'Low Key' Lighting Set Up

After my test shoots with my Dad and my sister in the pervious post, the outcomes led me to have the exact same set up as it worked perfectly to give enough light to the subject and wasn't too much for the camera settings.

I am shooting onto Black and have black flooring, a normal Low Key lighting set up uses one light source and that is exactly what I have done.  I only need one light source as I am working with long exposures, the longer the shutter is open the more light, so I would not need any more than one light source or the exposures would not work.

It was Bill Wadman's work that I originated my ideas from and then thought about pole, but I had seen that he used one light source from above to light his dancers. I cannot really get my light to be above the subject so can only put it as high as I can and to one side of me whilst I shoot.

I ave drawn out the lighting set up that I used for my test shoots and what I will use for the main shoot.  It worked out perfectly and the lighting should hopefully be alright for my main subject of the Pole dancer.  I have my black material rolled down and round flat to the wall and then the black ground sheet to cover the floor, no backdrop stands as I have new fixtures on the wall.  The Pole is the centre of the image and the main focus point for this shoot, so it has to be directly in the middle.  I have drawn my subject just to the side so it is easier to notice the top, base and pole and then my subject.

Like i said, I only have one light source and I have placed the continuous light source to my left and placed it as high as I could with a tilt downwards and on the pole.  The windows are blacked out, but the light source is quite bright so it is not a dark dark room.  The camera setting to start off with, has an ISO of 100, an aperture of around f/10 to f/8 and a shutter speed of 3 seconds to start off with.  I ranged my speed and long exposure time with my test shoots so I will do this agin in the main shoot too.

This lighting set up is so simple and I am glad it is something that can have great results with it not being hard to set up at all.  The light source can be changed to different places in the room and around the subject and still have good results with the long exposures. So there isn't really a set way, but I have chosen to keep in camera left. 

Equipment List:

• Canon 60D 
• Nikon D80
• Tripod
• Camera Remote (for Nikon only)
• 1 x Continuous Light & Light Stand
• 1 x Softbox
• Black Backdrop
• Black Ground Sheet
• Pole!
• 4 LED lights (two blue, two green)
• Duct Tape (for the LED's)