"Hacostadium Lighting Bible" Part 3: Japanese-Style Room Edition

Hacostadium Lighting Bible

Part 3: Japanese-style Room

Nissin Japan visited the cosplay amusement spaces "HACOSTADIUM OSAKA" and "HACOSTADIUM cosset Osaka Nipponbashi"! We conducted a photoshoot using Nissin strobes at Hacostadium, which offers various settings for shooting. We would like to introduce the photos taken and the methods behind them in this series. For Part 3, we will present photos taken in the 4F Japanese-style room at "HACOSTADIUM OSAKA".

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▼ Here are the photos from this shoot! ▼
Model: Ibuki　Photography: Ai Ehara
(Click images to enlarge)
Although it is the same room, I think the two photos have different atmospheres. Even in the same location, lighting can change the mood significantly. We only used one or two strobes, so the setup is not overly complicated. Let's take a look at the shooting methods!
Shooting Method (1)The first photo has a natural lighting atmosphere, as if daylight is streaming in through the shoji screens. Those who read the previous "Classroom" installment might already be able to guess the lighting setup... First, for comparison, I would like you to see a photo taken with only indoor room lighting and no strobe.
Shot with indoor lighting onlyWhile you can take bright photos with just indoor lighting, the shoji screens look dark compared to the photo above, giving it a somewhat dim impression. The lighting is also flat (which is fine in its own right), so it doesn't bring out much depth or texture in the clothing. If you compare the jackets and ribbons, I think you can feel the difference in texture.
Therefore, I want to add one strobe here. Since we are in a Japanese-style room with shoji screens, let's close them and use them as a diffuser. Because the shoji screens diffuse the light as it passes through, they can create soft lighting on their own.
[Lighting Data]
(1) Di700 - Direct light to shoji, wide panel engagedTo ensure the strobe light hits the shoji widely, extend the wide panel and place the strobe a little bit away from the screen. The wide panel is used when you want to illuminate a broad area because it expands the strobe's irradiation angle. If you don't use the wide panel, the illuminated area will be narrow, resulting in concentrated, hard light.
Wide panel. Pull it out from the top.
State with wide panel engaged
Place a reflector to soften the shadows on the face. I borrowed the stepladder from Hacostadium.
Here is the photo taken using one strobe.
Used 1 strobeI was able to capture a photo with soft light. This is good, but the background feels a little dark, so let's add another strobe for the background.
(2) Di700 - Rogue FlashBender 2 XL PROFor the strobe lighting the background, I used a lighting accessory called the Rogue FlashBender 2 XL PRO. It is an item that turns your strobe into a simple softbox. It can be folded to be thin and small, making it convenient to carry! Be careful with the direction of the strobe so that the light doesn't hit the model too directly. It does have the effect of brightening the shadow side of the model to some extent, but depending on the angle, it can sometimes create unnatural light on the face.This time, we ultimately went with a two-strobe setup, but I think the photo with just one also had a nice atmosphere. There is no right or wrong in lighting. Try using it differently depending on the photo you want to take!
Shooting Method (2)In complete contrast to the previous photo, this one has a slightly moody atmosphere. I shot this with the image of being illuminated by the light of a paper lantern (andon) at night. (Please ignore whether it fits the character for now...!)
[Lighting Data]