/8 black soft increases the illumination range while maintaining the clarity of the subject. 1/2 Black Soft can enjoy the most creative shooting.
By using different gears of black soft filters with studio lighting, you can create different soft effects and make photography more creative and interesting.
Photo/Takahisa Grandview
Edit/Emily