One of the first things any portrait photographer should learn is how to create soft, flattering light.
The point is, most people want to look good in portraits, and getting them to do it right is a great skill to have. But with the growing number of lights, it can be difficult to learn about specific devices. Instead, in this video, I share the basics of approaching light at a more fundamental, ontological level rather than the settings to use. That way, it’s probably more fun: figuring out the little glitches on your own through trial and error, if you’ve got the basics down.
Arguably, the golden rule of light is that the larger the light source, relative to the subject, the softer the light. And again, as a rule of thumb, softer light is much easier to learn and work with and makes most people look flattering. So in that sense, it’s good to learn the basics before learning something a little more unforgiving, such as bright light.
Anyway, I’m off topic. In the video, I share a basic lighting setup using Led light (so you can use it for video as well as stills if you want). I use some basic studio equipment, lighting diffuser and reflexbut if you startsure feel free to get creative!
I’d love to know if you’ll end up using this, so feel free to share yours if you’d like.
