When they're standing in front of a big window, unless you've got a 1200K HMI in your kit, you're screwed. I went to one presser where they'd set up in front of floor to ceiling windows and told them that was a big mistake. They thought the background would be pretty.
They used to do that here at the hospital. floor to ceiling windows, ext was a white building in full sun, and sun hitting the back and head of the person at the podium. Got away with 2 omnis on one side, 3/4 CTB on each, no diffusion, spotted from high 3/4 frontal. Fill light in the room from other windows filled in. The background was about 3 stops overexposed, so still some detail in the highlights (and there was a deep shadow outside under an awning I could balance the image with.) That was a long time ago and the hospital didn't try that location again after that.
I am a podium mover. Or I push my reporter to do singles where I can stage under good light. I have gotten tired of just omnis with no control. Diffusion on the barn doors doesn't cut it for me. That overly lit looks worse to me than most rooms natural light (if care is taken in the placement of the subject, finding the good light and playing to its strengths)
Most rooms I work in for pressers have 4' 4bank floros spaced 4-6' apart. Thats a pretty general soft overhead wash. And since the source is low, you can move the placement as little as 3 feet and get great light from what used to be rubbish. True the spectrum isn't ideal, and skin tones do suffer a bit under floros, but the typical omni on both sides wrapped in tough spun just doesn't look good to me.
At the distances the lights are typically at the light is no longer soft, it projects very harsh shadows on the wall and face. The double key throws weird butterfly shaddows in the nose and bridge between the eyes. The light is too flat, never placing an appealing shadow to define face structure. Also two 500w typically is a bit to spectral (even with tough spun. Maybe with doube 216 its a bit better), add in a nervous subject and the shine on the face looks unatural and unpleasent to me.
I typically find a corners of the room that is darker than most and use the best one as background, then place the subject 2/3 between two overheads (closer to the light behind subject), so the backlight is soft and about 1 stop brighter than key to seperate the subject from the background. Since the key light comes in at a gentler angle it usually gets in the eye socket well (unless they are cromagnoned faced or scowlers) and there usually is a good soft shadow roll off to define the cheek bones or nose structure. as long as I can get to an f2.8 without gain I am fine without lights (my lens sucks at an f2 soft and edge focus is terrible. at 1.4 its no brighter, only softer).
I will only bring lights if I am walking into a situation I have never been too and aren't sure what the natural light situation will be, or if its a location I know I have had problems in. If other photogs light, I just deal with it. Its not bad, and I appriciate the effort, but to me I have never been a fan of the canned presser lighting style.
I like to keep things natural, usually I am just throwing some fill in to ballance the natural light, if that. For a package or more formal style interview, I might do a news-mag style light setup. But even those that look nice, still look lit (I mean the cookie on the background? never looks natural, only 'nice')
But I am working on a bit of feild grip that I think is pretty nifty, and could be useful even in run and gun mode. Once its ready I might start 'lighting' pressers again. (by taking natural light away rather than adding more lights)
