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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography

Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography

ED VEROSKY (Previously Titled: Basic Lighting)

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography

Contents Introduction................................................................................5 Light Sources and Gear ...........................................................7

Three Types of Light............................................................................................... 8 Basic Lighting For Any Budget............................................................................... 10 Light Stands .......................................................................................................... 28 Lighting Modifiers................................................................................................... 29 Starting Points........................................................................................................ 35 Backgrounds.......................................................................................................... 42 Light Meters........................................................................................................... 43

Portrait Lighting Basics...........................................................49 Lighting For Faces................................................................................................. 49 The Five Basic Lighting Patterns........................................................................... 50 Flat vs. Dimensional Lighting................................................................................. 54 Background and Environment Considerations....................................................... 55 What Else Makes A Good Portrait?........................................................................ 59

Dramatic Portraits....................................................................60 Everything Starts with One Light............................................................................ 61 Adding Fill Light..................................................................................................... 65 Adding Hair Light................................................................................................... 66 Adding Background Light....................................................................................... 67

Side Lighting.............................................................................68 Single Side Light Profile......................................................................................... 69 Split Light............................................................................................................... 72 Two Side Lights...................................................................................................... 73 Adding Fill Light..................................................................................................... 75 Halo/Hair Rim Light................................................................................................ 75

Full-Length Lighting.................................................................78 One Light From Above........................................................................................... 79 Two Lights for More Coverage............................................................................... 82 Big Softbox without the Box................................................................................... 84 Wall Bounce for Bigger Light.................................................................................. 85 Another Solution: Move The Light Farther Away................................................... 86 3

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography

Contents continued... Lighting For Headshots...........................................................88

It Begins with One Light, But You Already Knew That............................................ 89 The Fill Light ......................................................................................................... 92 The Hair Light........................................................................................................ 94 The Background .................................................................................................... 95 Clamshell Lighting................................................................................................. 100 Headshots come in many styles .......................................................................... 104

The White Background...........................................................105 White Backgrounds Are Easy............................................................................... 106 A White Background Isn’t Always White............................................................... 107 The Basic White Background................................................................................ 107 Wrap-Around Lighting........................................................................................... 110 The Light Source As Background......................................................................... 111 One Light Can Work.............................................................................................. 112

Freestyle Lighting....................................................................113 Conclusion...............................................................................116 Additional Resources ........................................................................................... 116

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Introduction

Introduction Lighting can be one of the most challenging aspects of photography, but something every photographer should strive to learn more about, no matter what their skill level. I’ve written other books to address the desire to learn lighting theory and the technical aspects of lighting and exposure, and I feel that a solid understanding of lighting and exposure is crucial to being a well-rounded photographer. However, I also think there’s much to be gained from just jumping in and creating good lighting from wherever you are in the learning curve. Producing great portraits is the goal after all, but getting somewhere with your work right now is also encouraging. Knowing that you have it in you to create good images will only make you want to improve your technique and understanding as you move forward. This book is designed to lead you on a path of learning by doing. The examples I ask you to follow are organized so that you can create great images right away, and it’s my hope that you’ll gain some important insight as you move through them. Every step of the way, you’ll pick up a new technique or principle, possibly use it in another example, and before you know it, you’ll be applying these techniques to your own lighting combinations! 5

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Introduction

There’s a tendency to want to fill up a book like this with some of my favorite stylized examples for each lighting setup, but I went the other way this time. Instead, I made the decision to stick with basic, no-frills images that would serve as instructive templates to work from. The images showing some of the lighting setups and gear, and the perspective diagrams were also considered carefully. For the sake of uniformity and simplicity, the illustrations mostly feature main and fill lighting represented by small flash units modified with shoot-through umbrellas. However, any of the light sources can be replaced by other types of lighting and modifiers to suit your particular needs. I think I’ve struck a good balance with all of the visuals in order to communicate the concepts I’m trying to teach. Hopefully, you’ll agree and find the presentation easy to follow and straight to the point. Finally, I recommend you not only use these examples to learn where to place your lights, but also how to control their output manually, as opposed to limiting yourself to using automatic technologies like E-TTL II or i-TTL as they are available with small flash units. This isn’t to say I don’t want you to use TTL at all, I just want you to learn how to mange your lights and camera’s manual features, too. These are going to be very important later. We’ll get started first with some basics about the type of lighting you can use, the portraiture lighting patterns you should be familiar with, and then move on to the examples you can follow to create your own impressive portraits!

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

CHAPTER 1

Light Sources and Gear No matter what your budget or how limited your work space or experience level, you should be able to use this book to create great portrait lighting immediately. Although you won’t need studio strobes or shoe-mount flash units to create the lighting patterns I’m going to cover in Figure 1.1. Portrait lighting setup. From left to right: this text, I strongly recommend softbox, hair light, fill light, and background light. that you invest in some type of flash/strobe lighting for your portraiture work. As I explain below, this will afford you the most control and versatility with your lighting (see Figure 1.1). Still, it’s the way light and shadow fall across your subject that matters most; the type of light being used is less important to the final image.

Figure 1.2. A room filled with window light is great for natural light portraits.

So, if all you have to work with are household lamps and/or natural light (Figure 1.2), use your creativity to direct your light where it’s needed to approximate the examples in this book. By doing so, you’ll improve your portraiture as you learn the principles that will guide you should you eventually choose to include flash/strobe lighting in your work. 7

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

Three Types of Light For the purposes of photography, lighting can be broken down into three main categories: constant, natural, and strobe. Understand that you’ll occasionally have to deal with mixed lighting scenarios, but for now, we’ll discuss each type of light individually in the list that follows:

Constant Lighting Constant (or continuous) light is artificial light that is produced for a duration that lasts much longer than the average exposure. Examples of this type of light source are household light bulbs, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), flashlights, video lights, street lights, car headlights, any neon or electronic screen illumination, candle light or light coming from a bonfire. Constant lighting is generally less powerful than strobe, but arguably easier to control than natural light. As with natural light, one of the great advantages to working with constant light sources is that you can see and somewhat control the effect of the lighting on your subject in real-time.

Natural Lighting When we talk about natural light, we’re usually referring to the light produced by the Sun. Natural light is the constant ambient light that surrounds us outdoors and makes its way indoors via windows and skylights. Sunlight can be harsh when striking your subject directly, or beautifully diffuse (e.g. on cloudy days). Let’s not forget the “Golden Hour,” that time just before the sun dips below the horizon, or just after it rises in the morning, when the sunlight passes through the atmosphere in such a way as to create a less intense, warm glow. Many photographers think of natural light as the easiest type to work with and it can definitely seem that way. As with other types of constant lighting, 8

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

natural light allows you to see where the light and shadows fall across your subject in real-time, giving you a pretty good idea of how they’ll appear in your images. But much of the perceived simplicity of working with natural light has to do with our limited ability to actually control it; it’s not like you can alter the Sun’s output or move and position it around your subject the way that you can with lamps, flashes, and studio lights, so when working exclusively with natural light, there are fewer settings and pieces of gear to concern yourself with. Of course, having less control over your lighting can also be limiting, but under the right conditions natural light can be a pleasure to work with for creating beautiful portraiture.

Flash and Studio Strobe Lighting Flash and studio strobes are among the most powerful and versatile lighting sources you can use, but they’re also the most misunderstood. The challenge of working with flash or any strobe lighting has to do with the relatively short duration of the light output and its variable intensity. A single burst of light produced by a strobe occurs for only a fraction of a second. This makes it difficult to see and judge the light prior to reviewing your shots on your camera’s preview monitor. Managing a strobe’s intensity and/or balancing it with the output of other strobe units (in a multi-light setup) can also be frustrating. Things can get even more complicated when mixing strobe with constant or ambient light sources. These are more advanced topics we’ll only briefly mention in this book. Although working with strobe lighting can initially be more complex than working with natural or continuous light, the benefits are certainly worth the effort. And once you gain some experience with strobe lighting, it’s actually quite simple to use. In fact, many photographers feel that working with 9

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

strobe lighting is easier than working natural light. Fortunately, you can learn to create beautiful portraits with strobe even before mastering (or completely understanding) how flash works. Automatic flash exposure systems like Canon’s E-TTL II and Nikon’s i-TTL can do much of the complicated work for you, allowing you to concentrate more on the position of your lights than on their power settings and metering. As you progress in your understanding of flash and its more advanced techniques and uses, you’ll likely want to control the light output manually for most portrait work.

Basic Lighting For Any Budget If you’ve made the effort to acquire a DSLR and a computer for your photography, I’m assuming you’re also willing to invest in some flash or studio strobe units, or at the very least, a low-cost continuous lighting solution. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s high-end studio lighting, but for basic work the costs of top-of-the-line lighting might greatly outweigh the benefits. Perhaps your comfort zone is somewhere in the middle, where good quality for typical use is often reasonably affordable. Here are a few suggestions for putting together your own affordable basic lighting kit:

Clamp Light Kit Clamp lights are those inexpensive work lights shaped somewhat like a bell (see Figure 1.3). These are essentially utility lights for workshop and household use but they can be an excellent source of light for your photography, too. You’ll find that they’re made up of four basic pieces: • Light receptacle • Light bulb/CFL • Reflector • Clamp 10

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

The three pieces that make up the clamp light hardware are usually available for purchase as a unit. You can use regular incandescent light bulbs but I prefer compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) because they run cooler and provide plenty of light to work with. CFLs cost more than standard light bulbs but what you can save on the energy and replacement costs will more than make up for the initial expense over time.

Figure 1.3. Clamp light with CFL.

A CFL that uses 42 watts of power can provide as much illumination as a 150 watt incandescent bulb. There are in fact CFLs that can produce light equivalent to a 500+ watt incandescent light. The amount of light you’ll need will depend mostly on your camera’s handling of noise at higher ISO settings. As long as you can achieve your preferred shutter speed and aperture setting, your clamp light kit is producing enough light to work with. Since the setup described here does not employ three-way or dimmable lights, you’ll have to make one or more of the following adjustments to control lighting intensity and/or lighting ratios (where lighting intensity varies in the scene): • Number of lights. Just as with any type of lighting, the number of lights you use will determine where the light falls and how much light appears in your shot. Using more lights from a single position will naturally produce more intensity from that position. You can think of a tight grouping 11

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

of lights as single light source. Conversely, removing lights from that position will make that light source dimmer. • Position. By increasing the distance between light source and your subject, you’ll decrease the intensity of that light as it appears on the subject. As a matter of fact, just moving your light a few feet can dramatically diminish its intensity. Bringing a light in closer to your subject, as you might guess, will increase the light’s intensity on the subject. • Angle. This is related to position, but here we’re dealing more with a technique called “feathering.” If you leave your light in the same position in relation to the subject, you can still decrease the intensity of that light on the subject by angling it off to one side. As you turn the light farther away from a straight-on orientation to your subject, you’ll decrease the amount of light reaching the subject from that light source. • Modification. A light modifier is anything that changes the quality, effect, or angle of a light source. You can modify clamp lighting much the same way as you can any light source if you have the equipment and accessories to do so. For example, I’ve occasionally used a clamp light hung from a light stand with an umbrella modifier, instead of my usual studio or flash unit (see Figure 1.4 and Figure 1.5). Just make sure you aren’t placing anything flammable directly against the light or hot parts of the hardware. Continuous, or “hot” lights, can be a fire hazard, so take precautions when working with these lights. I would like to point out that the adjustments described above make use of fundamental lighting principles that you’ll learn more about as you progress as a photographer. So, keep in mind while you’re making any adjustments to the lighting setups, that most of what you do with constant light sources can be applied to strobe and other types of lighting. 12

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

Figure 1.4. Clamp light on a stand, with umbrella modifier.

Figure 1.5. Portrait using clamp light with umbrella modifier and reflector for fill.

Facts About CFLs Using CFLs over standard incandescent light bulbs is recommended (see Figure 1.6). If you decide to use this type of lighting, you might be interested in knowing the following facts: • It can take at least 30 seconds for a CFL to reach its maximum and most consistent light output level. The type of units with a cover over the bare tube can take longer to warm up and reach full output. • CFLs produce less heat and use about 75% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. • You can choose CFLs with the color temperature (Kelvin scale) that matches your needs; 2700K-3000K for incandescent-like color, 13

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

3500K-4100K for whiter color, and 5000K-6500K for daylight-balanced color. • Dimmable and threeway units are also available but not recommended for standard clamp light applications.

Figure 1.6. CFL.

• You should discard old CFLs responsibly because they contain a small amount of mercury. Whether you decide to use regular incandescent bulbs or CFLs, make sure to use the same type and brand throughout in order to keep the lighting color consistent between sources. Cost per light, including CFL bulb, can be under $10, making this an extremely affordable solution. A clamp light kit, just like any continuous lighting does have its drawbacks: bright, continuous (and often hot) lights can make a subject uncomfortable and create some degree of eye squinting and the look of constricted (small) pupils. And, without modifiers, the light can appear rather harsh. Commercial continuous lighting kits that use CFLs are also available.

Studio Strobes If you’re willing to invest a little more, you might consider a basic studio strobe kit. It might surprise you to know that top-of-the-line small flash units made by the likes of Canon and Nikon can be much more expensive than their budget studio strobe counterparts. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t use 14

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

shoe-mount flashes--they offer lots of advantages over studio strobe lighting--but if budget is an issue studio strobes might be a better option for your portraiture. There are several reasonably priced studio strobes that offer good, consistent performance. While not all of these will necessarily fit into everyone’s idea of “budget-priced,” many of the photographers I know have been very happy with the performance of these products despite the fact that these aren’t high-end solutions. If you’re interested in investing in pricier gear and prestige brands, I have listed a few at the end of this section. Here are some of the brands and models that many new, as well as some seasoned pro photographers swear by: • Alien Bees. Paul C. Bluff has designed and manufactured several reasonably-priced lighting solutions including the White Lighting, Einstein, and Zeus lines and their respective accessories and modifiers. Buff’s Alien Bees line of monolights has become especially popular over the years (see Figure 1.7). These units are easy to use, dependable, and relatively inexpensive. Alien Bees come in several colors and three basic versions: the B400, B800, and the B1600. More info: http://www. alienbees.com • Novatron. For some seasoned professionals, units like the Novatron 15

Figure 1.7. Alien Bees B800 monolight. Image: Paul C. Buff, Inc.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

M500 (see Figure 1.8) and M300 make for solid workhorses without the weight and hassle of larger lights. More info: http://www.novatron.com/ • RiME Lite. These are available in most areas under the name RiME Lite (see Figure 1.9), and in Canada as Lightrein brand strobes and accessories. These units can handle 300 watt modeling lamps and some models boast impressive digital features. (http://www.rimeliteusa.com & http://www.lightrein.ca) • Other Brands. The following brands are also favorites with many of the photographers I know: Calumet Genesis (http://www.calumetphoto. com), Photoflex StarFlash (http://www.photoflex.com), Photogenic (http://www.photogenic.com), and Elinchrom D-Lite RX4, which is an entry-level Elinchrom unit that packs lots of features including EL-Skyport functionality. (http://www.elinchrom.com) • Prestige and High-End Brands. Some brands like Elinchrom have entry-level products as well as higher-end models. Along with Elinchrom, professional photographers also use Profoto, Bowens, Broncolor, and Hensel among others.

Figure 1.9. Rime Lite Fame 4.

Figure 1.8. Novatron M500.

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

When shopping for a studio strobe kit, I’d suggest sticking to the brands and models that are equipped with modeling lamps. Modeling lamps are essentially continuous light sources provided as a useful feature on some strobe units. These modeling lights provide two advantages: they help you visualize lighting ratios and where shadows will fall, and they can serve as lighting sources all on their own, for continuous light photography. Keep in mind that some studio strobes are flash “heads” that need to be powered by external power packs, while others are self-contained units. Either way, these lighting kits will require an AC power source or limited capacity battery pack to function.

Small Flash Units Although they’re not considered professional studio lights, shoe-mount flash units, such as the one shown in Figure 1.10, can be just as expensive as budget studio strobes, or more so. So you might wonder, why spend more money on smaller, less powerful flashes? As I stated earlier, small flash units offer many advantages over larger studio strobes; they’re more compact, lighter, operate on convenient size-AA batteries, and they’re actually very powerful for their size. They also give you the option of using newer automatic flash metering technology (e.g. Canon’s E-TTL II or Nikon’s i-TTL) and simplify flash ratio control. Many photographers 17

Figure 1.10. Canon Speedlite 600EXRT. Small flash units like these are very portable and pack great lighting power for their size.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

prefer them for their size and portability. There are also many light modifiers and other accessories for these types of strobes making them very suited to portrait work.

Off-Camera Flash Triggering Using a flash mounted directly to the camera via the hot shoe has its advantages, but this book is about working with lighting setups, specifically addressing off-camera lighting. So now is a good time to cover the various ways you can trigger one or more remotely positioned flash units. But keep in mind that there are big differences between each method with regard to effectiveness and functionality.  For example, one thing that often comes as a surprise to photographers who are new to off-camera flash is the fact that through-the-lens metering (E-TTL II and i-TTL) and automatic flash output control aren’t available in every scenario; some of these solutions require you to use manual camera and flash settings. Here’s a breakdown of the major off-camera flash syncing methods:

E-TTL II and i-TTL If you use either the Canon or Nikon flash system you’re probably familiar with their respective versions of automatic flash exposure control (E-TTL II and i-TTL/CLS).  Essentially, these systems allow the camera and flash to work together to maintain proper flash output.  Each time the shutter release button is depressed, and just before the shutter is released, an almost imperceptible preflash is fired allowing the camera to calculate the flash output necessary for the actual exposure.  When the flash is mounted to the camera, the camera sends communication signals to the flash via electronic contacts located on the camera’s hot shoe and on the foot of the flash.

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

What’s great about these systems is that some of the flash units can, aside from their ability to fire a preflash, also send E-TTL II or i-TTL control signals to remote flash units via flash pulses.  This means that higher-end flash units and some built-in (pop-up) flash units can serve as “master” flash controllers to remote “slave” flash units.  These systems can work great in normal shooting situations, especially indoors, but can suffer from spotty signal reception where there are line-of-sight obstructions or very bright daylight conditions to compete with the signals.  What’s also interesting to note, is that even though these systems were designed to make automatic flash output control possible with remote units, they can also be used to trigger flash units set to manual mode giving the photographer more precise, direct control over flash output. I recommend that you use your flash units and camera in manual mode as you progress through this book. Canon and Nikon have other ways to control remote units using their proprietary flash systems, including dedicated sync cords, special transmitter units (see Figure 1.11) and Canon’s new radio transmitter/receiver capabilities of the Speedlite 600EX-RT and the ST-E3-RT unit.  Radio options eliminate the line-of-sight limitations of the standard E-TTL II and i-TTL light pulse communications between master and slave units.  Although at the time of this writing, Nikon does not have an integrated radio option, as you’ll see later, other companies have provided work-around solutions to the problems associated with native optical transmission. More on Canon Figure 1.11. Canon ST-E2. Speedlite Transmitter unit capable of sending E-TTL II signals to Speedlite slave units. and Nikon later in this section. 19

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

Dedicated Sync Cords Dedicated sync cords like the one shown in Figure 1.12 are brand-specific and configured with electronic contacts that match up to your camera and flash. Essentially, these extend the connection necessary for the camera to relay automatic output control messages to the flash. This way, your flash can be positioned within arm’s distance of the camera, or even farther with longer cords or by daisy-chaining two or more cords.

PC Cords

Figure 1.12. Dedicated sync cord.

While not a wireless solution, and certainly not E-TTL II/iTTL compatible, the PC cord, as shown in Figure 1.13, (and having nothing to do with “personal computers”) is a quick and easy way to sync your camera to a manually set flash Figure 1.13. PC cord attached to Canon Speedlite.

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

unit located somewhere away from the shooting position.  If your camera has a PC connector terminal or a hot shoe adapter that provides this type of connection, you can plug a PC cord into it, and plug the other end into a flash with a similar connector or adapter.  PC cords with the screw lock feature are less prone to accidentally detaching from their terminals than their more basic counterparts, but they still have a reputation of being unreliable.  This, and fact that they’re a wired solution, makes them more prone to accidents and failure and somewhat restricts the photographer’s movement during shooting. Also, it’s not always possible to reliably hook up more than one flash unit at a time using PC cords.  The one advantage a PC cord (or any simple cord connector) has over optical wireless transmission is that there is no line-of-sight signal problem to contend with.

Optical Slaves If you’re looking for a very simple low-budget wireless solution for syncing any number of manually controlled flash units, optical slaves might be a good option.  These are typically small units that connect to your flash (See Figure 1.14), either directly or via a hot shoe adapter.  An optical slave flash trigger is essentially an “electronic eye” that responds to the flash burst from a “master” flash or other flash in your setup by sending an electric signal to the Figure 1.14. Sonia brand optical slave attached to Canon Speedlite. This model is specially designed for use with Canon EX-series flashes. flash it’s connected 21

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

to, causing that flash to also fire.  So, when you take a picture and the flash connected to your camera fires (or any flash fires), each remotely positioned flash, equipped with an optical slave, will also fire.  This happens instantaneously so all flash units contribute to the exposure.  There are a couple of important things to be aware of when using optical slaves: 1. Do not use E-TTL II/i-TTL or any automatic feature that creates a preflash or otherwise uses a connected flash for anything but the actual exposure.  Since any flash-type pulse of light will trigger a standard optical slave, the remote flash will likely fire during the first pulse it sees. In the case of preflash, the optical slave will react to the preflash, causing the remote flash to fire and end before the shutter opens. Of course, this means the remote flash won’t have enough time to recycle and fire during, or contribute to, the actual exposure.  Some optical slaves are designed to take preflash into account, ignoring a first pulse, and triggering on the second pulse (presumably the flash of the actual exposure). These however, have received mixed reviews from users.  It’s just best to set the camera for manual flash when using optical slave triggers. 2. Make sure you use an optical slave that is compatible with your specific type and/or brand of flash unit.  When using Canon Speedlites, for example, it’s recommended that you attach optical slaves that are explicitly compatible with the EX series of flashes. Of course, there will still be a line-of-sight limitation, as with any optical wireless transmission/reception solution, but, again, you won’t have a problem with most close-quarters indoor shooting because even if your optical slaves aren’t directly in-line with your master flash, they’ll likely pick up the light pulse as it bounces off other surfaces (i.e. walls) and fire at the appropriate time. Outdoors in bright daylight, might be more of a challenge. 22

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

Radio Triggers Although Canon now has a radio transmission solution to the lineof-sight problem associated with the optical wireless transmission of E-TTL II signals, third-party radio solutions have been available for quite Figure 1.15. PocketWizard Plus X and Plus II transciever units. some time.  RadioPopper, PocketWizard and others have come up with ways to capture and relay the proprietary optical signals from Canon and Nikon cameras to their Speedlite/Speedlight units. There are many basic radio triggering solutions available for non-TTL applications, including the PocketWizard X, PockeWizard Plus II (see Figure 1.15), and other PocketWizard models, and many low-cost triggers from other manufacturers.  One note of caution:  before investing in a set of radio triggers, make sure you do your research and look for models with good reviews.  A lower-priced set of radio triggers might sound like a bargain until you’re having to deal with frustratingly unreliable flash syncing. Next, we’ll talk about the flash units available from Canon and Nikon. There are other viable flash units available from manufacturers such as Sigma, Bower, Metz, and Yongnuo that you might also want to consider. 23

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Canon Lineup Canon has several quality flash units perfect for small studio work and outdoor shooting. Off-camera units can be mounted to light stands and positioned anywhere around the scene and controlled with E-TTL II, Canon’s version of through-the-lens automatic flash metering and output control. Of the models listed below, the Canon Speedlite 580EX II (as well as its predecessor the 580EX) and the 600EX-RT, can be mounted onto your camera and serve as master controllers for any of the units listed here when those units are set to slave mode. Here is a list of some of models you might find useful: • 270EX II. While this model’s flash head doesn’t rotate (it only tilts vertically), that becomes much less of a limitation when remotely mounted to a light stand and/or swivel adapter; in that case, the flash head can be positioned as needed to point light in any direction. The settings for this unit are limited and can only be adjusted via a direct camera connection or E-TTL II optical wireless master. Unfortunately, it has limited use in multiple light setups where you’d want to control it as part of a designated group; it only operates as a member of E-TTL II Group A and will fire regardless of the channel setting on the master controller. This unit is the smallest and least powerful in this group, but it can still serve as a good secondary light. I’ve found it especially useful as a hair light or rim light. This Speedlite is best used as part of an E-TTL II configuration and not a fully manual setup. • 320EX. This is an interesting model that boasts a built-in LED light which can be useful for some DSLR video recording when better light 24

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

is not available. The LED can also serve as modeling lamp and focus assist. As an off-camera slave unit, it allows you to manually adjust the Speedlite group and channel you wish it to operate on. As with the 270EX II, it’s great for use in an E-TTL II setup, but it will be of limited use in a fully manual setup. • 430EX II. For more serious off-camera shooting, I’d recommend going with no less than the 430EX II. Unlike the 270EX II and 320EX, the 430EX II will allow you to make important settings adjustments directly on the unit, including manual output control. It’s easy to navigate its menu with the LCD monitor and a few simple buttons. The only major things setting this unit apart from the big players listed next are the fact that it is not as powerful and cannot serve as a master controller. • 580EX II. The 580EX II (discontinued) can remotely control all other units in this lineup via optical wireless transmission using E-TTL II. When connected directly to your camera, the 580EX II can be setup as the single “master” controller to any number of remote slave units. These units can all be set to fire off of one of four selected channels (1, 2, 3, or 4) and can split into three groups (Groups A, B or C) with each group being controlled as a single unit. This setup allows you to control the ratio of light output between Groups A and B, with Group C firing independently, with its output controlled via Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) for that group, for example. • 600EX-RT. This is the first Canon Speedlite capable of radio wireless transmission to slave units as a built-in feature. Of course, this requires the use of slave units capable of receiving radio transmission from the master unit, and as of now, the 600EX-RT is the only Speedlite with this ability. So, if you want to use the 600EX-RT for radio wireless control of slave units, those slave units must also be 600EX-RTs. You also should 25

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be aware of the fact that some of the more advanced features of this unit cannot be used with Canon DSLR models introduced prior to 2012. If you do have a 600EX-RT you can still take full advantage of Canon’s standard optical wireless system, because this unit can do everything the 580EX II does in that regard. The 580EX II and 600EX-RT (see Figure 1.16) can be set to operate as on-camera master units without emitting flash that contributes to the actual exposure. This is helpful if you don’t want part of the lighting on your subject coming in from the camera position. Two special master control units that don’t actually produce flash and offer a much lower profile than the 580EX II or 600EX-RT are the ST-E2, which provides optical wireless control of all Speedlite models, and the ST-E3-RT, which only provides radio control when used with 600EX-RT slaves. Finally, Canon DSLRs with built-in (pop-up) flashes, beginning with the introduction of the 7D, are equipped with integrated Speedlite transmitters, meaning those cameras and their built-in flashes can control remote/slave Speedlite units. Ratios and other settings are controlled via the camera’s menu system in this case. This feature is similar to Nikon’s Commander mode which has been available for several years. Figure 1.16. Speedlites 580EX II and 600EX-RT.

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Nikon Lineup Just as with Canon Speedlites, Nikon’s Speedlights (note the subtle difference in spelling) also give you the advantage of automatic flash exposure through the i-TTL/CLS system. Speedlights are controlled via optical transmission much the same as Canon’s. Here are a few Nikon models of interest, excluding the ones that cannot reliably be used as wireless slaves. Note that the first three listed here (models SB-600, SB-800 and SB-900) have been discontinued but are still available as used items through various retailers and on-line sellers and auctions: • SB-600. The Speedlight SB-600 (discontinued) has a flash head that tilts but does not rotate, however that is not a limitation when it’s attached to a light stand with a swivel/umbrella adapter. This unit can controlled by i-TTL/CLS remotely, operating on any of the four channels (1,2,3 or 4) and three groups (A, B, or C). To use the flash in manual mode using Nikon’s SU-4 mode, an SU-4 mode adapter must be used. Of course, a compatible basic radio or optical slave trigger will also work. • SB-800. This unit (discontinued) can operate as a master in wireless Commander mode when mounted onto a compatible Nikon DSLR. It can also serve as a remote slave in i-TTL and fully manual modes using a radio trigger or SU-4 mode (adapter not required as an optical slave is built-in).

Figure 1.17. Nikon Speedlights SB-700 and SB-910.

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• SB-700, SB-900 (discontinued), and SB-910. Increasingly sophisticated, these are the latest Speedlights in the Nikon line (see Figure 1.17) which can perform master and remote/slave functions while taking full advantage of the latest CLS features. Even with all the great on-going improvements in through-the-lens automatic flash metering and output control technologies, it should be noted that any good flash unit capable of being set to manual mode and triggered via optical or radio sync will do the job. As a matter of fact, for any shooting situation where your light and subject placement will remain fairly static for several shots, manual camera and flash settings will often give you the most predictable, consistent results. So, you don’t need to use the features of E-TTL II or i-TTL to get great portrait lighting. However, those automatic features can be useful when you are going to be moving lights around frequently, or in fast moving shooting conditions (like event photography).

Light Stands Whether you’re using clamp lights, strobes, or small flash units you’ll need a convenient way to vary the height and position of your lights in order to take full advantage of your setup. Not only are light stands (see Figure 1.18) a good place to mount your lights, but they also make it easy to use light modifiers in various configurations. I suggest you have a light stand and the necessary adapters and attachments for each light in your setup. If you’re just 28

Figure 1.18. Light stand.

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using clamp lights, this isn’t as important, but where strobes and flash units are concerned, these additional attachments come in very handy. On the low end, you can look to spend about $40 per stand and basic swivel adapter for umbrellas and similarly attached modifiers, with better combinations running over $100 per stand setup. As I like to travel light, I’ve used various low-budget stands and can recommend Impact brand and the light stands sold by Paul C. Buff, Inc. for their quality at reasonable price points. Other lighting accessories include umbrella adapters, shoe adapters, and adapters for syncing and securing your lights to stands and modifiers. See my book, Ed Verosky’s Mini-Guide to Off-Camera Flash for quick and easy details and specific items you can use to put your own off-camera flash stands together.

Lighting Modifiers The look of your portraits is affected not only by the type and intensity of your light sources, but also by the quality of the light they produce. Think about a lamp with a bare bulb versus one with a lampshade attached; without the lampshade, the light produced is harsh and direct, whereas with the shade, it’s softer and more pleasing. Light modifiers for the light sources in your photography work to produce more pleasing light in much the same way. Most of the modifiers used are of the diffusion type; fabric panels often made of translucent nylon are commonly used for softboxes and photographic umbrellas to transform the illumination from a small flash or strobe into a much larger light source relative to the subject. There are modifiers that can bounce, focus, block, color, and shape light to your needs. In this 29

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book, I’ll cover the basic modifiers you’ll need for many of the looks I’ll show you how to create. Here are some commonly used light modifiers you should be aware of, and I encourage you to take the time to get familiar with:

The Basic Foam Bounce Card

Figure 1.19. Foam bounce card. Positions shown for use with both horizontal and vertical shooting.

These are almost exclusively for use with shoe-mount flash units (as a matter of fact, I’ve never heard of bounce cards like this being used with any other type of photographic lighting). The idea behind this ingenious little DIY crafting foam attachment (see Figure 1.19) is that you can secure it to your flash head when it’s pointed straight up in the 90 degree position and it will reflect light off of the card and onto the subject. The advantage here is that the surface of the bounce card (essentially a mini-reflector) is larger than the surface of the flash head lens. When your flash fires this makes the effective relative size of your light source larger than it would have been, and larger light is often better light. Further adding to the overall size of your light source is the way that your flash is pointed toward the ceiling when using this modifier. As you might know, bouncing that additional light off the ceiling creates yet another light reflector situation where the ceiling and subsequent scattering of light around the room can make for beautiful soft and even lighting.

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Since most of the setups discussed in this book are going to be about setting up light sources rather than using on-camera flash, we won’t cover the use of this type of modifier in any more detail, but you should get familiar with it as a great way to create better light when you have minimal time and gear to work with.

Diffusion Attachments Plastic diffusion attachments, such as the STO-FEN brand shown in Figure 1.20, can also be handy for throwing light from the flash head around the room. These translucent plastic caps work by sending light into many directions so that it strikes walls and the ceiling, thus making the light scatter and more diffuse so that your subject is being illuminated more evenly. These are not useful outdoors if there are no surfaces to bounce the flash’s light off of. Again, this type of modifier is included here for completeness and because of its wide use and effectiveness in fluid indoor shooting scenarios (e.g. wedding and event photography).

Bounce Panels & Reflectors Reflectors are one of the true secret weapons of photographic lighting. With them, you can create and direct nice light anywhere you want it. White, silver, and gold surfaced reflectors are the most commonly available. I sometimes think of reflective surfaces as virtual light sources because they can provide additional illumination for your subject. Figure 1.20. STO-FEN Omni-Bounce for a “diffused bare-bulb effect.”

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In real-world situations, you can use a white wall, a sidewalk, or any surface that bounces light onto a subject as a reflector/light source in your setup. But you can also use foam core panels, white poster boards, or commercially-made photographic reflectors (see Figure 1.21) to get the results you want. Reflectors and bounce panels are most often used to reflect light back onto the shadow side of the subject to cut down on contrast and provide fill light.

Figure 1.21. A gold reflector is used to bounce warmer tones onto the subject. Image: Paul C. Buff, Inc.

Umbrellas Standard and shoot-through photographic umbrellas are an affordable solution that can give you the benefits of reflectors and diffusers (for softer main lighting and/or fill lighting), but in a more controlled and focused way. Using an umbrella in the traditional way, a strobe is pointed away from the subject and into the umbrella. The light from the strobe is reflected off the inside surface of the umbrella creating a larger light source, relative to the subject, so that the subject benefits from a nice, wide circle of illumination.

Figure 1.22. Shoot-through umbrella.

Another way to use an umbrella is the “shoot-through” method (see Figure 1.22) 32

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whereby an umbrella made of translucent fabric is positioned with its top, rounded area pointed toward the subject. In this configuration, the flash is still pointing directly into the umbrella with the round diffuse fabric between it and the subject. The result is similar to what you might get from a softbox of approximately the same size, without the box. Is an umbrella used like this just as good as a softbox? Sometimes, yes! But it allows much of the light to escape out of the back side away from the subject and into the room. This can be a great advantage or a hindrance, depending on the look you’re trying to achieve. However, compared to softboxes, umbrellas can be much cheaper to replace and much easier to transport, setup, and take down. There are also hybrid solutions; umbrellas that have opaque backs to them, essentially turning them into round softboxes.

Softboxes Some photographers consider the softbox (see Figure 1.23) an indispensable studio item. They come in all sizes and dimensions, but one thing’s for sure, people love the light they produce and the control they offer. They are so popular that when working with small flashes for serious portraiture hit its stride a few years ago, manufacturers scrambled to produce everything from mini-softbox attachments to full-out softbox solutions for them. Softboxes don’t tend to run cheap, but they’re well worth the money if you like the look of the light you can get from them. 33

Figure 1.23. Softbox mounted to an Alien Bees strobe. Image: Paul C. Buff, Inc.

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Keep in mind that just because a particular modifier might technically qualify as a softbox, the very small ones (namely the type designed for use with a flash unit mounted to a camera) aren’t likely to produce the quality of light one might expect. This is because, as a light source, those types of modifiers aren’t very big; it’s the larger light sources that will give you softer light after all. If you’re looking for ways to get that softbox look, I’d suggest going with an off-camera softbox that is no less than 2’ x 2’ for a single subject. And even with a softbox that size, you’ll need to move it in very close to your subject to take full advantage of its effect.

Snoots & Grids For dramatic looks and in order to focus smaller pools of light onto the subject or background, you can use a snoot or grid (see Figure 1.24) to do just the opposite of what reflectors, umbrellas and large softboxes do. Snoots and grids narrow the beam of light which makes them perfect for lighting small areas and background accents.

Gels Finally, there are ways to use your lights with gels or color filters to create color effects, or to balance the color of one light source with another. For example, it’s common to stick an orange gel over a flash,

Figure 1.24. Snoot and Grid. Image: Paul C. Buff, Inc.

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as shown in Figure 1.25, so that the light it produces will be in the same color temperature range as the surrounding ambient light (where the ambient light is mostly incandescent). Gels of other colors can be used for background color Figure 1.25. Gels are used for color balancing flash to other light sources and for background and special effects. effects and for any creative uses you can come up with.

Starting Points I highly recommend that you find and use some simple starting points for your current lighting setup; some initial setup configuration and camera settings that you know will work from the moment you start shooting. From there, of course, you’ll find that making adjustments is easier than if you had started off from no real reference point. I often refer to this as standardization: your personal, predetermined system of default settings and lighting configurations. This topic is covered extensively in my book, 100% Reliable Flash Photography. Here are some examples of lighting setups to get you started. For each that you plan to use, position the lights, do some tests until you find a combination of light positions, power settings, and camera settings that produces results that you’re happy with, and write these down for future reference. 35

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For each type of setup, you’ll know what you need to do to get good exposures on your next shoot without taking too much time on initial test shots. I’ll provide three example setups and settings next, but use whatever you have and create your own starting points for each type of lighting scenario you’ll use:

Clamp Lights: Two-Light Setup As noted earlier, putting a clamp light kit together (see Figure 1.26) is probably Figure 1.26. Clamp light on a stand. the most economical way to go, but it can also be somewhat limiting in terms of output power and making adjustments to achieve desired lighting ratios and other effects. However, knowing the limitations of your gear can help you make good creative decisions and allow you to use them to your advantage. I often use clamp lights to produce harsher lighting for dramatic effects because the quality of this type of light and reflector are suitable for such looks. This isn’t to say you can’t use clamp lights for traditional portraiture, which is what the following example configuration might be useful for. Note that extension cords will probably be necessary. • Two Clamp Lights. Bare bulb (no reflector), CFL equivalent to 100 watt incandescent bulb. • Two Light Stands. Capable of at least 8’ height. • Camera Settings. ISO 1600, f/4.0, shutter speed 1/100 sec. 36

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Hang the clamp lights on each stand, and turn on only the first light. This will be your main light and will be positioned approximately 1.5’ from the subject, 45 degrees to the subject’s right or left as she’s facing the camera, and approximately 45 degrees above her head. The second light will serve as the fill light and it will be positioned directly opposite of the main in front of the subject. This light however will be 3’ from the subject so that it will provide less illumination than the main (remember, as distance from the light source to the subject increases, the light’s intensity on that subject decreases).

Small Flash Units: Two-Light Setup (Manual Flash) I’ve used this setup (see Figure 1.27) for several years and, for me, it’s proven to be a great place to start with everything from editorial portraiture to Boudoir. The main light is the most important thing to concern yourself with, as it is with most any setup. The second light can be used for fill or as a rim/hair light. The benefits of modifying these lights with shoot-through umbrellas include the diffusion of the main light on the subject, and the additional light spread around the room, as light not only gets thrown onto the subject, but Figure 1.27. Small flash unit light stand setup. Shown are the flash, also bounces out of shoot-through umbrella, umbrella swivel adapter and PocketWizard radio trigger receiver all mounted atop a light stand.

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the umbrellas which can give you some added fill and pleasing background illumination. Again this setup is covered extensively in some of my other books, but generally, here’s what I use: • Two Flash Units. 580EX II units. I set these to a power of 1/8 initially and approximately 3’ from the subject. • Two PocketWizard Radio Trigger Receivers. These are the basic versions, not the E-TTL II or i-TTL type. Since this setup uses manual flash and camera settings, I won’t be using any automatic flash output features. PocketWizard Plus X models are combination transmitter/receiver units that will automatically switch to receiver mode when another PocketWizard Plus X is acting as transmitter. • One PocketWizard Radio Transmitter. This slips onto the camera’s hot shoe. Again, a PocketWizard Plus X unit will automatically assume the role of transmitter when used as such. • Two Light Stands. Impact brand light stands capable of at least 8’ height. • Swivel/Umbrella Adapters. Manfrotto brand, coupled with cold shoe mounts to attach the flash units. • Two Translucent Shoot-Through Umbrellas. These will be attached to the swivel umbrella adapters and will modify the light emitted by the flash, effectively making the light source much larger in proportion to the subject at closer distances. • Camera Settings. With a Canon 7D, my settings are Manual, ISO 100, f/4.0, shutter speed 1/250 sec. 38

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For a similar setup that takes advantage of automatic flash (E-TTL II), I use the following: • Two Flash Units. 580EX II units. Set to E-TTL II (reads ETTL on the flash menu). • One ST-E2. This is Canon’s optical master transmitter that controls remote slave units. It allows you to make simple lighting ratio adjustments between Groups A and B via buttons located on the unit itself. Note that the 7D I’m using can control remote slaves with its integrated Speedlite transmitter (via pop-up flash), so the ST-E2 isn’t necessary for that. But I’d rather not have the 7D’s built-in flash firing during a portrait shoot so I prefer to use the ST-E2 and its infrared-filtered flash to communicate with the slave units. • Two Light Stands. Impact brand light stands capable of at least 8’ height. • Swivel/Umbrella Adapters. Manfrotto brand, coupled with cold shoe mounts to attach the flash units. • Two Translucent Shoot-Through Umbrellas. These will be attached to the swivel umbrella adapters and will modify the light emitted by the flash, effectively making the light source much larger in proportion to the subject at closer distances. • Camera Settings. With a Canon 7D, my settings are Manual, ISO 100, f/4.0, shutter speed 1/250 sec. Yes, even though your camera is set to manual mode, giving you full control over your ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed, E-TTL II (or in the case with Nikon, i-TTL) can still handle your 39

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flash exposure automatically. You might need or want to make some adjustments to the flash output using the Flash Exposure Compensation (FEC) controls, or by some other means, but you won’t have to concern yourself with manual flash settings. The benefits to using E-TTL II or i-TTL for flash control include not having to make manual adjustments to flash output settings, as the flash and camera work together to adjust for changes in flash to subject distance. This might make it easier to move lights around because the flash output will adjust to the changes automatically.

Studio Strobe Two-Light Setup: If your lights are going to stay in one place, or you’re OK with schlepping around some heavier gear, studio strobes might be the best choice. Small flash units are more than adequate for most portrait photography, but they’re battery-powered and require longer recycle times; they’re just not built for faster continuous shooting like the more powerful strobes are. I tend to like the monolight variety because there’s no big heavy power pack to deal with and each light has its own self-contained power source (it must still be plugged into a battery, generator, or wall outlet). I’m going to describe my Alien Bees setup here (see Figure 1.28 and 1.29), because that’s what I’ve used extensively in the past. I like many of the other brands’ offerings, though so don’t take this as an endorsement for one brand over another. I will often use studio strobes with umbrellas, in much the same way as I described their use with small flash units, but here I’ll change out the main light’s umbrella for a softbox: • Two Strobe Units. Alien Bees B800s. I set these to a power of 1/8 initially, about 3’ from the subject. These units are equipped with built-in 40

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Figure 1.28. Alien Bees B800 unit on a light stand with softbox modifier, triggered by a PocketWizard Plus X.

Figure 1.29. Alien Bees B800 unit on a light stand with umbrella modifier, triggered by a PocketWizard Plus X.

optical slaves, so they can be triggered without the radio triggers listed below. However, the radio triggers will offer more reliable triggering, especially in cases where a strobe unit’s optical slave is somewhat obstructed from detecting the main triggering flash. • Two PocketWizard Radio Trigger Receivers. These are the basic versions, not the E-TTL II or i-TTL type. Since this setup uses manual flash and camera settings, I won’t be using any automatic flash output features. PocketWizard Plus X models are combination transmitter/receiver units that will automatically switch to receiver mode when another PocketWizard Plus X is acting as transmitter. • One PocketWizard Radio Transmitter. This slips onto the camera’s hot shoe. Again, a PocketWizard Plus X unit will automatically assume the role of transmitter when used as such. 41

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• Two Light Stands. Impact brand light stands. Alien Bees aren’t designed to fit on a swivel umbrella adapter, and one is not needed; the Alien Bee has a built-in swivel mechanism and an umbrella shaft holder. • One Translucent Shoot-Through Umbrella. This will be attached to the umbrella slot on the B800, and it will modify the light output, effectively making the light source much larger in proportion to the subject at closer distances. • One Photoflex LiteDome Q39 Medium Softbox. This attaches to the B800 via a Photoflex Speed Ring adapter. • Camera Settings. With a Canon 7D, my settings are Manual, ISO 100, f/8.0, shutter speed 1/250 sec.

Backgrounds While not part of the lighting gear, free-standing and other placed backgrounds are often an integral part of the portrait setup. We’ll refer to seamless backgrounds later in the book, but in case you’re not familiar with what that is, I’ll go over it now. Seamless backgrounds are essentially large paper rolls which are available in different colors and sizes (see Figure 1.30). These are distributed by companies such as Savage. A pole or background cross42

Figure 1.30. Roll of white seamless background paper.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Light Sources & Gear

bar is inserted through the cardboard tube or spool of the paper roll and placed between two background stands. It’s then raised and the paper is unspooled to the floor, or even farther so that it covers an area of the floor toward the camera. This creates a nice floor/background surface with minimal shadows and distractions. Cloth and vinyl backgrounds are also available from various suppliers. They do have a tendency to wrinkle but they’re reusable, unlike paper which is easily soiled and needs to be frequently replaced.

Light Meters Hand-held light meters like the one shown in Figure 1.31 are not relied on as much as they were in the days of film photography. Digital photography and the LCD preview monitor on most cameras have made it easy to quickly evaluate the effects of lighting, and changes in lighting, in a scene without the use of an external light meter.  However, a light meter can still be a valuable tool for certain types of photography, including studio work with strobes where it can help maintain lighting consistency and aid in determining specific lighting ratios (see Are Lighting Ratios Important? below).  Even where off-camera metering isn’t technically necessary, some photographers prefer to use a light meter according to their working style.

Figure 1.31. Sekonic Flashmate L-308S light/ flash meter.

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Are Lighting Ratios Important? Lighting ratios are very important in photographic lighting, but not necessarily important to quantify. In other words, you can achieve a good lighting ratio visually, without using the numerical data from a light meter. A few test shots to guide some simple adjustments to your lighting can yield great results, too. In this book, we don’t cover the advanced and varied ways to express and arrive at traditional lighting ratios; we’re more concerned with building up good lighting visually. But the basic understanding and application of ratios, in the sense that you’d want one light to be a stop or two lower than another, is important. And using a light meter can be very helpful in that regard. If you’re unfamiliar with these devices, a light meter (or exposure meter) is a tool used for measuring light and calculating exposure settings for photography. Light meters are very useful when shooting with cameras that don’t have working exposure meters, in film photography where instant image previews aren’t available, and in studio work, especially where strobe lighting is used. Before using a meter, you should become acquainted with what “stops” are and the basic math of photographic lighting and exposure. If you need to learn more about this topic, please take a look at DSLR: The Basics.

Two Types Of Metering Light meters usually allow measurements to be taken in two general modes: Reflected Metering and Incident Metering. Reflected (or Reflective): This mode of metering is essentially the same as what the camera’s internal light meter does. The light meter measures the light being reflected off the scene or subject from the perspective of the camera. The area being measured can be large which will give you an 44

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average reading. By placing the meter closer to smaller areas of the scene, the meter will measure those smaller areas individually giving you similar functionality to a camera’s spot metering. I personally don’t use an external light meter for reflected metering when shooting with a camera with a built-in meter as I find it redundant. Incident: This mode of metering is not available in the camera. With incident metering, you’re using the light meter to measure the light that is striking the subject, not the light that is being reflected off the subject. In other words, it measures the light coming from the light source directly. This is useful for flash/strobe photography. It allows you to measure the light coming from individual light sources, or the combination of more than one light source. When using a light meter in Incident mode, a white dome-like surface is used over the meter’s lens (electronic eye). This allows the meter to read light coming in from a wide angle.

The Meter Is Accurate, Not Perfect Something to keep in mind is that whether you’re using a hand-held light meter, or relying on the one in your camera, metering does have its limitations. Most importantly, light meters are calibrated to assume they are metering for a standard, middle-of-the-road tone and reflectance, but not all subjects and scenes fit neatly into that category. If your subject is an even gray or something similarly neutral, no problem. You’ll get a very accurate suggestion for your camera settings. However, if your subject is mostly very dark, or light, the light meter will provide you with exposure settings that will render the blacks as too light, or the whites as too dark, respectively. Also, in some cases, it’s a good idea to calibrate your light meter to your camera’s response (see your meter’s manual for more information). So, while it can be very accurate, the light meter might be thought of more as point of reference from which to base your final exposure settings. 45

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Using A Light Meter Of course, you should consult the documentation for your model of light meter to learn how to use it for your needs. But, I’ll give you the general idea here: As stated earlier, I don’t find much reason to use my light meter for reflected metering. I know some photographers who swear by it for their style of shooting. Start by making sure your light meter is set to Reflected metering mode. To get an average measurement for exposure, just stand near the camera and point the light meter’s lens (without the dome cover) toward the scene and click the measuring button. If the scene is not too bright or too dim, the meter will give you a suggested aperture and/or shutter speed setting based on the ISO setting you’ve provided. Of course, you can adjust one or more of the settings up or down to get different corresponding settings for the same exposure. You then just have to adjust your camera settings to match the suggestions provided by the light meter to get the suggested exposure. Incident light metering, used with flash photography, places the meter not at the location of the camera, but at the location of the subject. Start by making sure your light meter is set to Incident metering mode. Metering is achieved by placing the light dome cover over the meter’s lens, holding the light meter very near the subject, and pointing it back toward the camera. Clicking the measuring button will tell the meter to wait for a flash of light, which it will measure when you set off the strobe(s). What you’re attempting to measure is the light at the point where you’re holding the meter. Depending on where you place your meter, you’re trying to get an idea of how the light is affecting your subject and other areas of the image, including the background. 46

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Assuming a portrait setup with a key light, a fill light, a hair light, and one additional light on the background, we might observe a photographer using a light meter in the studio in the following sequence. It should be noted that turning all lights off, except the current light being metered, will give you more accurate results: 1) The photographer places the meter near the subject’s face, pointing the light dome in the direction of the key light and triggers the flash. The meter reads “8.0″ for an ISO of 100 (shutter speed is not really an issue here, but will generally be set to the camera’s x-sync). However, the photographer wants to use an aperture of f/5.6, so he dials the key light’s power down one stop (say from 1/4 power to 1/8 power), takes another reading which does say, “5.6″ this time. 2) Since the photographer is looking for the fill light to be one stop less than the key light, the meter, still at the subject’s position, is now aimed toward the fill light when the strobes are fired. The combination of distance from subject to light source, and the power setting on the light source is giving a reading of “4.0″ on the meter (f/4.0), which is right on the money. No changes are necessary. 3) The hair light, which should be a little hotter than the main light is measured next giving a reading of “16″ which is three stops higher than the main light. The photographer wants good highlights in the hair, but this is probably too much. The hair light’s power is adjusted down to give a reading of “9″ (f/9.0) on the meter which will give some nice bright highlights in the hair (technically a small overexposed area of the image). 4) Finally, the photographer holds the meter against the background at an area where the background light strikes the backdrop to take a reading. 47

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With any final adjustments, the photographer now knows the relationship between all the lights and can use this knowledge to avoid spending a lot of time with trial-and-error testing. You can see how this can be helpful with maintaining a consistent look or quickly achieving a desired, predetermined lighting ratio. For photographers who need to get their portrait lighting setup quickly, a light meter may be indispensable. I should note that some photographers prefer not to point the meter directly at the light source to take measurements, and methods exist that involve taking readings off of the main and fill at the same time, so use whatever method works best for you. Of course, a light meter isn’t always necessary, even when using strobes on manual settings. For example, my usual setup is so simple and standardized that I usually only need to take a couple of test shots to know I have it all working. If my setup is more involved, I might use a light meter, especially if I don’t have time to shoot and evaluate several test shots.

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CHAPTER 2

Portrait Lighting Basics Have you ever noticed how some images are just so much better than others, but you can’t quite explain why? Point a camera at someone and snap the photo and you might have a pleasing image, but it doesn’t look like the better photos you’ve seen elsewhere. What makes one photographer’s images look so much better than another’s? Is it better cameras and lenses, or better photo editing techniques, experience, or skills that you haven’t yet mastered? Well, the answer is that all of the above can contribute to the quality of a photographer’s images. But there’s one thing that you can do right now that will improve your photography more than any piece of equipment or any other skill set; learn how to light effectively. With an understanding of the basic principles you’ll learn in this chapter and as you progress through this book, the quality of your gear, your post-processing skills, and your experience won’t hold you back from making beautiful portraits. It all starts with the basics of lighting for the human face. That’s the key to good portraiture.

Lighting For Faces Most people just starting out in photography concentrate on getting a good photo in terms of what they see through their lens. But they see their subjects with their minds and emotions first and may not even think about how the resulting image is going to look as a frozen moment in time. They don’t consider the effect of the way the light and shadows fall across the face. So, they often end up with photos that just don’t look right or aren’t flattering to the subject. But when you start looking at the scene and subject in front of you in terms of shape and form, light and shadow, you’ll learn to see 49

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the potential of light in a whole new way. You’ll learn to change the angle of your subject’s head for the best look given the light you’re working with. And in situations where you have some control over the lighting and its position (for example when working with studio strobes or small flash units) you’ll be able to apply basic portraiture lighting principles to create outstanding images.

The Five Basic Lighting Patterns In portraiture, there are five traditional ways to light a face. These are not the only ways, of course, and we don’t always strive to apply these methods precisely. They are simply guidelines and often good starting points for setting up portrait lighting. I’ll describe them here as basic examples using a single light, where the main light (or key light) is the only light source we’re concerned with. Quite often, one light is all you need when applying these patterns to create classic portraits, but photographers will commonly add one or more lights to the mix for specific reasons which we’ll get into later. For now, I want you to go through the five lighting patterns that follow, then practice duplicating them. You can do this indoors with any simple light, including a clamp light or household lamp. I actually recommend you start with such a light, instead of a flash or strobe, so you can see the effect of the light and shadows in real-time. As you practice, strive to place the light and pose the subject in such a way as to identify the catchlights in the eyes at the 11 o’clock or 1 o’clock positions. These catchlights (reflections of the main light in the subject’s eyes) add life and interest to the portrait.

Pattern #1: Short Lighting Short lighting is often used as a corrective technique to help make rounder faces look a little thinner. In this lighting pattern the main light illuminates the subject on the shorter side of the face (see Figure 2.1), where the distance seems shorter from nose to ear (or nose to the edge of the cheek), 50

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from the camera’s perspective. Another way to think about this is that when the subject has her head turned to one side, you are lighting the side of the face that is farthest from the camera. When viewing a portrait, our attention is first given to the details we can see and to the brightest parts of the picture. Shadows recede and brighter areas are predominant. On a two-dimensional plane, there is actually less surface area visible on the side of the face turned away from the camera. With short lighting, this is the area that is highlighted with illumination from the main light. Since more attention is given to the narrower surface area, a visual illusion is created that makes the subject’s face look thinner.

Figure 2.1. Short lighting.

Pattern #2: Broad Lighting Here the main light illuminates the subject on the broadest area of the face, from the camera’s perspective. When the subject has her head turned to one side, you are lighting the side of the face that is closest to the camera as shown in Figure 2.2.

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Figure 2.2. Broad lighting.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Portrait Lighting Basics

This lighting pattern simply places visual emphasis on the area of the face turned toward the camera--the area more in-line with the camera axis. On a two-dimensional plane, there is more surface area visible on the side of the face turned toward the camera, as opposed to away from the camera. With broad lighting, this is the area that is highlighted with illumination from the main light. Since more attention is given to the larger surface area than the narrower one on the side of the face turned away from the camera, a visual illusion is created that makes the subject’s face look wider. Broad lighting is sometimes used on subjects with narrower or thinner faces as a corrective technique.

Pattern #3: Rembrandt Lighting This lighting pattern, named after the Old Master painter, has a very classical look (see Figure 2.3). The main light is positioned high and to one side of the subject creating a shadow from the nose that meets with the shadow from the side of the face opposite the light. The generally recognized definition of Rembrandt lighting, where photography is concerned, prescribes the use of the main light on one side of the subject’s face in just the right position as to create a triangle, or diamond shape, of light on the shadow side just underneath the eye, to extend down toward the mouth. This pattern tends to result in a portrait with very strong contrast, but that isn’t a requirement. Loop lighting is a vari52

Figure 2.3. Rembrandt/Loop lighting.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Portrait Lighting Basics

ation on this pattern wherein the triangle of light is broken, or opened up. In this case the shadow of the nose is shortened so it does not extend into the main shadow on the side of the face opposite the light. Rembrandt and loop lighting create a very classical, often dramatic look which is very dependent on the quality and size of the light source, and the use of fill and background lighting.

Pattern #4: Split Lighting Here, the main light is positioned to Figure 2.4. Split lighting. illuminate one side of the head while casting a full shadow on the other side as shown in Figure 2.4 (think of the center of the nose as marking the border). Split lighting visually divides your subject into light and dark areas of the image. If your subject is facing the camera directly when split lighting is employed, her face is likely to have a distinct shadow cutting vertically right down the center. The effect is rather dramatic and a low-key but high-contrast image is the typical result. Of course, you can change the ratio of the “split” by altering the position of the light or camera. Contrast can be adjusted, too, but as you increase the fill lighting, or widen your tonal range between light and shadow, you’ll lessen the effect of the split.

Pattern #5: Butterfly Lighting Butterfly lighting is identified by what is often referred to as a butterfly shaped shadow that appears directly beneath the subject’s nose (see Fig53

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ure 2.5). It’s reminiscent of Old Hollywood glamour photos and can be very dramatic. The main light is placed in front of, and somewhat above the subject in order to create this look. This type of lighting is sometimes referred to as Hollywood or Paramount lighting because it has similarities to some of the glamour lighting styles perfected by Hollywood movie star photographers. This technique is especially effective and dramatic on subjects with pronounced cheekbones. Since the light is coming in from high and in front of the face, shadows drop in Figure 2.5. Butterfly lighting. under the cheekbones and the chin. This also tends to visually bring the front of the face forward, set the neck into shadow, and cause other areas of the visual space to be downplayed.

Flat vs. Dimensional Lighting The goal of many portrait photographers is not only to capture a likeness, but to create a sense of physical dimension in their images. But trying to express a three-dimensional scene onto a two-dimensional medium (a print or a screen) can be challenging. Fortunately, with the right approach to lighting you’ll be well on your way to creating images that give the viewer a good sense of the textures and forms depicted in them. An approach to lighting that is counter to the goal of creating a strong sense of shape and detail, is “flat” lighting; very even lighting that tends to create minimal, if any, shadows for spatial reference. Flat lighting (see Figures 2.6 and 2.7) helps minimize the shapes of features and downplays texture, and is sometimes 54

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Figure 2.6. Strong fill lighting is used in this example to lessen the shadows produced by the main light.

Figure 2.7. Bold, contrasting colors can add interest to flat lighting.

a desired effect, but it can also result in uninteresting portraits. On the flipside, Figures 2.8 and 2.9 show how light and shadow can work together to create sharp, defining contrast as well as convey visual information about the shape of your subject’s face.

Background and Environment Considerations Another important thing to consider when setting up for a portrait is the background or environment that will be depicted in the image. Sometimes this is simply darkness, where all of the visual information in the image is made up of the subject and surrounding negative space or shadow. Other times, minimal but useful background information is provided in order to make the image more interesting. The use of color or texture alone can 55

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Figure 2.8. As the main light source is moved farther from the camera-to-subject axis, more shadows become visible.

Figure 2.9. Highlights on the subject (in this case a hair light) and background lighting help create a sense of dimension.

create a reference point so that your subject won’t just appear to be floating in an empty space. As much background information as you want can be included in order to ground the subject visually in an atmosphere or identifiable environment. Background can help tell the story by framing the subject in context. The main considerations when including backgrounds in your portraits are these: Distractions. Make sure your background provides just enough, but not too much, visual detail and information needed to tell the story or highlight the subject. Don’t let the background become a distraction as in Figure 2.10. Illumination. The way the background appears in your image is going to depend largely on the lighting it’s receiving in the shot. If the lighting is too 56

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Figure 2.11. Shadows blend into the background. A rim light on the subject or illumination on the background would improve this.

Figure 2.10. Distracting background.

low, the background might fade off into darkness (see Figure 2.11). If there are bright spots, they might pull the viewer’s eye away from the subject (see Figure 2.12). The creative use of background often goes handin-hand with a thoughtful approach to background lighting.

Figure 2.12. Bright areas in the background can distract the viewer’s eyes from the subject.

Balanced Lighting. The idea of balancing your lighting comes into play here also. Lighting the background is a separate issue from lighting the subject, so light them separately, but keep things in balance. This is not only important when it comes to light 57

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intensity for both parts of the image, but also where the color of the lighting is concerned. Be sure to check your white balance settings on your camera and adjust accordingly to reproduce the light in the colors you want. Figure 2.13. Flash and ambient light mix. You may have to use lighting gels/filters Image has been balanced for flash. when using flash or make selective adjustments in post-processing to fix color balance issues (see Figures 2.13 and 2.14). However, remember that accurate color isn’t always the most important consideration. Sometimes getting the colors that simply feel right is the way to go. For example, backFigure 2.14 Flash and ambient light mix. ground ambient indoor lighting (usually Ambient lighted areas have been selectively incandescent bulbs) often turns out altered in post. warmer or more orange in images than it appears to your naked eye, while your subject (illuminated by flash) appears natural. That is sometimes a desired look not requiring any special changes to be made.

Focus. Imagine a busy background setting, like a busy workshop environment, where the subject is in sharp focus, but so is everything else in the shot. This is another way that the background can become a distracting element rather than an appealing one. By adjusting your camera settings you can insure that your subject remains in focus while the background has just the right amount of blur (being out of focus). Larger apertures (e.g. f/1.8 or f/2.8) will narrow the depth of field in your portraits so that your subject stands out as the clear focus and center of attention. 58

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A good use of depth of field, and creative lighting for both the background and subject will give your images a better sense of place and dimension. Figures 2.15 and 2.16 are examples of how depth of field can change the look of the background-to-subject relationship.

What Else Makes A Good Portrait? In this book we’re focusing primarily on lighting setups, but portraiture is about much more than lighting. As you move forward you’ll want to learn more about things like: • Which lenses work best for certain types of portraits • Posing and directing your subject • Composition and cropping (where best to crop in a portrait) • Post-processing and retouching The creative application of lighting is the most important thing you can learn when starting out with portraiture. With a confident approach to lighting, you can direct more of your attention toward your subject and spend less time making trial and error adjustments that break the flow of your session. This follows with the standardization principle I talk about in other texts; a way to minimize the guesswork and enjoy consistent quality by developing and standardizing your preferred lighting setups and camera settings. Of course, finding out what your favorite lighting setups are begins with exploring several options. That’s what we’ll do in the following chapters. 59

Figure 2.15. At f/4.0, depth of field in this image isn’t shallow enough to prevent the background from competing with the subject.

Figure 2.16. At f/1.8, the background drops into a more pleasing blur (bokeh) while the image still retains its sense of environment.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Dramatic Portraits

CHAPTER 3

Dramatic Portraits

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he following examples illustrate the power of using a single light, at a position high and to one side of the subject, to convey a sense of mystery or profundity in a portrait. This lighting technique is commonly used in commercial and editorial portraits of authors, entertainers, political figures, and the like. In keeping with the dark and serious feel of this type of image, the role of backgrounds and secondary lighting 60

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is downplayed and the images fall almost exclusively into the category of low-key. This isn’t to say that only one light is ever used; subtle fill and background lighting definitely have their place here. So, in this section we’ll also discuss adding fill light to cut down on contrast, hair light to help separate the subject from the background, where needed, and background illumination. As you progress through this book, you’ll see how many of the fundamental strategies presented in this chapter actually play an important role in most every type of portraiture.

Everything Starts with One Light The dramatic portrait, as I’m describing it, is essentially a very simple, if not minimalist, approach to classical lighting (see Figure 3.1). We start here to prove that a single light source and a general understanding of the effect of its placement in relation to the subject is all you need to create good portrait lighting. In fact, with most portraiture, any other lighting that comes into play will be built around the concept and application

Figure 3.1. One light used for a dramatic portrait.

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of this main light. In effect, the main (or key) light is the most important and defining illumination in any portrait. It’s the light that casts the predominant shadows across the subject’s face and form while all other lights illuminating the subject simply reduce contrast, or add highlights. That’s why this is a good place to start; dramatic portrait lighting can be both easy to accomplish and highly effective. Working with a single light this way is also very instructive when you’re just beginning to work with portraiture lighting in a serious way. Rather than dealing with a three- or four-light kit from the start, where it might be hard to determine what’s throwing off your results, you only have one light to concern yourself with here. You’ll know if and why something doesn’t look right and be able to quickly make adjustments to correct it. Start by having your subject pose as shown on the previous page (Figure 3.1). The orientation of the face in relation to the light is key to creating the correct shadow pattern. Turning more to toward the camera, a Rembrandt pattern becomes visible. As your subject turns more toward the light, a short light pattern emerges. Sequence (Figure 3.2) shows the changes in the lighting pattern as the subject turns her head increasingly toward the light.

Figure 3.2. As the subject turns toward the light source, the lighting changes from a Rembrandt to a short light pattern. Varying the pose helps you discover the best look for the shot, and have variations to choose from.

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For this example, we’re using an Alien Bees B800 with a 2’ x 3’ softbox attached and close to the subject, which gives us a pleasing transition from light to shadow, despite the fact that using a single light in this way is going to create a good degree of contrast overall. Here’s how to setup this shot:

The Setup • Place the main light approximately 45 - 60 degrees to one side of the camera-to-subject axis as shown in Figure 3.3. Adjust the height of the B800 unit so that it is approximately 24” taller than the subject (about 2ft higher than the subject’s head). The surface of the umbrella or softbox should be approximately 2-3’ from her, angled down toward the face at approximately a 45 degree angle. This lighting position is often referred to as the 45/45 position for the sake of simplicity. • In this example, a darker background was produced by positioning the subject 5ft from a Savage Thunder Gray seamless background with no additional light sources added to the setup. • My Settings: Main light (B800) was set to 1/8 power. This gave me a working aperture of f/8 at ISO 100. Shutter speed was set to my camera’s x-sync speed of 1/250 sec. It should be noted that while any type of light will allow you to produce good results, it will likely need a little help in the form a modifier to keep contrast under control. Generally speaking, larger, modified light sources positioned closer to your subject will create softer-looking light. An unmodified clamp light, for example, will create hard shadows, just as any flash or studio strobe will do without some type of modifier to diffuse/spread the light over a larger area around your subject. Where studio lighting is being used, an umbrella or softbox is a good choice for your main (and fill lighting). 63

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Foundation of the Setup The following illustrations detail the basic setup for a dramatic portrait. Figure 3.4 features a multi-light variation.

Main Light

Figure 3.3. Main light is positioned approximately 45-60 degrees off the camera-to-subject axis

Hair Light

Background Light

Main Light

Fill Light (Reflector)

Figure 3.4. White foam panel added to reflect main light into shadow areas, providing fill. Background and hair lights also shown.

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Adding Fill Light As you can see in the image that opens this chapter, one light coming in from the classic 45/45 angle creates a great deal of contrast and shadow. This is perfect for a moody or serious look, but it might be too much for the feel you’re trying to achieve. In Figure 3.5, you can see how we add in some fill light to soften the contrast and lighten the mood a bit. Fill light can be added any number of ways. As shown in Figure 3.6, I secured a panel of foam board to a light stand with an A-clamp. I then positioned it approximately 1.5’ - 2’ from the subject’s face, on the side opposite the main light. The distance and angle you use will determine the amount of fill and its effect as shown in Figure 3.7.

Figure 3.5. Fill light added to lower the contrast.

Figure 3.6. Foam core panel reflects main light onto opposite side of subject to produce fill lighting.

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Figure 3.7. The amount of fill light will change as you change the distance from the subject to the reflector or foam core panel. These examples show the panel placed 1ft, 1.5ft, and 2ft away from the subject.

Adding Hair Light With darker backgrounds, part of the subject, especially the side opposite the main light, can get lost in the shadows. This may very well be a desired effect, but if you want to give the subject a bit of separation from the background as shown in Figure 3.8, you can bring in another light positioned from above and behind the subject to produce a highlight on the subject’s hair. This is called the hair light and it can be placed on a lighting boom arm, mounted to the background stand, or simply placed on a light stand just out of the frame. We’ll discuss hair light in more detail later in this book.

Figure 3.8. Hair light added to the setup.

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Adding Background Light Finally, it’s easy to control the visibility of the background by simply positioning the subject and entire lighting setup either closer to, or farther from, the background (see Figure 3.9). If your subject is sitting just a few inches in front of a wall or backdrop, there will naturally be some light spilling onto it from the main (or other lights), just past the subject. However, if you’d like a little more control over the way the background is illuminated, your subject should be several feet from the background and another light added for desired effect as shown in Figure 3.10. A subtle use of background illumination can help create a sense of atmosphere without diminishing the dramatic look of classical lighting. Here, you can replace a heavy darkness with a more stylish or painterly look.

Figure 3.9. Background visible because subject and main light are close enough for it to record during exposure. With more distance, the background tends to go completely dark.

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Figure 3.10. Background illumination added with a Canon 580EX II flash mounted to a light stand and pointed toward one side of the background from approx. 5’.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Side Lighting

CHAPTER 4

Side Lighting

C

ontinuing with the idea of using a single light, off to one side of the subject, we explore the concept of side lighting. Here, we present some examples of using light at relatively extreme angles to produce looks that one doesn’t often associate with the typical modern portrait. Lighting primarily from the side, rather than from the front, you can model the subject in a way that brings out the shapes and details not possible with 68

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a straight-on lighting approach. You might notice in the example above that side lighting for a subject that is facing the camera produces the split lighting pattern detailed earlier in this book. Again, it’s not only the position of the light that determines the look and lighting pattern of the image, but also the position of the subject and the camera’s perspective. As you try out these lighting setups, experiment with variations on all three elements (lighting position, camera position, and subject pose and angle of the head/face). Also, realize that the lighting effects you’ll see here can be combined with other lighting to emphasize detail and highlight the subject’s form/edges. You’ll learn that lighting from the side and even further behind the subject can create interesting portraits alone, but this type of lighting is also used frequently as secondary lighting for effect.

Single Side Light Profile Before we talk about side lighting, I want to discuss this variation that essentially results in rim lighting (see Figure 4.1). The placement of the light and the orientation of the subject and camera give us the effect we see here. Although

Figure 4.1. Side light used as a rim light for this profile shot.

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this technique might at first appear to use the same placement of the main light as we used to create the dramatic portrait (while the subject merely faces the light giving us a profile), there is an important difference; the light is positioned lower so as to be more even with the subject’s head. This is because the intention here is not to provide the classic portrait lighting using the 45/45 position, the emphasis is on form, rather than face. The traditional “above and to the side” lighting is thought of as more naturally occurring and tends to model the face in a way that we are wired to recognize it. With side lighting (and rim lighting), we are more interested in detail, texture, and outline more than natural light placement and subject modeling.

The Setup • Place the main light so that it comes in at approximately 45 degrees from the back side of the subject (same side the subject is facing) as shown in Figure 4.2. The camera-to-subject axis is in line with the subject’s profile. Adjust the height of the light (and in this case, modifier) so that light is centered and even with the subject’s face. The surface of the modifier should be approximately 3’ - 5’ from her depending on the amount of contrast you’re trying to achieve. Note that in the diagram, the setup is not in line with the background. As with any lighting setup, you are free to orient the entire setup in any way that makes good use of the background and the way the light spills onto it. Paying attention to the light cast from the modeling lights, or using test shots, you’ll be able to quickly determine the best angle to use considering the background. • My Settings: Main light (Speedlite 580EX II) was set to 1/4 power. This gave me a working aperture of f/8 at ISO 100. Shutter speed was set to my camera’s x-sync speed of 1/250 sec.

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Foundation of the Setup The following illustrations detail the basic setups for side lighting.

Main Light (Rim Light)

Main Light (Side Light)

Camera -Subject Axis

Figure 4.2. Light is positioned to the side and farther back from the subject’s position.

Figure 4.3. Light is positioned approximately 90 degrees off the camera-to-subject axis

Double Main Light (Side Lights)

Figure 4.4. Two side lights.

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As with many lighting setups involving extreme angles, slight changes in either the light position or subject’s pose can create an entirely new look from shot to shot. It’s also important to note that any part of the subject that is just a few inches closer to the surface of the light modifier will be noticeably brighter than other areas. To avoid this you can angle the modifier to even out the distance to all areas of the subject as much as possible. In many cases, this might mean the modifier will need to be tilted slightly away from the subject so the distance from her torso to the light, and her face to the light, are approximately the same.

Split Light If you started with the previous example for rim lighting a profile, we’re now going to move the light to a basic side light position as shown in Figure 4.3. Once it’s there, simply have the model turn to face the camera directly for a classic split light. While this comes closer to a traditional classic portrait, the light is still hard and unforgiving at this angle. The split light has its uses, however; it’s very dramatic and conjures up notions of dichotomy; part is revealed and part is hidden, light and shadow, yin and yang, if you like. This type of light, especially when built upon with clever background and secondary light, is perfect for “Noir” and cinematic effects. Just remember that it’s not for everyone as lighting at this angle will bring out every detail. To achieve this look, simply start with the sidelight position described earlier and have the subject face you straight-on. Move the light as needed to create the desired split, and consider whether or not you’d like the background to be affected by this light. In Figure 4.5, you can see that as the light and subject are at enough of a distance from the background, light falloff is enough so that it fades into darkness. Figure 4.6 shows how placing the 72

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Figure 4.5. Split light with darkened background.

Figure 4.6. Split light with visible background.

light and subject closer to the background allows it to receive enough light spill to record in the exposure. Of course, as you’ve seen before, you can always add more background illumination with one or more lights if you like.

Two Side Lights By simply introducing a second side light opposite the first as shown in Figure 4.4, an entirely new dynamic is created; we now achieve a much bolder showcasing of the form. This is a favorite technique for highlighting a well-toned physique or simply emphasizing the shape and details of the subject. An important thing to keep in mind when working with lights at arguably unnatural angles to the subject is that unusual shadow patterns will result. Sometimes these shadows won’t matter because they fall outside of the composition (frame), other times you’ll find ways to counteract them (e.g. using flags as shown in Figure 4.12, and quite often, you may not care 73

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that they are there at all. Just as the unusual lighting pattern is a feature of the overall look, you might argue that the way the shadows are thrown is also an acceptable feature.

Setup Depending on the contrast you’re trying to achieve, you’ll have to decide whether to use straight flash or shootthrough umbrella (or softbox) modification. Try both, and at different distances from the subject to see what works best (see Figures 4.7 and 4.8). Less contrast will be achieved with modified light that is closer to the subject. You’ll see more contrast as the distance from the light to the subject increases.

Figure 4.7. Two Alien Bees B800s with standard 7” reflector (essentially directed bare bulb lighting).

• Place two lights at 90 degrees from the subject-to-camera axis, one at either side, with or without modification. • My Settings: Using Alien Bees B800s, I start at 1/8 power with the lights approximately 5ft from the subject, centered to the subject’s torso. 74

Figure 4.8. The same two light shot, modified with shoot-through 42” umbrellas on each light.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Side Lighting

Adding Fill Light One of the defining characteristics of this type of lighting is how the main shadow area appears at the center region of the subject. Fill light, while perfectly reasonable to use in this situation will diminish those defining shadows, thus lessening the contrast and overall effect of this lighting pattern. If you decide to add fill light, keep this in mind.

Halo/Hair Rim Light

Figure 4.9. A fun, if not subtle, use of halo lighting in combination with the two side light setup. When using a “hidden” light stand with this technique, watch for shadows projected off the light stand and onto the background, produced by the main lights.

This effect (Figure 4.9) can be used as an obvious throwback or homage to the 80s or, more subtly for a little extra pop and dimension. Note that we are making no attempt to conceal the light stand nor its near visible shadows in this example image.

Setup • Place a flash unit on a stand just behind the subject, out of the camera’s view, and pointed straight at the back of her head. I used a Speedlite 75

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580EX II, unmodified at 1/4 power for this shot. Higher power settings will naturally result in a brighter rim or halo; you should experiment to see what looks best against the subject’s hair volume and color.

Watch for Shadows on the Background In Figure 4.9, you can see how the light stand is placed behind the subject and could be hidden from view of the camera (with darkness, tighter cropping, etc.). While this solves one problem with regard to light placement for an even halo effect, it leads to another issue; undesired shadows cast by the flash and light stand as the illumination of the main lights is able to reach them. You can see this in Figure 4.10.

Figure 4.10. Shadows cast on the background by the light stand located immediately behind the subject.

Flag The Lights Figure 4.11 below shows the effect of “flagging” the side light located on camera right. By blocking the light from reaching the hidden light stand, the shadow is no longer cast on the background on the opposite side. The light on camera left is not flagged yet, so a shadow is still cast on the right 76

Figure 4.11. Side light on camera right is flagged so there is no shadow cast on the left side of the background. Light still reaches the subject.

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side of the background. Figures 4.12 and 4.13 illustrate where the flags are placed to prevent the shadows from appearing. Small and large flags are routinely used to block shadows, light spills, and prevent flare effects where part of the light could reach the camera lens.

Flagged Side Lights Hair/Halo Light

Figure 4.12. Two light setup including a halo light on a stand behind the subject. Flags are used next to each of the side lights to prevent shadows from the light stand being cast onto the background.

Figure 4.13. Wide view of a simple flag setup. An A-clamp holds a piece of foam board and is hung on the top collar lock knob of a light stand. This light stand and board is positioned in a way that blocks part of the light from reaching the light stand near the background.

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CHAPTER 5

Full-Length Lighting

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hen lighting for headshots and 3/4-length compositions, a main light modified with an umbrella or medium-sized softbox is adaquate for most one- or two-person portraits. And this light is usually positioned close to your subject providing soft and controlled illumination. But what about wider shots and full length portraits? Move that same light farther from the subject, and the result will be a wider angle of coverage, but you’ll also notice an increase in contrast (fine control of light falloff is lessened). There’s more than one way to light a full-length portrait, 78

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and in this section we’ll present several techniques and solutions. We’ll begin, as we have in previous sections, with one light to explore its effects. Then we’ll move on to discuss full-length coverage using additional light sources and modifiers as well as easy ways to light a scene when you simply want to produce a good full-length shot.

One Light From Above Before we discuss the relatively even coverage we usually associate with full-length lighting, we’ll explore a simple one-light setup that is visually powerful and suited to some types of fashion, theatrical, and figure study work (see Figure 5.1). Your light will be placed at a steep angle to the subject, pointed down so that the illumination is featured predominantly on the upper part of the form, and somewhat along the length. This setup is also very instructive as we can readily see the effect of the light’s proximity, and its position, on various

Figure 5.1. One light positioned just above the subject.

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parts of the subject. When the light is at a distance relatively close to your subject’s head, for example, her legs and feet are far enough away to receive only a fraction of the intensity of light that her upper body receives. As the distance increases from the light source to various areas on your subject, the intensity of that light decreases rapidly. We can use this to our advantage as we control light falloff on the subject as well as the background. Because of the position of the light, the subject’s pose will have a great effect on which parts of the body are going to receive any direct light at all. And as you can see in the sequence in Figure 5.3, as the light is positioned farther away from the background, it receives less light, a fact that easily allows us to control background illumination. We can make the background lighter or darker without involving flags (to block part of the light) and without bringing in additional light. Keep in mind that this light doesn’t necessarily have to come from directly above the subject and it doesn’t have to point straight down. Experiment with the high-and-above position to create different looks. Being able to move the light slightly to one side or directing it more or less toward the background gives you many creative options.

The Setup • For this sequence, I mounted a Speedlite 580EX II almost directly above • and slightly in front of the subject. I modified it with a Lastolite EzyBox • Softbox (18” x 18”) on a boom arm mounted to a heavy duty light stand • (see Figure 5.2). The softbox is approx 2.5ft from subject’s face. • My Settings: Flash was set to 1/4 power. Aperture was f/8 at ISO 200. • Shutter speed was set to my camera’s x-sync speed of 1/250 sec. 80

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Figure 5.2. Main light is positioned above the subject using a boom arm mounted to a heavy-duty C-stand.

Figure 5.3. As the subject and light are moved farther from the background, the background becomes darker.

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Two Lights for More Coverage The previous lighting setup gave us a good example of how quickly light can falloff with distance. Even if a light is placed at a lower angle to the subject, light falloff can become a problem with full-length shots. If you need more lighting coverage for your subject and would like to retain the advantage of controlled light falloff (using lights close to your subject), one option is to simply bring in additional light sources. Here, a second umbrella is added to the first creating a stacked light source (see Figure 5.4).

The Setup • At this point you’ll be using two lights and modifiers to create a small “wall” of light next to your subject. Stack two umbrellas or softboxes (or combination of the two) to appro imate the surface area of a single large light. • Place the bottom light low enough to illuminate the legs and feet, and the top light just above it, avoiding any large gap between the two. • My Settings: Two 580EX II units. Upper light at 1/4 power, lower one adjusted to taste. This gave me a working aperture range of f8 - f/11 at ISO 100. Shutter speed was my camera’s x-sync, 1/250 sec. 82

Figure 5.4. Two lights stacked to create the effect of one large light. Note that the upper light is in the typical portrait light (45/45) position here.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Full-Length Lighting

Watch the Ratio Between Upper and Lower Lights It would be easy enough to say that the two lights should be set to the same output, but the beauty of this setup is that they don’t have to be. You can adjust them independently, making this a highly customizable setup. In the sequence shown in Figure 5.5, you can see how different power settings on the lower light affect the overall look. One thing in particular that you’ll want to avoid is an “under-lighting” effect on the face. This occurs when a light below the subject’s face is noticeably brighter than lighting above or directly

Figure 5.5. This sequence shows the effect of the lower light at the following settings (left to right, top to bottom): 1. lower light off, 2. 1/16 power, 3. 1/8 power, 4. 1/4 power, 5. 1/2 power (even), 6. full power.

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in line with her face. This will cast shadows in an upward direction, which is often associated with horror movie lighting and not particularly flattering to most subjects.

Big Softbox without the Box Another way to create a small wall of light is by modifying one or more lights with a large panel of translucent material to help diffuse the source. In effect, this approximates the quality and light output you’d see from the front panel of a large softbox. My low-cost version is described here, but commercial diffusion/scrim panels (can be used as reflection panels, too) are also available.

The Setup • I placed a white nylon shower curtain liner (70 x 72”) between two Alien Bee B800s and my subject (see Figure 5.6). You can use a shower curtain liner like this, or a similar white transluscent material secured to a background stand/cross bar. Place the two lights approximately 2’ - 3’ from the material, side by side, or one above the other (stacking). • My Settings: I started with an with a power setting of 1/8 on each unit and adjusted as appropriate to match my camera settings of f/11 at ISO 100. Shutter speed was 1/250 sec.

Figure X.X. Nylon shower curtain liner used as a modifier with two Alien Bees B800 light sources.

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Wall Bounce for Bigger Light Perhaps the easiest way to create a large, beautiful wall of light with virually any light source (even from your on-camera flash) is to use an actual wall (see Figures 5.7 and 5.8). By simply bouncing a powerful enough light off a large white wall you can flood an area of the room with soft, even light. This isn’t going to provide you with the precision you’d expect from a light on a stand, but it can do the job when you need full-length coverage in a pinch. Figure 5.7. Full length coverage via wall bounce technique.

Figure 5.8. Use wall bounce lighting for full-length shots--or any shots--when you need a large area of soft even lighting but don’t have the time or gear necessary for a more involved lighting setup. Here, I used one light aimed at the front area of my studio. For the actual shot, I positioned myself near the end of the black bench on the right.

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Another Solution: Move The Light Farther Away If you’re familiar with the Inverse Square Law as it pertains to photography, you’re aware that the relative distance from the light to the subject determines the intensity of the illumination on that subject. If you place your light within a couple of feet of your subject’s face, that light is relatively far away from your subject’s feet, for example. A full length shot in that situation will clearly show a huge difference betwen the exposure of the face and the feet. This is something we discovered with the One Light From Above example earlier in this chapter. However, by simply moving the light farther away, you’ll get results similar to Figure 5.9. By positioning a modified light source across the room (say at least 7’ from the subject), the relative distance between the light and your subject’s face is about the same as it is from

Figure 5.9. Full-length coverage accomplished with single-light setup.

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the light to her feet. This means both areas will receive about the same amount of light. The upside to this is that you can acheive the lighting necessary for a full-length portrait with only one light and a large modifier (e.g. a 42” or larger umbrella). The downside is the light will likely be a little flat and there will be an increase in contrast due to the distance because, as you’ll recall, an increase in distance will result in higher contrast lighting. Nevertheless, this is a good soluFigure 5.10. Same main light as previous, with tion and one that is often applied. additional rim lighting for effect. Combine this with the rim lighting techniques you’ve already been introduced to, as well as some additional background lighting, and you’ll be able to create some impressive full-length shots.

The Setup • For this shot I place a single Alien Bee B800 modified with a 42” shootthrough umbrella 7ft from the subject. Additional lights can be added to enhance the shot as shown in Figure 5.10. • My Settings: The light was set to full power giving me an aperture of f/11 at ISO 100. Shutter speed was my standard 1/250 sec.

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Lighting For Headshots

CHAPTER 6

Lighting For Headshots

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any of the principles we touched on in the Dramatic Portrait and other examples, are revisited and expanded upon here. One of the reasons we began with dramatic/classic portrait lighting earlier in this book is because the techniques described in that chapter make it very easy to create impressive portraits. The basic classic portrait can be accomplished with one light, and here there are no real rules; what looks 88

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good, is good. But headshots and contemporary portraiture require more precise handling. Depending on their use, headshots come with the expectation of a more recognizable, if not somewhat commercially produced, depiction of the subject (see Figure 6.1). In this section, we look at how to create basic headshots to achieve this goal.

It Begins with One Light, But You Already Knew That If you’ve been paying attention, by now you know that your main light (key light) is almost always the most important light in your setup, hence the name. It’s the most defining illumination for your portrait because it supplies the visual information that gives the viewer an idea of the shapes and details that make up the subject’s face. And it’s not just where the light hits the subject, but also where the shadows fall that complete the depiction. Figure 6.1. Headshots begin with a single main light but more lights are added (e.g. fill, hair, background) to complete the look.

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Naturally, this means that everything from the position of the light in relation to your subject, the relative size of the light, and your subject’s orientation (pose) to the light all have a direct effect on the modeling of the subject’s face and form. Looking in on an experienced photographer, one might think that all the lights in a headshot setup are placed and up and running at the same time. In fact, this is probably the case, but usually only if that photographer has been using that particular setup for awhile, and has already worked out the steps of building the setup light-by-light (see sequence Figure 6.2). Even then, adjustments often have to be made as no two individual subjects are alike. Those with lighter hair may require the hair light to be set to a lower output. Those with narrower faces might benefit from a pose or light position change that creates a broad light instead of a short light pattern. But no matter how a photographer seems to be setting up their lighting, the principles are the same: you start with the main light (see Figure 6.3) to make sure you have the foundation of your portrait lighting set, then you build on it, as you’ll see in the sections on fill, hair, and background lighting that follow.

Figure 6.2. This sequence (from left to right) shows: 1. Main light, 2. Main and fill, 3. Main, fill, and hair light.

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The Setup We’ll break down the setup into individual lighting elements, starting here with the main light: • Place the main light with modifier approximately 45 degrees to one side of the camera-to-subject axis as shown in Figure 6.4. Adjust the height of the light so that it is slightly higher than the subject’s head. The surface of the umbrella or softbox modifier should be approximately 2’-3’ from her, angled down toward the face. • My Settings: Main light is an Alien Bees B800 set to 1/4 power. This gave me a working aperture of f/11 at ISO 200. Shutter speed was set to my camera’s x-sync speed of 1/250 sec.

Figure 6.3. Main light is applied first, generally in a short light configuration.

Figure 6.4. Light in the standard 45/45 position.

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Figure 6.5. The main light in the same short light position and distance from the subject (approximately 2ft) with: 1. No modifier, 2. Shoot-through umbrella, 3. Softbox.

The amount of contrast produced by the main light will vary with the type and relative size of the light source modifier used (see Figure 6.5). In the case of an umbrella or softbox, the closer the surface of the light modifier to the subject, the softer the contrast will be. It should be noted that despite the modifier used, contrast will still increase as you move the light farther from the subject.

The Fill Light The fill light is often the next element added to the lighting mix. Because one light, coming from one single direction can produce more shadow areas and contrast than might be desired, some secondary illumination is often used to “fill in” the shadows a bit, softening the overall look by cutting down on contrast. 92

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Figure 6.6. Shown here from left to right: 1. No fill light, 2. Fill light modified with shoot-through umbrella at one stop under main, 3. Fill light at two stops under main.

In real-world conditions, fill light is everywhere. Outdoors where the sun is your main and generally only source of light, that light bounces around and off all reflective surfaces (building exteriors, sidewalks, even natural objects and the ground). This creates plenty of fill light which is why it’s not completely dark under the shade of a tree, for instance. Even in the studio environment, white walls and other surfaces will bounce some amount of fill light onto the subject, even if barely noticed, when only a main light is used. You’ll recall in a previous example, that we used a 20” x 30” piece of white foam board to bounce some of the main light back onto the subject’s shadow side. This gave us a good amount of fill light to work with. Using a white surface or standard photographic reflector is very practical, but now we’re going to bring in a second light to do the same job, if not in a more precise and controlled way.

The Setup (Fill Light) • Place a light and umbrella modifier in a similar position as the main light, 93

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but on the front opposite side of the subject. Placement and power output for this light is lower than the main. You’ll determine what’s best, but in the example here, I’m placing the surface of the umbrella approximately 3ft from my subject, in line with her face, and at most 1/2 the power of the main light (see Figure 6.6 examples).

The Hair Light When you hear someone talking about three-point lighting, this usually refers to a setup that includes the main light, fill light and the third point of light, the hair light. The hair light provides a subtle separation of the subject from their background. It not only provides a highlight in the hair, but often on the shoulders, too. A hair light is often most effective when it’s not calling attention to itself (see Figure 6.7), so don’t overdo it on a standard headshot. The sequence in Figure 6.9 features hair light at various intensities.

Figure 6.7. Hair light added to the setup.

Figure 6.8. Hair light mounted to boom. A softbox is positioned above and slightly behind the subject’s position.

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Figure 6.9. Hair light at various intensities. In this case, (from left to right) the 580EX II used was at 1/8 power, 1/14 power, 1/2 power.

The Setup (Hair Light) • Place a light and umbrella modifier or softbox just above the subject’s head. Adjust the output so that the hair receives a pleasant amount of hair light (not too hot). With the softbox modifier, I used a power setting of 1/8 power on my Speedlite 580EX II at a distance of 2’ just above, and slightly to the rear, of my subject’s head (see Figure 6.8). You might also consider flagging off this light or using some other type of focused modifier, like a grid, snoot, or barn doors, if you would like to keep it from spilling on the background or find that it is flaring into the camera.

The Background Moving beyond the basic three-point lighting mix of main, fill, and hair light, we can consider the background illumination, too. In all honesty, there are times when the background seems to just take care of itself. If your subject is sitting or standing just a couple of feet from the background the light spilling off of the main and/or other lights may be all you need for a pleasing 95

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background illumination (see Figure 6.10), and you can always add more light if necessary (see Figure 6.11). However, as shown in the illustration and sequence in Figure 6.12, using another light to throw a pattern or splash of illumination onto the background can be a very effective way to enhance a headshot portrait when properly controlled. I like to think of this type of background lighting as separate from the rest of the lighting setup. In fact, I treat the background as its own subject, with its own lighting. Backgrounds, whether flat seamless, walls, or three-di-

Figure 6.10. Background visible because subject and main light are close enough to it to record during exposure.

Figure 6.11. Subject is much farther from the background which would render it very dark, but this time illumination has been added to the background.

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Figure 6.12. Various background light placements and the result. From left to right: 580EX II placed on floor behind subject and angled correctly produces gradient effect. Next, a small softbox positioned on a boom creates a light-to-dark graduated circle of light. Finally, a 580EX II is positioned on a stand with its light zoomed and aimed through a “cookie” (panel with cut-outs/holes) to produce a pattern against the background.

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mensional environments can be illuminated any number of creative ways, including with gels and ambient light sources. Of course, the background and its illumination must be taken into consideration where the exposure and composition are concerned. That being the case, you might want to determine your light and camera settings for the subject, prior to setting up your background lighting, then adjust the output of the background light(s) to match your working camera settings. When building up your lighting like this, thoughtfully considering your background lighting and exposure, make sure that the main, fill, hair, and other lighting aren’t spilling onto your background to significantly alter its appearance in the final shot (see Figures 6.13 - 6.15).

Figure 6.13. The background benefiting from light spill off the main lighting setup.

Figure 6.14. Background with dedicated red gelled lighting. Spill from other lights in the main lighting setup is reaching the background, thus contaminating the overall look.

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Figure 6.15. Lights in the main setup are flagged so as not to interfere/overpower the background lighting effect.

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Foundation of the Setup The following illustration details the basic setup for a headshot (all lights).

Background Light

Hair Light (softbox on boom)

Main Light Fill Light

Figure 6.16. Basic headshot setup featuring main, fill, hair, and background lights.

Again, for simplicity our diagram (see Figure 6.16) represents the light sources as basic shoe-mount flash units with the main and fill lights modified with standard shoot-through umbrellas. The main light is on the right and together with our subject’s head turn gives us a short light portrait pattern (when the camera is positioned front and center of the setup). The fill light, shown here on the left, is usually going to be set to throw no more than half the amount of light on the subject as the main light. Its job is to simply fill in the shadows just enough to cut down on the contrast. The hair light can be placed on a boom arm which allows you to raise it directly above the subject’s head without having to worry about a light stand getting in your shot. Of course, this can be achieved any number of ways, but a boom arm can make things easier. Finally, a simple flash can throw some extra light onto any part of the background; just zoom or narrow the beam and direct it as you wish. 99

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Clamshell Lighting For many types of portraiture and headshots, placing the main light to one side of the subject and the fill on the other is standard practice. The lighting pattern you’ll get tends to mimic what we generally accept as naturally occurring light; the main light is up and to one side and the fill light comes in from another angle, just as it would be under sunlight with natural ambient light bouncing around. This notion is reasserted by the main light’s reflection in the eyes where we usually aim for a 11 o’clock or 1 o’clock position. But another lighting setup is also very popular, especially where the look desired is along the lines of beauty, glamour, or an obvious commercial application. We call this clamshell lighting because the orientation of the lights looks somewhat like an open clam shell (see Figure 6.17 and the result, Figure 6.18).

Figure 6.18. A portrait produced with the setup on the left. In this case, top light is at 1/4 power, bottom light at 1/16 power (2 stops difference).

Figure 6.17. Two lights modified with shoot-through umbrellas in a clamshell lighting setup.

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This setup essentially turns standard main/fill lighting on its side. This can produce a very even, almost shadowless pattern that is great for minimizing details (like bumps and what some would consider feature flaws). The overall look is luminous and acceptably, if not expectedly, artificial.

The Setup • To create the classic clamshell look as shown in Figure 6.19 the main light, often modified with a shoot-through umbrella or softbox, is positioned above and to the front of the subject as if the intention was to create a butterfly lighting pattern, but it can be placed a little lower, too (see Figure 6.20). • The fill light is positioned below the subject and angled up toward her. A matching modified light, other light, or even a simple reflector can work. But using a light with variable output control will give you more options.

Figure 6.20. Softbox as upper light, shootthrough umbrella as lower in this clamshell setup.

Figure 6.19. Clamshell portrait.

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• My Settings: I’ve included examples here using Speedlites and Alien Bees units with both umbrellas and a softbox in a couple of combinations and various lighting powers. What’s important to know is that the upper light’s output is what I was most concerned with. I set it to match my exposure settings of f/11 at ISO 100, using my standard flash sync of 1/250 sec. The lower light’s output was simply adjusted until I achieved the amount of fill lighting I wanted from it. If you add too much extra lighting however, you run the risk of overexposure.

Watch the ratio between top and bottom lights As you can see in the sequence in Figure 6.23, the actual lighting ratio is less important as a number than as a visual result. So, you’ll have to determine what works best by adjusting the power of the lower light and taking test shots (see Figures 6.21 and 6.22 where the upper light is set to 1/4 power). Try to avoid strong under-lighting effects, keeping in mind that the best looks tend to be where the upper light is at least slightly stronger than the lower.

Figure 6.21. A couple of test shots helped me zero in on 1/16 power for my lower light for this shot.

Figure 6.22. At 1/4 power the lower light begins to overpower the shot, and my exposure settings.

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Figure 6.23. (Top left to bottom right): 1) Top light 1//4 power, bottom light off. 2) Top light 1/4, bottom light 1/8 power. 3) Top light 1/4 power, bottom light 1/4 power (even). 4) Top light 1/4 power, bottom light full power.

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Headshots come in many styles In this chapter, we’ve covered several lighting techniques used to create basic headshots. However the term, headshot, does not describe any specific lighting style, composition, or usage. It’s an umbrella term that is used to describe portraits intended for commercial or promotional applications. Actors use headshots as a tool for casting and for promotional purposes, executives use them as professional portraits for trade publications and as part of a company’s efforts to present itself to the public, and just about any professional and entertainment personality can make good use of a headshot, especially for their on-line profiles, where they’ll be seen by potentially thousands of people each day (see Figures 6.24 and 6.25).

Figure 6.24. Model, Kelly Grace

Figure 6.25. Musician, Gary Clark, Jr.

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CHAPTER 7

The White Background

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he basic white background seems like it would be simple enough to master, but it’s a frustrating challenge for many. In this chapter we’re going to discuss the reasons why attempts at images featuring solid white backgrounds often fail. I’ll show you how to successfully create simple clean backgrounds as well as wrap-around lighting and ethereal effects by employing a few simple techniques. 105

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White Backgrounds Are Easy If you think about it, there’s nothing mysterious about creating a basic white background. After all, what makes a solid white space in any image but the lack of detail in a highlighted area? And what’s the easiest way to achieve that? Overexposure. If you simply wanted an image of solid white (without a subject), all you’d have to do is point your camera at a clean white wall or seamless background and leave the shutter open long enough to blow out any detail. If you’re using flash, you can maintain your camera’s flash sync (x-sync) and just blast the background with enough light to achieve the same result. Yes, creating a solid white background might be easy, but things get more complicated when using one in a portrait (see Figure 7.1).

Figure 7.1. Basic white background. Note in this sitting position, we allow the floor to retain detail. This keeps the subject “grounded” and avoids the artificial “floating” in white space look.

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A White Background Isn’t Always White If you’ve ever wanted to duplicate the look of a solid white background in an image you’ve seen elsewhere, and thought all you’d need was a clean white roll of seamless background paper, you were probably surprised at your initial attempts to recreate the look. More often than not, first tries at this result in dull gray backgrounds or uneven hot spots. Perhaps you remedied this in Photoshop, but still wished you could capture an even, clean white area across the entire background. Reasons why white doesn’t always show up as white have to do with simple exposure. As stated earlier, a lack of detail in white can easily be accomplished with overexposure. It makes sense then that as we move away from settings that produce overexposure into settings that start to reveal some sense of detail, we lose pure white and get something just a little less white (and quite often, this is best). Continuing on this trend our white background will begin to look light gray, then darker gray, and eventually we would make our way to the other side of the exposure scale and end up with a completely dark background. That’s right, your bright white background can reproduce as pure white, pure black, or any shade of gray, even all within the same image; it all depends on light coverage and exposure.

The Basic White Background There are plenty of ways to achieve a white background in your portraits. There are shortcuts and tricks and one can always fall back on in post-processing to “drop in” a white background where it failed to be recorded in-camera. But I want you to learn how to do it the right way from the start. Under the best conditions, you’ll have the proper space and lighting to work with. 107

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • The White Background

But even when you don’t, you’ll be able to take these principles and make due with what you have to get the best possible outcome. We’ll start with a basic white background lighting setup as shown in Figure 7.2. The idea here is to cover the background evenly with enough light to overexpose the background (should we choose to go that far with it) using camera exposure settings that would be standard for our usual portrait photography (regardless of the background).

The Setup • Place two lights out of frame, on either side of the background, preferably a few feet behind the subject to help avoid light spill onto her. The lights should be pointed toward the background at approximately 45 degree angles. The idea is to spread and feather the light evenly across the width of the background. • You may want to flag the lights to prevent light spill and possible flare into the camera, depending on the angle and position of the lights. • Place your main light (and fill) as needed for the angle of coverage you’re shooting for on your subject. For full length shots, this will likely be several feet in front of the subject, producing a result similar to Figure 7.3. For headshots, you might want to bring the lights in closer (see Figure 7.4). Remember, these are the lights you are most concerned with as they relate to your camera settings, because these are the lights that pertain to your subject. • My Settings: f/11 at 1/250 second at ISO 160. These settings are based on the main lighting for my subject (they do not take the background into consideration at all). The background lights should then be 108

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • The White Background

Background Light

Background Light

Flags

Main Light

Figure 7.2. White background setup using two lights, flags, and a main light.

Figure 7.3. White background, fulllength.

Figure 7.4. Headshot on white background.

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adjusted and evenly powered to an output just enough to overexpose the background itself. Find this power setting by making incremental adjustments to the lights’ output and taking test shots. A look at your camera’s “highlight alert” feature might also help.

Wrap-Around Lighting The basic white background provides us with a clean, crisp way to present our subject. As you’ve seen, as long as the background lighting is even and just crosses into the overexposure zone, you’ll have a true white background. Go much beyond that, and you’ll get something a little less “crisp” and a little more ethereal (see Figures 7.5 and 7.6).

Figure 7.5. Background light wraps around subject for an ethereal look.

Figure 7.6. Background is completely blown-out. Detail near the edges of the subject’s hair and form are overpowered by the light.

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Wrap-around lighting gets its name from the way light seems to reach around from behind the subject to “wrap” itself around her. This effect becomes visible as your exposure settings allow more light to bleed around the edges of your subject in an overexposed, back-lighting scenario. This is a mood effect, and can be accomplished with or without the use of main light on the subject.

The Light Source As Background Another way to create a bright, white, or blown-out background is to simply use a light source itself (rather than its reflection on the background). A potential side effect is flare. Even natural window light, coming in from directly behind the subject can work. Again, this is an effect that perhaps has limited use for most portraiture, but can sometimes come in handy (see Figures 7.7 and 7.8).

Figure 7.7. Softbox as background without any main light on the subject.

Figure 7.8. Softbox as background with main light added for proper exposure of the subject.

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Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • The White Background

One Light Can Work If you have only one light to work with (see Figure 7.9), you can still produce interesting white background portraits, especially in smaller rooms with light-colored walls where reflected light (bounce) can be used to an advantage. By simply blasting the background behind your subject (from either side), and adjusting your exposure settings as shown in Figure 7.11, you can overexpose the background and bring out your subject at the same time. Alternatively, a main light can be used (see Figure 7.10).

Figure 7.10. lnstead of adjusting overall exposure using ISO, a main light is brought in for subject.

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Figure 7.9. Only one light is used for background illumination (camera right). No main light on subject.

Figure 7.11. ISO adjusted for better exposure of subject and overexposure of entire background. Adjust levels and contrast in Photoshop to taste.

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Freestyle Lighting

CHAPTER 8

Freestyle Lighting

L

ighting for photography, as you can probably tell after working your way through the examples in this book, is much less about obeying specific lighting rules as it is about making creative choices that work. Variations on the classic lighting patterns presented in Chapter 2 can certainly be identified in many of the images you’ll find in commercial portraiture, fashion, and advertising. But what about all of the great images 113

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Freestyle Lighting

that seem to work outside of the traditional lighting methodology, or seem to have no discernible approach or intent other than an apparent disregard for thoughtful lighting altogether? Sure, lighting isn’t everything in a photograph, but it’s almost everything. It alone doesn’t define a subject, action, emotion, or story; inferior lighting can often be overcome by whatever makes the image otherwise interesting. However, the skilled application of lighting would make such an image even better. That being said, “skilled application” doesn’t necessarily mean traditional, or even anything generally regarded as so-called “good lighting.” For instance, the intentional application of lighting to produce an amateurish or snapshot-style photograph might result in something that looks like poor lighting, when it could be exactly what was needed to elicit the desired response from the viewer. Things like lens flare, harsh contrast, ghosting (flash with blur), or under-lighting while often avoided, might also be successfully used to create a look the photographer intended. And even when a photographer adept at lighting is shooting without consciously and methodically constructing lighting for scenes, you can bet that at least an unconscious recognition of good lighting patterns is guiding the choices as the flow of the shoot progresses. This instinctive style of shooting, as well as the loose, inexact placement of lights to achieve a look is what I call freestyle shooting. When shooting this way, the photographer’s concentration is focused much less on the specific lighting setup than it is on subject, flow, and mood. Bear in mind that a claim of artistic intent, after the fact, is no excuse for poor or unconsidered lighting, just as a bad image isn’t made good simply because the photographer says he was “thinking outside the box,” breaking traditional rules, or using some other form of artistic license. Freestyle lighting is about good photography and the instinctive application of lighting that produces results the photographer actually intended. Happy accidents will certainly occur, but most of the work produced when shooting freestyle 114

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Freestyle Lighting

should be deliberate. As you continue to learn more about lighting, and gain more experience with it, you’ll find that you’re applying the basics of lighting even when you’re not thinking about them. You’ll develop and eye for good lighting and eventually see a personal style emerge. There’s always more to learn and more to experiment with. So, take what you’ve learned so far, and have fun!

Figure 8.1. Window light (back lighting).

Figure 8.2. Single light (dramatic lighting).

Figure 8.3. Household lamp lighting was all that was used for back lighting/rim lighting and the main light in standard position for this character-driven shot. 115

Ed Verosky’s Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography • Conclusion

Conclusion I’d like to thank you so much for choosing Lighting Guide For Portrait Photography. It’s my sincere wish that it has helped you gain more confidence with your photography, no matter what level you are at in your career. I’m a firm believer that learning anything from more than one source is the best way to acquire knowledge that will sink in and stay with you. So, I ask you to read this book, as well as others on the subject, and keep learning.

WWW.EDVEROSKY.NET Thanks to Paul C. Buff, Inc.™ for images provided (Alien Bees and related products). POCKETWIZARD is a trademark or registered trademark of Lab Partners Associates, Inc. d/b/a LPADesign. Adobe, Acrobat, Photoshop, Lightroom and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Canon and Canon product and services names are the Trademark or Registered Trademark of Canon Inc. Nikon name/symbol is a registered trademark of Nikon Corporation in Japan and the USA. Clients and friends have graciously given us permission to use the photos shown. Some photos may not have been created using the exact method shown, but they were chosen as good representations for the techniques they illustrate.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Unless supplied as stated above, text and Images Copyright 2013-2014 Ed Verosky Do not duplicate, or make this copy available on file sharing services.

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