5. Lighting
Lighting is a difficult one for me to explain in this article as there can be so many variables based on the location or whether you are skilled in using studio lighting on location or if you are just working with a simple on flashgun or available light.
If you have no lights and you are working outdoors then a scrim and a reflector would be an advantage. At the very least a collapsible reflector is essential so that you can back light your subject and then bounce some softer light back on them. A scrim is useful to soften harsh light but you would need an assistant to hold it. If you are indoors positioning your subject alongside a large window is always a good bet with a large reflector on the opposite side to fill in the shadows.
If you have a flashgun don’t fire it straight at your subject as the light will be too hard. A much better idea would be to aim it at a nearby white or neutral wall to create a reflection of larger soft side lighting. If you are using studio lights then you have many options available to you but I find as mentioned above that soft side, slightly front lighting to be the most flattering. Then simply place a large reflector close to the shadow side of the face keeping a second light free for backlighting your subject or lighting your background. I always choose my lighting based on the location and what it has to offer and what I can turn it into. This may be four studio lights on location, or it may simply be daylight – theses creative choices only come with experience and knowledge. Lighting is the most important fundamental part of photography and not something that can be explained easily in this written article, you really need to ‘see it’ so for in-depth lighting techniques you should take a look at some of our videos and courses.
So those are my 5 key areas and you can see that combined it can be a lot to think about, especially if you are having to work fast on your feet. One final tip I would offer is to position your subject at an angle to the camera not front on, that way the shoulder furthest away can drift slightly out of focus with shallow depth of field and your subject will not look too wide. The head can be looking at camera or looking away if you are going for a “reportage” style. Finally don’t restrict yourself to shooting eye level with your subject, I find many people look more flattered when you have a slightly elevated viewpoint looking down to your subject with their eyes looking slightly up. As always take a look at portrait images that you like and try to figure out what it is you like about then and think about my 5 points above when while you are doing it. This will help you learn why something works or why it doesn’t. I hope you found this article useful.
In Part 2, I’m going to go a little further on the subject of business portraiture and run through some important points and examples. Make sure you sign up to stay up to date with our latest blog posts.
All the best Karl.
5. Lighting
Lighting is a difficult one for me to explain in this article as there can be so many variables based on the location or whether you are skilled in using studio lighting on location or if you are just working with a simple on flashgun or available light.
If you have no lights and you are working outdoors then a scrim and a reflector would be an advantage. At the very least a collapsible reflector is essential so that you can back light your subject and then bounce some softer light back on them. A scrim is useful to soften harsh light but you would need an assistant to hold it. If you are indoors positioning your subject alongside a large window is always a good bet with a large reflector on the opposite side to fill in the shadows.
If you have a flashgun don’t fire it straight at your subject as the light will be too hard. A much better idea would be to aim it at a nearby white or neutral wall to create a reflection of larger soft side lighting. If you are using studio lights then you have many options available to you but I find as mentioned above that soft side, slightly front lighting to be the most flattering. Then simply place a large reflector close to the shadow side of the face keeping a second light free for backlighting your subject or lighting your background. I always choose my lighting based on the location and what it has to offer and what I can turn it into. This may be four studio lights on location, or it may simply be daylight – theses creative choices only come with experience and knowledge. Lighting is the most important fundamental part of photography and not something that can be explained easily in this written article, you really need to ‘see it’ so for in-depth lighting techniques you should take a look at some of our videos and courses.
So those are my 5 key areas and you can see that combined it can be a lot to think about, especially if you are having to work fast on your feet. One final tip I would offer is to position your subject at an angle to the camera not front on, that way the shoulder furthest away can drift slightly out of focus with shallow depth of field and your subject will not look too wide. The head can be looking at camera or looking away if you are going for a “reportage” style. Finally don’t restrict yourself to shooting eye level with your subject, I find many people look more flattered when you have a slightly elevated viewpoint looking down to your subject with their eyes looking slightly up. As always take a look at portrait images that you like and try to figure out what it is you like about then and think about my 5 points above when while you are doing it. This will help you learn why something works or why it doesn’t. I hope you found this article useful.
In Part 2, I’m going to go a little further on the subject of business portraiture and run through some important points and examples. Make sure you sign up to stay up to date with our latest blog posts.
All the best Karl.
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