Lighting a white seamless studio backdrop
Lighting a white seamless studio backdrop
There are a number of variations on how to light a white seamless studio backdrop - but it all comes down to the same essentials. You want a spread of even light on the background, and a big swathe of light from the front. All of this with as little fall-off in the light as possible. We've covered this topic in previous articles, showing how it is done with speedlights ... Simple lighting setup with speedlights & white seamless backdrop (model: Anastasia) Simple lighting setup for home studio photography (models: Anelisa Read more inside...Profoto: How to use gridded strip boxes as the main light
Profoto: How to use gridded strip boxes as the main light
My favorite light modifiers when working with studio-type flashes like the Profoto B1 and D1, are gridded stripboxes. In the studio where I have space, I tend to prefer the larger Profoto 1’x6’ strip-box (affiliate). When I have to travel with gear, or work with kids, then the Profoto 1’x4’ strip-box (affiliate), is my preference. Both of them with a grid on them. That egg-crate grid on the front helps control how the light spills. This video explains how I use them as the main light, and what makes gridded stripboxes such Read more inside...Photo session – Intimate male portraiture
Photo session - Intimate male portraiture
The motive behind this photo session with Nick Mathews, is explained in the intro of the behind-the-scenes video clip of the photo session. One subject, one studio, two photographers and two different styles. We shot this in Cate's studio - she used available light, and I ended up using two Profoto B1 flashes (affiliate), and gridded stripboxes to control the light. The video clip shows some of how we directed Nick during the shoot, and as a professional model and actor, he was supremely easy to work with. With this article, I'd like to Read more inside...The size and placement of studio lights
How the size and placement of studio lights affect the photos
Mateos, a model & fitness trainer, in the studio. More than just a fitness photograph (via dramatic light to show off his physique), I wanted these to be portraits as well of this athlete. With fitness photography, the approach is usually to have photos where you show detail and contouring. This is usually done with more contrasty light - small light sources at an angle to your subject. To get the rim-lighting shown here, there was the typical setup of two gridded stripboxes to the side and behind Mateos. Pretty Read more inside...Romantic wedding portraits with incandescent light
Romantic wedding portraits with the modeling light from a flash
Defining your style in wedding photography is, for me, as much about the way you use light and lighting, as it is about composition and posing, and timing. All the facets have to come together, continually through the day to create a successful and representative view of the wedding day. When it comes to the romantic portraits of the couple, posing and lighting are inter-twined. You can't think of them as separate things. With the way I use light, I don't want to be fixed with one specific way of doing it - the style Read more inside...Featured in Rangefinder magazine
Featured in Rangefinder magazine: Fully Lit
This is a big deal for me - I'm featured in the December issue of Rangefinder magazine, the official publication for WPPI, the premier Wedding and Portrait Photography association. So yes, it's something to brag about. The article is a four-part segment which focuses on studio lighting, with the accent on making the lighting and varied. The challenge with a studio is always that of making the 'square box with white walls' interesting. You have to work with the lighting that you have to create images with variety and different looks Read more inside...Studio photography – Capturing movement with continuous lighting
Studio photography - Capturing movement with continuous lighting
The effect here, which makes me think of black flames, was the result of a slow shutter speed (1/20th) in the studio, using continuous lighting. The short duration of a flash pulse would've frozen the movement, so I needed continuous light for this effect. I used two Litepanels Astra EP 1×1 LED Panels (B&H / Amazon) that I bounced into a V-flat to soften the light. I also used another V-flat to partially block the light towards her feet for more light fall-off to the bottom. The photo below is a pull-back Read more inside...Studio lighting with style and elegance
Studio lighting with style and elegance
The title here might be presumptuous - studio lighting with style and elegance - but it is a good summary for the intent I had in lighting a series of portraits for a client. Unfussy lighting that highlighted our subjects - women. Specifically, women over the age of 55. This is part of a collaboration with Brynn Hudson jewelry – portrait photography which focuses on the many faces and personalities of women. I posted a selection of my favorite photos on my One Perfect Moment blog: Accomplished – Portraits of strong women. But Read more inside...Portrait lighting patterns: Loop lighting & Butterfly lighting
Portrait lighting patterns: Loop lighting & Butterfly lighting
In the article on available light portrait photography, I mentioned how I posed Anastasiya, so that the spot of reflected sunlight created a butterfly lighting-pattern. While most of us associate lighting patterns with studio lighting, the thought-process in how to use available light or bounce flash or continuous lighting, remains the same. It has to do with how we pose and position our subjects in relation to the light. And it also depends on how we position ourselves. I want to show some straight-forward Read more inside...- 1
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