Creating an even and beautiful light in the studio doesn’t have to be difficult. In this tutorial, I’ll show you three simple parallel lighting tricks to create portraits that everyone from the boardroom to Broadway will love.
What is parallel lighting?
Parallel lighting is a two-light setup where one light is placed on each side of your subject, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the ground. Although I use Westcott Peter Hurley Flex Kit, the same result can be achieved using a strobe light and a 1′ x 3′ strip box. There are many reasons to love a parallel lighting system, but the biggest benefit is that it produces even, flattering light without heavy shadows. It works well for all ages, genders and also for companies, actors, models and other types of clients. And, because it’s pretty simple to do, it’s perfect for those just starting to familiarize themselves with their way around the studio.
Set One: Satisfied, Even Results
In our first setup, we’ll create an even, flattering light, with no harsh shadows on the face. The first thing we want to do is place each light about 12 inches in front of our subject and as close together as possible without the lights obscuring the subject’s shoulder. The most important thing is to secure the lamp feathers. Coverage is achieved by not directing the light directly at the subject, but instead tilting it so that only the edge of the light hits their face. This is important because shedding will create a soft, pleasant light, while directing the light directly at your subject will result in harsher highlights and shadows. The feathering in a parallel setup is pretty easy to do. Point the center of the left light towards the camera’s right shoulder and the right light towards the left shoulder of the camera, instead of the face.
Next, take a moment to make sure your subject is in the sweet spot of light, because if they’re in front or behind the focus point, they’ll have strange shadows on the frame. their face. You want your subject to be in a space where both lights meet, as the softest light will be in this area. It will probably be somewhere around 12 inches from the light, but remember that finding the sweet spot is a game of millimeters, so keep an eye on how the light hits your face and adjust. be suitable.
That’s it! It’s really simple to do and everyone will love how they look using this light. I also choose parallel lighting when there is a client wearing highly reflective glasses. Normally, I use a three-light setup with a bottom fill, but removing the bottom light makes dealing with glare much easier, and the side-by-side setup provides similar results to the setup. Set up three lights with the lower fill.
A great setup for beginners
Besides being fairly easy to implement, there is another reason to love parallel lighting, which is beneficial for beginners. Since the light is even across the face, you can easily rotate the subject’s nose to the right or left without changing the result much, as with the key / fill setting. The benefit here is that you can focus on posing for your clients and finding their best angle without worrying about dramatic changes in lighting if you turn their face from side to side. that. And while I avoid the “set it and forget it” approach to studio lighting, the basic setup can be adjusted fairly quickly if the subject is photographed with their nose to the left or right.
Set Two: Lots of Failures and Drama
Now that we’ve learned the basics of parallel lighting, it’s time to create a different look using the same basic setup. Instead of choosing a flat, even light, we can create more drama by intentionally casting shadows on both sides of the subject’s face. This variation of parallel light is great for actors, artists, or anyone who wants a unique portrait (I’ve also used this for corporate work). To add drama, I chose a very wide aperture and intentionally blurred out the subject’s ears and body. This results in most of the attention being focused on the eyes.
To achieve this look, direct the lights directly at each other, so the subject’s face is illuminated only at the extreme edge of the lamp. The edges of your subject’s face will be obscured in the shadows, as well as slightly out of focus, if you choose a wide aperture. I also recommend using a black V-flat on each side of your subject to create stronger shadows. As before, we wanted the lights to be as close as possible without affecting the composition, but if you shoot vertically and crop the shoulders, you can place them even closer together.
When I use this setup, I also like to color grading or create black and white versions for even more variety. I like mine more Canon 50mm f/1.4 . Lens for this job and usually go close to the topic. Just be aware that even a 50mm lens will distort a person’s face when very close, so this may not be the best method depending on your client’s unique features. . Of course, a fast 85mm or 100mm will yield great results, so make sure to experiment with lenses and apertures to find a look you love.
Setup 3: Add Kicker Lights
In our final setup, we add a third light to our parallel setup to use as a kick, creating a vertical strip of light down the side of the subject’s face. One thing to watch out for is your kicker’s power level, because if it’s too bright, all details will be lost, resulting in flared highlights with zero brightness. I like the subtle kick that doesn’t draw attention from the subject’s expression and ensures the skin texture is preserved.
The kick can be placed on either side of the subject in parallel lighting conditions. Make sure it’s behind the subject and not directly facing them. Generally, I direct my kick towards the opposite side of the subject, so if it is placed behind the right camera, it will be towards the left wall. My stones are generally between 10% and 20%, but this varies depending on the subject’s skin tone. As before, once your lights are set, you can let the subject move their head left or right to see how the results change. Standard practice is to point the nose away from the light of the kicker, but I’ve always thought that experimentation is the best way to learn, so don’t be afraid to try different angles of the face and shoulders.
Loose ending
Although I use and prefer constant lights, all of these can be done with strobe lights. Be sure to use a 1′ x 3′ or 1′ x 2′ strip box positioned as close to the subject as possible to produce any of the results in this tutorial. Using a large softbox will not work because the light spreads too much. I also use Flat world DRAW V-flats, but the black poster board on the light stand will do the job too. Finally, always pay attention to the ambient light in your studio space as it will affect the final image of your space. friend. I learned all these parallel lighting techniques from Peter Hurley and Ivan Weissso check out their work for more inspiration.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and tried some of the techniques that worked for me!
