How to make good use of light in portrait photography.

Today, we will discuss taking high-quality portrait photos with only one studio light source or flash. How to use a light source to shoot, the following will introduce six single-light source portrait shooting methods.

Shooting recommendation equipment

Camera and lens selection. This portrait was taken on a Nikon D700 with a 24 mm, 50 mm or 85 mm lens.

The independent flash can be set manually (which means that the built-in flash of the built-in camera is not suitable for shooting).

Accessories that can make the flash flash without installing it on the camera. This can be a special cable or wireless flash remote control system. I use the radio synchronization function of Cactus, which can be used with almost any shoe seat flash.

This special photo umbrella has a shiny inside and a black coating on the outside.

A pair of lamp holders can correctly install flashlights, umbrellas or mirrors on them.

External or internal light source

This tutorial will use two basic techniques. We will use sunshine and flashlights outdoors, but only flashlights indoors.

Example 1. Simple fill lamp

In this example, the evening sunlight illuminates the left side of the model. Half her face is in the shadow, and the light is very flat. Shadows appear in the background. In this picture, the theme is demonstrated in natural light, and a flash lamp is installed on the bracket. There is no attachment on the flash, just shoot the model.

In order to use the flash correctly, please set the exposure to ambient (natural) light. Then one step was subtracted, and the flash was set accordingly. This will separate the object from the background and darken it. The fence is also lit. Because the flash is far away from the subject, its light will cover a fairly wide area.

Because the sun will still shine on the model, and the flash will point more to the other side of the face (shadow), the light looks very uniform. This is very useful for obtaining clear and easily recognizable images. Even if the object in the photo is small, the audience can see it clearly.

Example 2. Simple contour illumination

You can notice in the photo below that the flash is rearranged behind the model. The sun will be the main light source, and the flash will be the outline illumination. This type of lighting emphasizes the outline of the object, which is usually brighter than the main lighting (in this case, brighter than the sun). Different from the previous portrait, the exposure did not decrease after measuring the ambient light. Increase the exposure of the flash to create highlights.

Pay special attention to the model's shirt and hair. From the observer's point of view, the rightmost edge is almost white. Because the flash is behind the model, not behind the model, the light will highlight the outline.

Example 3. Rembrandt illumination

When Rembrandt illuminates, the light makes an angle of 45 degrees with the side of the object and 45 degrees with the top of the object. Many portraits of Rembrandt use this kind of lighting.

You can borrow an umbrella for this photo. The flashlight is aimed at the center of the umbrella, so the light is scattered and soft, and the coverage area is relatively large. However, for this reason, the intensity of the flashlight is reduced, so the flashlight is located closer to the subject than the previous photo. You will see that the ambient light hardly touches the surface of the model. Ready Portrait As you can see, the model's face and the right side of her body (from the viewer's point of view) are still illuminated by the sun, but it is no longer our only light source. The shadow hangs over the shadow.

Sunlight has a wonderful effect on the model's hair, adding a warm shadow to the model's limbs, but hardly affecting the model's face.

Example 4. Highlight portrait hair

If the sun is the main light source, the flash can be used as the light source of the fill light. It can also be used to highlight hair. As you can see in the following example, the sun shines directly on the surface of the model. It was so bright that I squinted. Her skin color is lighter than her hair, so in order to eliminate the exposure difference between her hair and her face, she aimed the flash at her hair.

In order to get the required illumination, the light does not go to the reflector and then reflect to the model's head, but passes through the white coating, which is also scattered in different ways. You will see that the light from the flash falls on the model's hair, producing a warm luster.

Example 5. Shoot in the studio

In one example, the primary light source will be a flash. Use the light of the window to demonstrate the picture of the equipment used, but the light of the window will not affect the final image.

The light from the flash is brighter than that from the window. You can see the model wearing sunglasses and looking straight at the flash. In any case, the reflection of the umbrella will produce interesting images in the glasses, and the colors will look bright enough through this kind of lighting.

Example 6. Dramatic dome light

This is a more specific technology. It can help isolate the subject or give the camera a protagonist aura. It can also be used to completely darken the background.

In this example, the flash is located a little above the front of the model. In almost all cases, the model should look up, otherwise the eyes will be in the shadow and an unpleasant shadow will appear under the nose.

Of course, it is best to use a reflector with a soft box or sunshade without background interference. Of course, you only need a light source and some skills to create an impressive portrait.