Clamshell lighting is one of the simplest lighting setups for headshots and portraits. Two lights are set up to light your subject from above and from below. Both are at approximately a 45 degree angle. This gives an even light on your subject, that somehow has a glowing effect. Easy to set up, and gives consistently good results. Here I used studio lighting, but obviously it is just as easy with speedlights.
You must have seen similar clamshell style lighting setups, but with a reflector below instead. This 2nd light source from Read more inside...
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...
A friend of my daughter sent me an email with a few observations and a question, which in turn, set of a much longer train of thought about portrait photography, and making it more spontaneous. My portrait photography tends to be controlled on some levels. I don't strictly pose, but I do control the pose and the lighting and composition - while still trying to retain some spontaneous reaction from my subject.
Here's Terry's email (which was titled: Intrinsic Splendor)
I was thumbing through one of your books to brush up on something Read more inside...
Dramatic lighting effects for portrait photography (model: Jessica Joy)
For this dramatic Hollywoord Glamor inspired portrait sequence of Jessica, I used two Litepanels Sola 4 LED Fresnel Lights (B&H / Amazon). But there's more that happening here with the lighting than just the main light and the rim light. There is the splash of color in the background, augmenting the blue rim-light coming from behind.
Jessica's reaction to the first test shot was amusing - a surprised,"where did that come from?", when she saw the image on the back of my camera. The blue tones and Read more inside...
Creative portrait photography - Allowing opportunities to happen
There was an interesting challenge for me during a recent individual photography workshop in NYC - Don (who arranged the workshop), already knew the essentials of lighting techniques, and said what he really wanted was insight into the way that I see a photo before I take it. How do I know something will work or not. Don was particularly impressed with the series of photos of Anelisa that I shot for the review of the Profoto B2 Flash. The shallow depth-of-field images was a particular draw-card.
Serendipity - I love Read more inside...
Portrait photography: Show us a favorite or break-through photograph
This photograph remains one of my favorites. It was taken circa early 90's during a studio shoot-out arranged by a camera club (CCJ) I belonged to in Jo'burg. In this photo, the models are waiting for their turn to be photographed in a studio setup, using studio lighting, as well as available light in the large studio. It was a candid moment, as I knelt in front of this model, Megan.
For me, this was a transitionary photograph - I was at a point where I knew basic photography techniques. I read voraciously, and Read more inside...
Father and son portrait - Deconstructing a photograph
My friend, Chuck Arlund, visited New York with his son Lachlan, for a few days. At the end of the trip, I had a short opportunity to photograph them. Since this is Chuck, whom I greatly admire, and his son (who is so used to a camera by now), I wanted to come up with something outside of the usual guaranteed way of working with a longer lens, and a simpler background. I wanted something a little out of the ordinary.
What I envisioned was some place in New York that was very busy, and then go to a slow shutter speed, and let Read more inside...
Photography composition: Working toward the final image
When I first immersed myself in photography way way back, it took me a while to realize that what I see in a magazine or book, isn't necessarily the first image. Those incredible images that can inspire us, (or even make us just want to give up photography), most often are not fully-formed masterpieces. Most often, the photograph that we as the viewer are presented with, are but one of a series. One photograph that stood out, or where the elements in the photograph were controlled by the photographer. And even with the work of Read more inside...
This is what we do as photographers - looking for photo opportunities and looking for angles and backgrounds which are not mundane. Even when not taking photographs, it is always a good exercise to look for what would have made a good photograph. It's constant training for the mind. We stumbled upon this opportunity for this portrait of Jessica - the reception room for a wedding we were photographing had several large boxes of lights against the walls as a kind of light mural, with baubles inside that were lit up. And the back of each of these displays Read more inside...
home studio portrait lighting setup in limited space
The photos in this article were shot with a fairly simple lighting setup in my dining room area. The main light to my left (model’s right) is the Westcott Bruce Dorn Strip Bank (18"x42") (B&H). The flashgun was a Quantum T2, but a speedlight would've worked just as well. In this small a space, you don’t need huge amounts of light.
I used another Quantum T2 to light up the grey seamless background. I had the Quantum 12×12 softbox on this one, and feathered it to give me uneven light on the backdrop. I also had a snooted Nikon Read more inside...
