Softboxes for Portraiture
By Bob Shell
Generally speaking, portraits of both men and women are more flattering when made with soft light. There are
exceptions, of course, but for the moment let’s talk about portraiture with soft light and leave hard light for another
time.
Just exactly what is soft light? Soft light is light that falls on your subject from a number of different directions, thus
softening the shadows and providing modeling but not harshness. What controls how hard or soft the light will be is
simple. The larger the apparent size of the light source from your subject’s position the softer the light will be. Thus
the ultimate in soft lighting is when you are working outdoors under an overcast sky. This is the largest softbox of all,
and produces light that strikes your subject from a full 360 degrees. Beginning photographers always seem to think
that a bright, clear, sunny day is the best for photography, but just the opposite is true. When I want to photograph a
glamorous model outdoors I always hope for an overcast day. Of course it is best not to get too much of the sky in the
photograph on such a day since it will be white or pale gray and featureless.
The way to emulate the look of an overcast day in the studio is by using soft lights. These range from very expensive
metal and plastic devices to the much less expensive cloth softboxes. I prefer cloth softboxes because they are
reasonable in price, light in weight, durable, and can be collapsed for storage or transportation. Softboxes come in a
wide variety of designs and prices, and I am sure that most photographers setting up a simple studio can find a brand
and style within their budget.
For portraiture I find that I prefer a round or octagonal type softbox because I think people react unconsciously to the
shape of the catchlight in the subject’s eyes, and a round catchlight looks more natural to most people. Incidentally, if
you want to learn something about the lighting used by top pro photographers always look at the catchlights in the
models’ eyes. When I was first learning studio lighting I spent many hours looking at fashion magazines with a
magnifier figuring out exactly what lighting setup was used for photos I really liked. The eyes may be the windows to
the soul, but they are also the tip-off on studio lighting.
How large should your softbox be? That depends completely on the look you want in your photos. If you want
relatively dark and clearly defined shadows, then use a smaller softbox and move it farther from your subject. If you
prefer the almost shadowless look of high fashion photos, get as large a softbox as you have room for and move it in
close to your subject. If space is a serious issue, some companies make special versions of softboxes that are thinner
from front to back, but these are more costly.
When shooting a head and shoulders type of photo I generally use a softbox about 32 – 40 inches in diameter and
place it about four to six feet from my subject. For full-length photos I use a really large rectangular softbox that
measurers six feet in length. That gives me even illumination from head to toe with a standing subject.
Sometimes I use just one light on my subject and need just a touch of light in the shadows to keep them from going
too dark. There are two ways to handle throwing some light into the shadows. The simplest way is to use a reflector,
and I keep several around my studio at all times. I use both the round ones which snap out for use and snap into a
smaller size for storage, and larger rectangular ones with metal frames. Generally I use a white fabric, but sometimes
a silver or gold. Reflectors can give you the look of two lights when you only use one, but there are limits to how much
light they can throw back onto the subject. If you need more light than a reflector can provide, then you need another
light. Often I use a small softbox on my subject as the main light which defines and models the subject and a big
softbox with its flash set to low power to fill in the shadows and gives me more control than I could get with a
reflector.
The most important thing to remember with lighting is that there really aren’t any hard and fast rules. What is
important is to know what you want your images to look like and then work at getting the right lighting equipment to
produce that look. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try all sorts of variations in placement and intensity of your lights
and take notes so you will be able to duplicate looks you like and avoid looks you don’t like. This is how you develop
your own very personal style of lighting. Each of us has a different artistic eye and there is no one-size-fits-all formula
for lighting.
Sometimes one light is all you need. It just depends
on the look you want in your picture. I wanted
somewhat dramatic lighting for this photo of
Samantha, so I used just one light and fitted it with a
32 inch small softbox about six feet from the model.
Keeping the single light I used in the first photo, I’ve
softened the shadows in this photo of Christina by using a
reflector to camera right. You can make your own reflectors
from foam board or poster board, but for long-term use you
will probably be happier with commercially made reflectors
that use fabric stretched onto metal frames.
When working with a single light, watch carefully for
an unsightly shadow of your subject on the
background, as in this photo. You can eliminate this by
moving your subject farther from the background if
you have room, or you can add a background light.
These are generally of relatively low power and
mounted close to the floor behind your subject and
angled up onto the background. In place of a dish
reflector you may want to use a special reflector made
just for this purpose, that prevents the light from
spilling over to areas where you don’t want it.
To get rid of that ugly shadow on the background I moved
my model several feet farther away from the background.
This doesn’t make the shadow go away, but it moves it
sideways far enough to fall outside the picture area. Of
course, if your light is more frontal, that is coming from
close to the camera, this solution does not work and you
must use a background light to kill the shadow.
For reflectors, many photographers prefer the
round types that have fabric mounted on a
flexible frame that fold to very compact size for
transport and storage.
For studio use and location work when it isn’t windy, I use this
type of reflector. It can be mounted on a stand as shown,
eliminating the need for an assistant to hold and aim it.
I prefer to use round or nearly round softboxes
like this Photoflex OctoDome in my
photography because they produce round
catchlights in my subject’s eyes. Many people
think a round or nearly round catchlight looks
more natural than a square or rectangular one.
Studio Lighting Techniques
by Chuck McKern
Most photographers are interested in portrait lighting but most seem not to understand how to do
it. The techniques that we are going to discuss can be used with either hot lights or studio strobes.
You can use these same concepts with flash units, however you will not be able to see the effect
until after you shoot. With practice you will be able to control the harshness of the light as well as
being able to de-emphasize problem areas, such as a narrow face or a round face. The wrong
lighting will emphasize these features and will not be flattering to your subject. The right lighting
will make your subject happy indeed.
There are four main styles of lighting that we need to
describe. The first is Broad Lighting. Broad lighting is when
the main light is positioned in such a way that it illuminates
the side of the face that is turned toward the camera. This
technique is used mainly for corrective purposes. It will deemphasize facial features and is used mostly to make thin,
narrow faces appear wider.
Short Lighting is when the main light illuminates the side of
the face that is turned away from the camera. This technique
is used when the subject has an average oval face. Short
lighting emphasizes facial contours more than broad
lighting. This style can be adapted for a “strong” or “weak”
look by using a weaker fill light. This narrow lighting (as it
is sometimes called) is especially good for use in low-key
portraiture. Because short lighting has a narrowing effect, it
is great for use with subjects that have particularly round or
plump faces.
Butterfly Lighting is achieved by positioning the main light
directly in front of the subjects face and adjusting the height
to create a shadow directly under, and in line with, the nose.
This style is best suited for subjects with a normal oval face
and is considered to be a glamour style of lighting best
suited for women. It is not recommended for use with men
because it has a tendency to highlight the ears – crating an
undesirable effect.
The fourth style of lighting is Rembrandt Lighting.
Rembrandt lighting is obtained by combining short lighting
and butterfly lighting. The main light is positioned high and
on the side of the face that is away from the camera. This
technique produces an illuminated triangle on the cheek
closest to the camera. The triangle will illuminate just under
the eye and not below the nose.
The positioning of the main light is usually about 45
degrees from the camera-subject axis and should be slightly
higher than the subject. A good method to determine proper
placement of the main light is to look at the catchlights in
the subject’s eyes. The catchlights should be at either the
one o’clock or eleven o’clock position. Depending on your
subject, the height of the light may need to raised or
lowered to get the catchlights in the eyes. This is fine.
Without catchlights the eyes look too dark and recessed;
giving the eyes a lifeless look.
You normally place the fill light on the opposite side of the
camera from the main light. The fill light also needs to be a
much lower power unit than the main light. If you use too
much fill you’ll loose the effect of the lighting style. The
purpose of the fill light is to add just enough light to soften
the shadows created by the main light.
The fill light is used to control contrast. By increasing the
power of the fill you reduce the contrast in the photo. By
decreasing the amount of light from the fill, you will
increase contrast. When setting the distance of your fill light
watch how noticeable the shadow from the main light is.
This will be your guide to how noticeable it will be in the
final image. The fill light will almost always add a second
lower pair of catchlights. This is usually objectionable
because it gives the impression that the subject has a
directionless stare. This second pair of catchlights should be
retouched from the final photo. Also watch for reflections if
your subject wears glasses. You may have to reposition the
fill light slightly to eliminate eyeglass reflections.
Once the lights are in position, you can now play with the
accessories we talked about in March to add the touch or
feel that you are looking for. Bare light sources usually have
a harsh effect and drown out details. Using umbrellas will
soften the light and help maintain details. Barndoors or
gobos can be used to control how much light, if any, is
allowed to spill onto your background.
An umbrella
was used for thisshot.
If you get daring enough to use a hair light cones and snoots will allow you to control the light so
that it only illuminates the hair and doesn’t spill onto the shoulders and face of your subject. The
hair light is a lower power light that illuminates the subjects hair providing separation from the
background. This is especially important when photographing a subject with dark hair against a
dark background. To properly place a hair light, you should bring the light forward enough to let the
light spill onto the subjects face, then slowly move it back until the light disappears from the
subjects skin.
Background lights can be used to illuminate the background, gaining more depth or separation in
your image. This light is usually placed low to the ground on a small stand about half way between
your subject and the background. A low power light is generally used. You can dramatically change
the look of the shot by adding a gel to background light. Just remember when using gels you have
to use a stronger light to compensate for the illumination being lost through the gel.
Once you have placed all your lights in their proper locations,
added the needed accessories to them, and have gotten a
general feel for the way the shot looks, you can use a reflector
card to add a soft, supplemental light to areas that may still
appear too dark. Some of these cards have a gold side that you
can use to add a warm glow to the photograph. Others, like the
one used in this shot, have a silver side to provide more neutral
fill light.
The reflector cards do not need another light source, as they
will reflect the light that is already there. To find the proper
location for the card, just move it in and out from a spot to see
the effect. It will be noticeable to the naked eye.
It is not necessary to use all of these accessories and
techniques together. For the most part they can be mixed and
matched to get whatever result you’re after. Although it sounds
complicated with a little practice light placement becomes
second nature and you’ll develop a setup that you’re
comfortable with. It’s when you need an effect you can’t get with your normal set-up that you’ll
need some of these additional lights and accessories.
Hopefully these articles will give you a better understanding of what equipment you might need and
how to use it. Keep in mind there is nothing wrong if a simple setup/technique gives you the result
you are looking for. Too many people think that lighting has to be complicated. Practice and
experimentation will tell you what works best for you and I promise it gets easier after the first few
times.
Studio Lighting - Part 1
A beginners guide studio lighting and why you might need it
Words and pictures Chris Burfoot A.M.P.A.
Studio lighting can be broken down into two categories, continuous and flash. While continuous lighting has
two main advantages there are many disadvantages.
The good points of continuous light:
•
It's inexpensive, and makes a good starting point for anyone on a small budget.
•
You can see what the light is doing and where the shadows and highlights are.
The main disadvantages of continuous light:
•
It generally produces more heat than light, very uncomfortable!
•
The light that it produces is not balanced to daylight.
OK, so what does this mean in practical terms? The heat produced by a continuous light can make you and
your subject very hot and bothered, but because of the very bright light it will also have the effect of closing
down the iris in your model's eyes, which it is generally accepted, doesn't make a good portrait.
We have all taken photos in artificial light and ended up with yellow pictures! To your eyes, the light from a
tungsten bulb looks white, but it isn't. Colour temperature (the colour of the light) is measured in degrees
Kelvin, daylight is around 5,600K and a tungsten bulb is more like 3,200K and therefore records on daylight
balanced film as yellow.
This can be overcome in three ways: Firstly, you can use tungsten balanced colour film. Secondly, you can
put a filter on your lens, which will enable you to use any daylight film.
The big problem with these two solutions is that as the tungsten filament in the bulb burns it leaves a small
residue on the inside of the glass envelope. This means that the colour of the light gradually becomes more
yellow as the bulb ages. If you are using print film or shooting digitally any colour cast can be rectified when
printing, but slides cannot!
The third way is simply to shoot in black & white!
This brings us to flash.
With a normal on-camera flashgun there is no way of knowing what the lighting effect will be, except to say
that if you are using it fitted on the camera - it will be pretty awful!
The advantages of studio flash are - modelling lamp, consistency, power and control.
Lets look at these one at a time.
Modelling Lamp
Studio flash units are fitted with a continuous lamp, which can be
seen on this photograph sitting in the centre of the circular flash
tube. Because of its position it gives a very accurate indication of
the angle and quality that the flash will produce when fired. This
makes your lighting easy to set-up, because'what-you-see-iswhat-you-get'.
As this lamp is relatively low powered you don't get the heat or
brightness problem we talked about with continuous light. The
only thing to remember is that the flash will be a much stronger
light, so the shadows will be darker and the highlights will be
lighter. To trick your eye/brain built-in compensation device when
setting up lighting, first close one eye (a camera only has one)
then squint through your lashes. This has the effect of increasing
the contrast level you can see and is much more like what the
camera will record. Don't forget to tell your model what you are
doing or they might think you rather strange!
Consistency
Remember how we said that as a tungsten bulb burnt it got more and more yellow? Well with flash every
time you press the shutter the colour of the light from the flashtube is balanced to daylight. This means that
you can use any film you like without the need for filters, even with slide film - no problem.
Power
Modern flash units give huge amounts of power, released in a fraction of a second (typically with a unit such
as an Elinchrom this is around 1/2500th second!). For most home users a unit with a power of 250, 300, 500
or 600 watt/seconds is usually sufficient. Watt/seconds or Joules (the same thing) is the measure of the
power that a flash unit can produce. Don't get confused with guide numbers, this changes by changing the
accessory on the front! A 300 w/s unit is half the power of a 600 w/s unit, which is exactly 1 f-stop. So if your
600w/s unit was set up two metres from your subject and you were getting a flashmeter reading of f/16, then
a 300w/s unit in the same place would give a stop less at f/11. We will cover what a flashmeter is and how it
should be used in a later article.
Control
It's all very well having lots of power, but it's no use if you can't
control it! Even the most simple and inexpensive studio flash units
have at least a 'full/half power' switch, most will offer much more
control. Remember, we said that if you turn a flash head down to
half power you are reducing the output of the light by exactly 1 fstop. Smaller reductions in power with a simple head are obtained
by moving the head further away, or closer for more power. Just
remember the Inverse Square Law which basically means that if
you move your light source twice as far away, you will lose two fstops of exposure. e.g. Our head is one metre from our subject,
using ISO100 film we are getting an exposure of, say f/16. If we
move the head back to two metres away our exposure will be f/8, two f-stops less.
Monoblocks vs Power Packs
For most uses Monoblock, or Compact Flash Heads as they are normally called, will do most of what
amateurs and most professionals require. Compacts have all the electronics built into the head (above right),
whereas a Power Pack will have a separate floor standing unit with all the electronics in and a separate
head, or heads, that are plugged in to this. The head contains a lamp holder for the modelling lamp, the flash
tube, simple circuitry and normally a fan to keep it cool.
Power Packs are generally used when a huge amount of power is required (up to 6000w/s) and when the
units are going to be used at high speed over long periods e.g. for fashion photography. The parts that
generate the most heat are housed in the head away from the electronics in the pack, which is also fan
cooled. With the new generation Compacts, such as the Elinchrom Style unit above, many of the advantages
of the pack have been removed.
Studio Lighting - Part 2
Last month we looked at studio lighting systems and how simple and effective Studio Flash is to use. If you missed that
you can view it by clicking here . In this month’s session we are going to look at one of the world’s greatest mysteries –
the Flashmeter and then we’ll take a look at some of the most popular lighting accessories.
A flashmeter works in pretty much the same way as the lightmeter in your camera except that it measures the amount of
light produced by a flashgun. When using studio flash you normally only need to worry about the aperture that should be
set on your lens. When using cameras with a focal plane shutter (35mm SLR’s and some medium format cameras) you
must ensure that the shutter is open long enough for the flash and therefore you must set the correct shutter speed on
your camera as recommended by the manufacturer. Often this will be indicated on the shutter speed dial or in the users
manual. Don’t worry that the speed may seem a little slow, the fast flash duration will freeze most subjects and cope with
any camera shake.
This is a typical flashmeter, you can see that the controls are quite simple. The positioning of the controls will vary from
make to make but essentially they all work in the same way. At the top, the all-important on/off switch, next the “mode”
button. With this meter it will not only read flash but also continuous light as well, so the mode button switches between
“flash,” “flash with cord” and “daylight”. As you can see from the display this meter is set to “flash with cord” indicated by
the flash symbol and a little “c”. Set to this mode it enables you to plug the sync lead (or cord) from the flash, into the
socket on the bottom right and by pressing a button on the right edge of the meter the flash will fire. The alternative
“flash” mode requires you or someone else to actually fire the flash head manually.
On the display itself you can see the “T” symbol is set to 60, which is 1/60th second shutter speed. The “F” is showing 0,
this is where the correct aperture will appear when the reading is taken. The ISO button under the display enables you to
set your film speed and is used in conjunction with the up/down buttons also on the right hand edge of the meter.
There are two ways of taking a light reading. The first is the “Reflected Light” method and this is what is used in your
camera. The meter measures the light reflected back off the subject and therefore when using a hand-held meter it
should be held at the camera position pointing at the subject. The second method is “Incident Light”. This is where the
meter reads the light actually falling on the subject and the meter is held at the subject position pointing back to the
camera or main light. With this method a domed diffuser is used over the actual cell (the white dome at the top), which
reads light from a very wide angle and gives the total light from all light sources falling on your subject. You can also use
a flat diffuser, which means that you can take readings from just one direction. Simple flashmeters start from around £50
and combined daylight and flashmeters start at about £100.
Accessories
The pulse of light from any flash is “raw light” with very little or no control.
The accessories shape and control the light to create a pleasing ambiance,
enabling nasty shadows, red-eye and poor definition to be avoided. The
most popular lighting accessory and usually a first purchase is the
umbrella, a very inexpensive and easy way of making your light softer and
more flattering.
The single most important thing to remember with lighting is “The Bigger
The Light Source – The Softer The Light”. Umbrellas are a quick and easy
way of making a light source bigger and therefore softer. They come in
different finishes normally Silver, White and Translucent.
1) Silver. The most efficient. A very reflective “sparkly” light, great for young
people and glamour.
2) White. A black backed white umbrella is still quite efficient as no light is able to pass through it. It gives a softer more
diffused light. Great for babies and general use.
3) Translucent. My favourite, you can use this single skinned nylon umbrella in two ways. Firstly in the normal position it
gives a very soft delicate light but quite a bit of it goes through the umbrella and is wasted. Secondly by turning it around
and using it as a shoot through umbrella it gives a wonderful soft diffused light similar to a softbox or window light.
A second most useful purchase would be a reflector panel. The Prolinca range of “Pop-up” reflectors is available at
attractive prices starting from well under £20.00.
Using just a single flash head fitted with a brolly and a reflector panel you
can create very pleasing portraits, which are vastly superior to those
available with even the most sophisticated on-camera flashgun.
Next we will look at how to set up portraits with one, two and three lights
and the softbox and snoot.
Studio lighting advice - Part 3
Studio Lighting - why you need it. Part 3.
By Chris Burfoot A.M.P.A.
Last month we looked at how a flashmeter worked and the use of different types of umbrellas.
In this month's session we are getting to the good bit - actually setting up your lights and taking your first portrait.
OK, lets ask the question - 'Why might I need Studio Lighting?'
This can be answered very simply, - versatility and control. If we
put an 'on-camera' flashgun onto the hot shoe of our camera
and take a picture of our model, this is what we will get.
Very harsh direct light, probably 'red-eye', certainly a hard and
un-flattering light with a big black shadow behind the head,
which, on a darker haired subject will merge with the hair to give
a strange shaped head! You will also end up with a very
unhappy subject!
The other problem is that this lighting is very flat. It shows no
shape or substance to the subject whether it is a person or a
product. To show that something is 3 dimensional on a
photograph it has to have shadows, not big hard-edged ones
but soft gentle ones. By moving our light source around to one
side we have immediate advantages. Firstly the shadow has
gone from the background. Secondly, we have a lit and an un-lit
side to our subject. Even though we have 'over-done' the
contrast between the two sides of our models face it tells our
brain that the subject MUST be 3D even though we are looking
at a 2D image.
To relieve the density of the shadow we need also to put a bit of light into that side. If we have one, we could add a
second light. We would need to be very careful with the amount of light we used as a fill light. Too much and we would
be back to flat lighting plus the complication of two sets of shadows! A good friend of mine who also teaches lighting says
that the only person who should have two nose shadows is a person with two noses!
Lets forget the second light for now and use instead a simple reflector panel. By adding a Prolinca Silver 'pop-up'
reflector on the shaded side we can bounce some of the light back into the shadows. Simply moving the reflector closer
or further away will vary the amount of reflected light. Silver reflector panels are very efficient; a more subtle effect can be
obtained by the use of a white one. But it is quite amazing how much light can be bounced back. In our example we have
placed the reflector quite close but even so we have retained some very attractive modelling on the subjects face.
So far we have just used the flash head on its own. Now lets add a silver umbrella to diffuse and soften the light. Silver
umbrellas are, like the reflectors, very efficient and give a 'sparkly' light suitable for young people with good skin and
glamour type pictures.
For a more natural, softer look, a white umbrella and reflector could be used.
We have seen that by moving our light to one side we can make our subject more three-dimensional. The pictures,
however, can still look a little flat especially if you are using a low contrast background. So lets now unpack that second
head and add a bit of extra depth to our portrait.
By placing a second head behind our model we can put a pool of light on the background. Both Fabric and paper
backgrounds absorb light and unless they are lit they can look quite boring. We have to be careful where the light from
our second head goes, so to control it we can fit either a snoot or honeycomb grid to the front of the head so that the light
only goes where we want it. By adding a splash of light on the background we have livened up the whole picture and
given it more depth.
But now lets try something else. We can also turn our second head around so that we are backlighting our model. As you
can see a little light from behind gives great separation from the background and brings the hair to life showing its true
texture and colour. The splash of light over the left shoulder further emphasises the shape of our model
Of course if you are lucky enough to have a third light you can light the background as well, or you can back light from
both sides.
Next month we will look at using a front fill light and Softboxes.
Studio Lighting Part 4
Studio Lighting Part 4
In the last article we looked at taking portraits with one light and a reflector and using another head with control
accessories fitted to give hair and background lights. Hopefully by now you should have tried these set-ups and feel
more confident to move on to a two head kit, using a second studio flash head as a front fill instead of a reflector panel.
You do, however, need to be careful when setting this up and you will need a flash meter to balance the light.
Words & Pictures Chris Burfoot A.M.P.A
In the diagram below you can see that we have placed a
flash head quite close to the camera position and we
have fitted a shoot-through umbrella. The power of this
head has been reduced so it gives a meter reading at the
subject’s face of one f-stop less than the main light on the
right. This ensures that we do not have flat lighting on her
face and will give a very pleasing result. In this example
the reading from the main light was f/11 (this was set on
the camera) and the fill light was f/8.
Umbrellas are quick, easy and inexpensive ways of making a light source bigger and softer. For the ultimate softness
you can’t go far wrong with a Softbox, the bigger the better! We are using Elinchrom lighting and a range Prolinca and
Elinchrom Softboxes are available from 40cm square to the amazing Octa which is almost two metres across! The most
useful sizes for portrait work are 70 or 100cm square although the Prolinca 60cm is great value for money and works
well. Remember the rule, the bigger the light source the softer it is.
To get the softest light possible from your softbox – move
in close! Softboxes should be used just out of view of the
camera and then will give you a lovely soft diffused light. If
a large softbox is used close it will give plenty of “wraparound” reducing the need for a reflector or fill light. In this
example I used a Rotalux 100cm square and a white
reflector.
The Elinchrom Rotalux Softboxes are quite unique in that you can use them in several different ways. As the
Elinchrom/Prolinca Flash heads have a central brolly tube you can combine the softbox with a silver, gold or translucent
deflector. Using these deflectors in conjunction with the front, internal or both diffuser panels you can obtain a huge
number of different lighting effects with one simple accessory set. For more information on the Rotalux system with
example photos, have a look at www.theflashcentre.com and follow the link.
One of the most flattering and glamorous lighting set-up’s is
easily obtained with one softbox and a great accessory from
Lastolite called a Tri-flector. Basically it is three reflector panels
joined together on movable joints.
Here’s a super set-up, which works every time! With your
model seated place a flash head fitted with a softbox above the
camera angled down to light from above. Place the Tri-flector
on a stand with the centre panel just above the model’s lap, the
two side panels can be angled up at around 45 degrees on
each side. This throws reflected light up under her chin and
eyebrows and gives a beautiful effect that will emphasise your
model’s eyes. In the example on the right I have also added a
backlight and a black background to give real impact.
Studio Lighting Accessories
By Chuck McKern
The essence of working in a studio is the control of light. Learning to consistently do so is the
single biggest problem for people new to studio work.
Controlling light refers to how much light reaches the subject, where the light is landing, and how
contrasty that light is. There is a confusing range of equipment out there that can be awfully
intimidating to the novice. This article discusses the different tools you can use to control light in
the studio and what each can do for you. For information on types of studio lights and how to
position them as a starting point check out my article Portrait Lighting from the June issue.
Reflectors
Reflectors are polished bowls (usually metal) that attach around the light source. A reflector takes
light that would normally spill out to the sides, top, and bottom of the light and redirects it forward
onto the subject. Without the use of a reflector a large quantity of usable light would be wasted.
Reflectors are normally used with bare bulbs such as hot-lights (photofloods) and studio strobe
systems.
Softbox
The softbox is a popular lighting accessory for most studio
photographers. Many would refer to them as a required piece of
equipment.
A softbox attaches directly to a strobe head. They are available in
different sizes to help control the contrast of the light. Smaller
softboxes produce higher contrast light while the larger softboxes will
provide a softer light. You can also move the light closer or farther
from the diffusion panel in the softbox. The greater the distance
between the light and the diffusion surface, the less noticeable and more diffused (softer) the effect.
These features make the softbox extremely versatile in controlling light, shadow, and hot spots on
reflective surfaces - which is why they are so popular among studio photographers.
Umbrellas
Umbrellas are probably the most commonly used reflector for electronic
flash. They come in many diameters, some as large as 6 feet, and have the
unique ability of being a reflector and a diffuser at the same time. Umbrellas
provide a uniform diffused light, but can create unnatural highlights on
highly reflective objects, making a softbox a better choice for reflective
subjects. Umbrellas are often used in portrait photography where the circular
highlight they create in the subject's eyes provides a more natural look than
the rectangular highlight created by a softbox.
Umbrellas are available in white, silver, and gold, depending on the warmth
of light you want to direct onto your subject. You'll get softer light with a
white umbrella, harsher light from silver, or a warm light from a gold
umbrella.
Diffusers
When using bare lights without a diffuser the light reaching the subject is stronger in the center and
gets softer as you get closer to the edges. Placing a diffuser over a reflector spreads the light more
evenly across your subject and softens the light. Diffusers can be plastic discs that attach to
reflectors or can be different types of material attached in front of the reflector.
Scrims
Scrims are translucent diffusion panels placed in front of a light source
to soften the light. Scrims are usually attached to a frame support and
can actually have multiple lights behind a single panel. You can control
contrast by moving the scrim closer or farther from the light source.
Cones and snoots
Cones and snoots are attached to the reflector and are used to narrow
light symmetrically to produce a round patch of light. Some snoots use
a honeycomb grid to make a smoother gradation to the edge of the light.
This would allow for a less dramatic drop off of the light. Some fancier snoots have a focusing
capability to allow you to control the spread of the light beam.
Barndoors
Barndoors are yet another attachment for the reflectors. They usually have 2 or 4 hinged flaps that
move independently. Barndoors can be adjusted to control how wide or narrow an area the light
covers.
Reflector cards
Reflector cards come in many shapes and sizes and are made from
numerous materials. This type of reflector is not attached to any light
source, but is used to reflect or bounce light back onto your subject. They
are placed to redirect light into shadow areas to help illuminate details.
Reflectors can be made from cardboard, metal, or fabric, and are usually
white, gold, or silver.
A popular reflector among location photographers is the light disc. Light
discs are flexible discs or frames covered with reflective material. They're
lightweight and fold up into compact pouches making them easy to transport on location. A 42-inch
light disc will collapse down to about 12 inches. Sizes, surfaces, and colors vary and some offer
multiple colors in one disk.
Gobos
Gobo is derived from the words "go between". Gobos are usually black cards that are placed in
front of the light source to block light and they're most often used to keep light from hitting a
particular spot on the subject or to cast a shadow on the background. A gobo can also be used to
block part of a softbox to create a smaller light source, producing a more contrasty light or to knock
down bright highlights in reflective surfaces.
Cookies
These are not things you eat while shooting! A cookie in photographic terms is a card that, with cutouts of a specific shape or shapes, when placed over your light will cast the shape(s) on to the
background.
Gels
Gels are gelatin filter sheets used over light sources to either correct the light balance or create
dramatic lighting effects. They are also used to change colors of backgrounds and there are
diffusion gels to help with diffusing light. Gels can be taped to a reflector or placed in frames and
mounted to the reflector or light stand.
Taken individually, so that you can understand what each lighting tool does, makes working with
these tools seem much less intimidating. You don't need all of these items to equip your studio.
Choose a few that will work for your needs and concentrate on mastering those. Once you're
comfortable with what you can do with those tools add new items one at a time and gradually you'll
become the master of light in your studio.
Next month we'll talk a look at different lighting techniques.
Portrait Lighting
by Chuck McKern
Lighting is the key to shooting portraits, and a few simple
steps will put you on track to the proper lighting setup. But
don't take these suggestions as absolute. Experiment with
different lighting setups to find what you like. These
suggestions will give you a good starting point.
We used a basic three light set-up to illustrate this article. One
light used as a main light, one for a fill light and one for a
background light. Other considerations are umbrellas for the
main and fill lights (to soften the light), and possibly a colored
gel for the background light. I recommend a filter suitable for
portrait photography such as diffusion, center spot or Soft
F/X. For this shoot I used a Tiffen Softnet Black #2 filter.
Main Light
Before positioning your main light, you will want to diffuse it.
Diffused light creates a softer, more flattering effect. For portraits, I prefer to use umbrellas over
softboxes. Softboxes are bulkier than umbrellas and pass through less light. Umbrellas give you
more control over the direction of the light and more choices. Umbrellas break down into two
types: those that go between the light and the model, diffusing the light, and those that you direct
the lamp into and reflect the light back onto the model. Reflective umbrellas are available in
different colors. White is neutral, silver provides a more harsh light, and gold reflectors provide a
warm light on your subject. For these shots I used a 42-inch Photoflex white umbrellas between the
light and the model to provide an even diffuse light.
Positioning of the main light can be a bit of an art, but the basics will get you started in the right
direction. Once you get comfortable with these tips and what they do, you will learn to find the
positioning that works best for you. Each photographer has his or her own taste as to what lighting
looks best, and this becomes part of the portrait photographers photographic signature.
A good starting point is to set the main light about 45 degrees from the camera to subject axis and
raise it higher than the subject's head. You want to watch the subject's eyes for catchlights. Look at
the subject from the camera angle and adjust the light until you get the catchlights in the desired
position. Catchlights in either the 1 o'clock or 11 o'clock position in the eyes of your subject are
desirable.
Adjusting the height of your main light will create different effects. Lower the main light when
photographing babies, small children, or older people when you want to minimize facial wrinkles
and texture. A higher position increases the emphasis on facial texture and is desirable for character
portraits.
Just as the correct height is important, the correct angle from the camera to subject axis can be just
as important. This positioning will alter the apparent contour of your subject's face. If your subject
has a narrow face, you can make their face appear to be slightly broader by moving the main light
closer to the camera.
Fill Light
Just as we discussed with the main light, you want to diffuse the fill light. If it is not diffused, you
can get a double shadow and you may get a second catch light in the eyes. Either will give your
portrait an unnatural appearance. Again I used a 42-inch Photoflex white umbrella here.
Your fill light should be about three or four times weaker than your main light. This will keep you
in the neighborhood of a normal portrait lighting ratio of about 3:1 or 4:1. A 3:1 ratio means that
the difference between the main light and the fill light will be about 1 2/3 stops. A 4:1 ratio will be a
2-stop difference.
Position the fill light at camera level or slightly higher. Avoid lowering the fill light below camera
height, as it will create an unnatural effect on the model's face.
Here a gold reflector is used to add
a little additional fill light to the
model's face.
You can see in the image on the left that the extra
fill from the reflector softens the shadow under
the chin and ads a slightly warmer tone to her skin.
Background Lights
Background lights are used to create a separation between the subject and the background. The
background light should only illuminate a small area behind the subject. I use a snoot (a tube like
attachment to constrict the light to a smaller area) to help control light spillage. Position the light
facing the background and far enough away to create an arch of light just around the subject. From
the camera the light itself should not be visible, just a softly illuminated area on the background
behind the model.
If you like you can use a colored gel over the light. Just be sure that the color you choose will
compliment the portrait and not look out of place.
I prefer to keep my background light about the same output as my
fill light. You may need to increase the power slightly if you are
using a dark colored gel over the light.
Hot Lights vs. Strobes
I've worked with both and I really prefer strobes. Strobes have a
modeling light that you can use to see the effect of your light
placement. When you trigger the camera the modeling lights go out
and the strobes flash providing an even, controlled light.
Hot lights are just that - hot. So hot that I've had them catch fire, and
had gels and cords melt when they came in contact with their
covers. This means that every time you move or adjust a light you'd
better grab a towel or you'll toast your hands. Better hot lights have
insulated covers. This cuts down on the chance that you'll burn
yourself or something else, but they don't solve the other problem with hot lights, and that's how
they make the model feel. Hot lights throw a tremendous amount of heat onto the model, making
sessions uncomfortable and creating a need to touch up the models makeup because of sweating.
Filters
Filters can be used to effect the mood of the photo, smooth out skin imperfections and to increase
the perceived quality of a portrait. When choosing a filter, think carefully about the effect you're
trying to achieve - you can't undo the filter's effect after the session. Some of the more common
filters used in portraits are diffusers, center spots, and Soft F/X filters.
Diffuser or soft focus filters soften the image (these filters may interfere with auto focus on some
cameras). They are available in varying degrees of softness allowing you to choose the amount of
soft effect that you want. Personally I feel that these filters tend to make the image feel "out-offocus". This can limit the size of your the image as the more you enlarge the picture, the more the
effect is magnified.
Center spot filters are a variation on the diffusion filter. This filter is designed to leave the center of
the frame sharp and diffuses the edges of the image. This is something of a classic portrait look.
Just make sure that your subject is centered and fits within the filter's clear opening or you'll be
unhappy with the results.
The Soft F/X filters are my personal favorites. These filters are designed to
minimize facial imperfections but do not interfere with the over all clarity of
the image. In other words, your subject's eyes will still be sharp. Soft F/X
filters are also available in different degrees so you can get the effect that
you want. This is the filter used in this series of photographs. Because this
filter does not affect the overall clarity of the image, you can create
enlargements without loss of apparent sharpness.
Metering
Once you have your lights in place and have determined the correct lighting ratio, you have to get
your meter reading. Have all your lights on and take a reading at the tip of your subjects nose. This
will be the most accurate spot to get a good exposure reading. If you are using a handheld meter, be
sure to figure in your filter factor if you're using filters. The filter factor (number of stops of light
lost to the filter) will be in the documentation included with your filter. During the session, if you
move your lights, even slightly, be sure to take a new meter reading.
Connections
If you have a higher end camera it will have a PC socket to connect the camera directly to the flash
heads. If your camera doesn't have a PC socket you can use a flash slave. A flash slave is a trigger
that connects to the strobes and triggers them when your on camera's flash fires.
Things to Watch
While shooting, pay close attention to details that may detract from the image you are trying to
create. Watch for stray hairs either sticking out or falling into the face of your subject. Watch for
any tags from clothes or clasps on jewelry that are showing. Make sure your subject doesn't squint
or slouch their back. Keep an eye out for any minor details that may pop up while you are shooting
that could take away from what you are trying to create. Your eye for detail will improve with
experience. Each time you find a problem on the light table that makes a shot a throwaway, you'll
learn to watch for that problem in the future.
Pay particular attention to your subjects eyes. When we look at a person we tend to look at their
eyes first. So it's crucial that the eyes are in sharp focus.
Props
Clothing, jewelry, gloves, a glass of wine, or a cigarette are all
examples of props that you can use during a portrait shoot. Props add
interest to an image, and can make it stand out from the "usual
portrait". Just remember that the props you use should be in character
for the model and it's easy to overdo it.
Getting Started
By now you may have pulled out your photo catalog and noticed how
expensive a good lighting setup can be. Fear not. Many camera
stores, and camera clubs have lighting setups that you can use or
rent. As an example the rental price list for a store near my home
lists the following:
Dynalite kit with power pack, 2 heads, slave, power and sync cords, in a
hard sided case for $45
Lumedyne portable kit with power pack, 1 head, battery, charger, sync cord,
shoulder strap, and case. $30
The rates quoted are full day rates. If you're renting it's a good idea
to reserve the equipment well in advance so that you're sure you'll
have it on the day you want to shoot.
The skin tones are a bit
blown out, see the 995
article for details on
using the 995 inthe
studio
If you follow these guidelines, you can create a quality portraits yourself. Keep in mind, these are
general rules of thumb. You can experiment with any of these elements to achieve the results you
find most pleasing. So now grab your gear, and a friend or significant other, and go shoot some
portraits!