control of hotspots on faces when trying to create soft light?

[Sridhar Kak]

Hi respected members,

I often find that even when I’m using a large, diffused source to create very soft light on a face, I still get a noticeable hotspot on areas like the forehead, nose, or cheek.I understand that skin texture, oil, and makeup can obviously contribute, but I’m interested in this specifically from a cinematography/lighting perspective and to what extent we can mitigate it.

I’m currently trying to light a scene with very soft, flattering light (but with some shape)on the actresses face (In all kinds of spaces big or small) I’m using a relatively large diffused source wherever I can and keeping it as close as long its not in my frame. but I’m still getting noticeable hotspots on areas like the forehead and cheek and otherwse I end up making the facelight feel very flat too.

I’m particularly interested in how you diagnose the cause of the hotspot on set, rather than just the specific fix,  whether the problem is the quality of the light itself versus simply the angle of reflection from the skin?

Would love to hear how experienced DPs/gaffers approach this on set.

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