Lighting is important in photography and learning how to use it effectively can dramatically enhance your images. This video covers five impressive lighting setups using just one light source, designed to help you create stunning, impactful images.
Coming to you from John GressThis informative video explores various lighting techniques, starting with a scene shot at Lake Michigan. Gress uses Elinchrom YEAR and a Rotalux 100cm deep octagonal box. This setup is versatile, perfect for full-body and headshots. For this shot, he set his camera to 1/5,000th of a second at f/2 and ISO 100, freezing every moving water droplet. High-speed sync balances the bright sunrise with flash. When shooting outdoors, consider the depth of field you want, then adjust your shutter speed and ISO to properly expose the sky before adding flash.
The next setting is a sunset portrait on a sailboat with the Chicago skyline in the background. Gress used 24 inch soft boxPosition the model in front of the sailboat. Depending on the position of the boat, he achieved both front and back lighting compositions. Using high-speed sync allowed for high shutter speeds and wide apertures, creating a shallow depth of field that isolated the model from the background.
For a studio photo shoot, Gress uses a Elinchrom Beauty Dish White 27 Inch as the main light and the background. It is important to make sure the beauty plate is parallel to the ground. Gress positions the subject so that the hard line from the edge of the reflector falls directly into the background.
Another setup involves using a Fresnel to create focused light that simulates sunlight. The Fresnel, placed about 10 feet away from the subject, provides just the right amount of coverage and detail. A reflector bounces the light back into the shadows, adding detail without sacrificing drama.
The final setup has one optical viewfinder with a palm tree gobo to create precise hard light patterns. The snoot is positioned directly over the subject and background to keep the pattern in focus. Adjusting the position of the light and gobo inside the snoot allows for the perfect composition. Watch the video above for the full rundown from Gress.
If you want to continue learning about portrait lighting, be sure to check out “Face Lighting: Lighting for Portraits and Headshots With Peter Hurley!”
