Portrait lighting is more than simply creating the right exposure and showing your subject in a better way. It is your chance to create a certain atmosphere and develop a recognizable personal style. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to use bright light to create a cinematic portrait.
Coming to you from John Gress, this great video tutorial will show you how to use hard light from reflectors, beautification discs, and softboxes to create cinematic portraits, including lighting placement, scale, and more. In general, soft light is considered the standard for portrait work simply because it tends to flatter the eye, and while that is often true, hard light is also a valuable tool. It allows for sharper edges, deeper contrast, more defined contours, and more, all allowing you to create more drama in an image, bringing out textures. and create a generally different look than we usually see. Even if you normally prefer soft light for portraits, it’s a good exercise to adjust the lighting to a preset style, especially since you never know what a client might ask for. Watch the video above for the full rundown from Gress.
