I took this shot above to show you the position of the softboxes either side of my model. The output and direction is very important.
If you have ever wanted to know how to capture beautiful portraits in a photographic studio then you will not want to miss these hints. Recently I did a photo session of a friend in the photographic studio. She wanted a simple portrait for her website. I used a few tips and tricks to not only pose her well, but light the photo in a pleasing way.
Studio portrait techniques are not hard to become skilled at. They simply need an understanding of just how much lighting you must use, and, where it is coming from. Studio light is very uncomplicated and can be mastered with some preparation. It's essential not to hurry these things as you achieve an understanding of studio lighting.
Studio portrait lighting techniques rely a great deal what quantity of light falls on the subject. The majority studio lighting is equipped with several lights including softboxes. Softboxes are pretty simple to use. They are lights that have a continuous mode to them, but fire with a wireless trigger. This means that the lights stay on until you link a wireless remote trigger to them. This small tool sits on your camera. Its counterpart attaches at the rear of the light. When you press the shutter button that light shoots out a burst of light, similar to the light from the flash. The rationale for this is that we want to create a well lit portrait.
We can't always do this with diffused light. The light has the softbox clipped on to it so that you can light your portrait properly, but still have the bright light you need. Its the same principle as using a huge white box to help you diffuse the light on top of your speedlite. Its ideal light for studio portraits.
The direction and output of light are two things to take into consideration when creating beautiful studio portraits. You need exactly the right amount of light on the persons face. not enough can create too many unpleasant shadows under the nose, chin and darken the eyes. This is not the effect we want for normal studio portraits. Its crucial to fill in any possible dark areas on the subject’s face. We do this by ensuring the persons face has the right amount of light.
Next we must inspect the direction of light. Typically studio
portraiture depends on front on lighting. This is for precisely the same reason as the first example. If you have an individual light to the side of the persons face you will create deep shadows across their face. This is most ideal for a dramatic effect but it won't work for a relaxed, family studio shot of your friend or family member. You can light the person from the face with an individual or two. If you use two lights they must be placed at identical distances on either side of the subject’s face. For example, you can place one light two meters away from the persons right side of the face. After
that, you can place a light at exactly the same distance on the other side. That will give you an flat lighting style across their face, removing any shadows entirely.
What about the background? You can keep the background plain if you want the major focus to be on the face. Alternatively you can bring in a small amount of studio props. These might be things that the person loves, such as flowers, a push bike and even a lovely old chair. At all times keep the lighting uncomplicated. Consider what you want to illuminate and place the light in that position. I know it sounds a lot simpler than it really is, but with some preparation you will master the studio in no time.
