Studio Portrait Lighting-A How To

[Jimmyz]

Thanks Benji, if you get a chance would you PLEASE post some pictures showing the seat and the size of the blocks and details.
Thanks
JimmyZ

[bocaj]

First time poster, but what a great tutorial Benji. Thank you.

[artur]

Benji,

Enjoyed your tutorial very much, so thank you!

One idea though. As many of us here can't afford softbox and four lights, could you make one tutorial for us poor guys and gals as well that features one light portrait lighting?

[kondor]

Benji -

I only have 2 studio flashes (250ws pro-linca that can be set to full-power and half-power),
2 soft boxes (75cm x 75 cm and the other is 75cm x 1m)
1 x silver umbrella,
1 x gray umbrella,
2 x diffusing/reflecting umbrellas,
2 polystyrene sheets (75cm x 1m each)

How can I achieve professional results with this limited lighting set-up?

Regards

---Kondor---

[waple]

Easy, buy 3 more lights

I kid. Actually I have pretty much the same setup as you so I'd be interested as well.

What I'm guessing is that one light can hit one side of the face and you'd put a reflector on the other side that will fill in there. However, in these diagrams, the fill light isn't opposite, but rather almost next to the main light, and you can't use a reflector in this case to act as the fill.

I guess a reflector may be used as the kicker light to bounce main light to the opposite side of the hair. And you'd have to use your two lights as the main and fill.

If you have a flash that can act as a slave, you can use that as the background light. I have a little slave sensor that attaches to the bottom of my flash that turns it into a slave. Very cheap device. And maybe, just maybe, you can have that light behind the model shining up, so it's skimming the background, but have silver reflector above and behind the model so the flash light bounces down and simulates a hair light.

At least, that's my best guess. I'll be interested in what you have to say about it, Benji. My idea may suck for all I know.

[Benji]

While you CAN do nice indoor portraits with NO lights (using a window and some reflectors, I like using flash units and lots of them. Frank Cricchio is a master photographer who uses six to ten lights on virtually all of his indoor portraiture and his work is simply outstanding. I know this next statement may get some nasty responses, but in my opinion you must have at least five lights to get good results. Granted I have lots of lights so I use them. If I only had two or three lights I would "fake it" with reflectors until I got five lights.

Light 1, the fill light. The fill keeps the shadows from going too dark. I have my fill light "hooked up" to the camera with a Quantum Radio Slave. When the fill fires the slaves of all the other lights sense the light and fire also.

Light 2, the background light. This light keeps the background well lit so it isn't a jet black nothingness behind the subject which in my opinion looks really bad.

Light 3, the hair light. This light keeps dark hair well lit so it won't blend in with a dark background, and it keeps blonde hair looking alive and vibrant.

Light 4, the kicker light. Makes men's faces look more masculine by highlighting the edge of the jawline. On women with long hair it will continue the wrap around lighting so the hair looks healthy and shiney.

Light 5, the main light. This light creates shadows and contrast and sculpts the face making it appear three dimensional even though it is on a one dimensional piece of paper. You CAN use a reflector for the kicker and maybe the hair light, but it basically requires two people; one to hold the reflector while the other (at the camera) watches to see when the reflector is doing exactly what the photographer wants it to do and then telling the person holding it to hold it right there while he makes the exposure. With lights, one can usually aim them from behind the subject and after a few tries pretty much guestimate the correct position. I seldom have to readjust these lights after my initial positioning.

Some photographers use an additional main light, especially on large groups. Some use three or four hair lights and three or four kicker lights on body builders and women in bikinis to give the image some extra snap and form.

Benji

[bobbyz]

Benji - Thanks for your response. I have learned a lot from your tutorials and the DVD.

I think having at least 4 light is very nice. So far, I only have 2 lights, so I use one as my main and the other as bg. For now I use reflector as fill. It is more hassle with the reflectors and you need to somehow hold them where you want them. I don't know how to provide fill from camera position using a reflector. So it is hard to replicate various lighting patterns that I see in the books. I will be getting 2 more lights soon.

[Brooks]

Benji,

I appreciate the amount of knowledge and effort that goes into your portrait work. It is a very traditional approach for PPof A style retail portrait that's been in use for a long time. I think you'll agree it's a bit rigid stylistically but I understand that it sells well in your market.

There's a fine-art, editorial, commercial portrait photographer in NYC by the name of William Coupon. His style for much of his portrait work is very strong and deliberate and in that sense his work is also a bit rigid but at the same time he has a wonderful sense of light and empathy with his subjects.

The interesting thing about Mr. Coupon's technique is that his lighting is very expressive and yet he only uses on one light. One Light ?!?!

For those people who think that one light is not enough and more lights are necessarily better...take a look at these portraits... William Coupon Amazing work!

[artur]

Originally Posted by Brooks

For those people who think that one light is not enough and more lights are necessarily better...take a look at these portraits... William Coupon Amazing work!

I never thought one light might not be enough, using one light as William Coupon does is pretty much repeatative, as you can see from his gallery. Yes, the results are amazing, but if you go through ten of those portrait, you come to realize the rest are the same.

From the image on his site where takes a shot of George Blush, he shows you don't have to have a majorly complex studio. Even my daughter could build a studio like that

[artur]

Originally Posted by Benji

Frank Cricchio is a master photographer who uses six to ten lights on virtually all of his indoor portraiture and his work is simply outstanding.

If he uses one more flash I bet he'll become a master Jedi.

In my opinion, there's nothing more outstanding in his gallery than what you have done or someone with three flashes only for that matter.

As I believe there are certain amount of flash sources needed to obtain a nice look in portraits, I believe too much is too much, unless photog wants to constantly play around with flash ratios.

[Benji]

Well I checked out Mr. Coupon's gallery and I've gotta agree with Artur, he uses Rembrandt or loop lighting in either short or broad configurations and that is it. No hair light, no background light, no kicker light. Maybe electricity is lots more expensive in NYC.

Benji

[Brooks]

Originally Posted by Benji

Well I checked out Mr. Coupon's gallery and I've gotta agree with Artur, he uses Rembrandt or loop lighting in either short or broad configurations and that is it. No hair light, no background light, no kicker light. Maybe electricity is lots more expensive in NYC.

Benji

Electricity IS lots more 'spensive in NYC !
Sometimes LESS is MORE.