On this article and the accompanying video, I’ll present you the best way to create 4 distinctive portrait appears to be like utilizing one mild and v-flats.
Once I first grew to become curious about portrait images, one of many greatest hurdles for me was the virtually infinite quantity of kit choices. I used to be bewildered by the considered selecting lights, modifiers, stands, backgrounds, and even triggers. I made fairly just a few purchases, which I finally regretted, as a result of I believed a sure piece of drugs would assist me obtain the look I noticed in different photographer’s work. It took me some time to be taught that creating dramatic and distinctive portraits would not require and ton of high-priced tools, and that’s the inspiration for this piece.
The entire photographs on this article had been taken with a Nanlite FS-300, Angler 36″ deep parabolic softbox with grid, and two v-flats from V-Flat World. I shot the photographs with a Fujifilm X-T5.
Setup 1: Gentle Positioned Digicam Left
In Setup 1A, the sunshine is positioned to the left of the topic at roughly a 45-degree angle and set barely above his eye line. I used a black v-flat digicam proper and the smooth field is fitted with a grid. By utilizing a black v-flat reverse my topic, his proper aspect is solid in pretty deep shadow. The grid additionally provides to the drama, as a result of it retains the sunshine from spilling across the topic and the background. This setup ends in deep blacks within the shadow areas, which, though dramatic, will not be best relying in your targets for the shoot.
This brings me to Setup 1B, which is precisely the identical as 1A, besides I’ve flipped the digicam proper v-flat round in order that the white aspect is now going through the topic. Discover the large distinction this makes on the shadow aspect of the picture. The heavy shadows are eradicated, and a lot of the element can nonetheless be seen each behind the topic, in addition to round his legs and ft. The whole lot turns into extra refined by merely flipping the v-flat round as a result of as a substitute of absorbing the sunshine, the white v-flat bounces it again and fills within the topic’s digicam proper aspect. I want this over the primary setup usually, as a result of I don’t like when element is misplaced in pure black and like the refined transition from lights to darks. There’s, nonetheless, a time and place for each of those, and it’s as much as the photographer to evaluate what’s finest for the actual scenario.
Setup 2: Gentle Positioned Immediately Above
In Setup 2A, the sunshine is positioned instantly above the topic and angled down at him. When the sunshine is correct above the topic’s face, the shadows will now fall below the chin, which helps to intensify the jaw line. This provides you with outcomes just like utilizing a magnificence dish, however as a result of this modifier is bigger than a magnificence dish, the shadows shall be much less harsh and the general impact extra refined. Just like Setup 1, this setup will work nice for every part from full-length portraits to closeups. Usually, I deliberately place my topic proper in entrance of the backdrop as a result of I like how the shadows on the backdrop work together with the remainder of the picture, as within the picture beneath. You could possibly simply, nonetheless, transfer the topic away from the background in case you wished to isolate them with out utilizing the background as a outstanding a part of your picture. One drawback you’ll run into with this specific lighting is that the sunshine from above will create “raccoon eyes,” that are deep shadows within the eye caves. There are just a few methods to keep away from this. First, you’ll be able to merely have your topic tilt their head up in direction of the sunshine, as I did right here. However what if you need the topic wanting on the digicam and likewise wish to have mild within the eyes? The reply is straightforward, and it’s what I name Setup 2B. Once more, I have not moved the sunshine, however as a substitute merely added a white v-flat white beneath as a way to bounce the sunshine again into his face and eyes. As with earlier than, the white v-flat makes an incredible distinction within the total picture. One advantage of the V-Flat World product is that it may be folded right into a desk in your topic to lean on and can be utilized for some nice half-length portraits. One other wonderful purpose to make use of this setup is as a result of it really works very well for headshots. Check out how smooth the transitions are from mild to shadow, and the way flattering it’s for the topic. And all I needed to do was zoom in.
Setup 3: Gentle Positioned Behind Topic
In Setup 3, I took the sunshine, positioned it instantly behind my topic, and eliminated the grid. As a result of this setup will create a silhouette, I positioned him to take a profile photograph. Though I wished a silhouette, I didn’t need him in full black, so as soon as once more, my v-flat got here to the rescue. I positioned a white v-flat in entrance of him, as a way to bounce mild again into his face. By doing this, I used to be in a position so as to add sufficient mild on the entrance of the face as a way to give me the power to edit it to style with out dropping all of the element within the shadows. I paid shut consideration to ensure I created a small triangle of sunshine on his cheek, form of like the form you get with Rembrandt lighting, as a result of I felt this gave my topic extra curiosity. Discovering the precise publicity right here shall be a problem as a result of in case you “correctly” expose the entrance of the face, the remainder of the picture shall be blown out. When you expose for the background, the face shall be in full shadow. The reply right here is to experiment as a way to discover a look that you just like and that speaks to you artistically. I edited this specific picture in Affinity Picture to deliver out extra element and provides it an additional punch as effectively.
Setup 4: Arduous Gentle Up Shut
In Setup 4, I created a more durable and grittier look by eradicating the smooth field from the sunshine and as a substitute used only a naked reflector. The sunshine is positioned very near the topic, excessive above his head and angled down sharply. At first, my mannequin was carrying a black jacket, and I felt that the outcomes had been too darkish because the jacket absorbed a lot of the sunshine. I had him change out of the black jacket and right into a light-colored shirt, as a result of this will even make an enormous distinction within the ensuing photos. Simply because the black v-flat absorbs mild, black clothes will take up it too, so all the time pay shut consideration to what your topic is carrying and the way the clothes can have an effect on the publicity. I additionally had him maintain a bit of white poster board below his face, simply out of the body, and added a white v-flat digicam proper. The white poster board bounced mild again into his face, and though the ultimate picture remains to be fairly dramatic with plenty of shadow, bouncing some mild into the shadow areas helps retain the dynamic vary of the picture and makes it a lot simpler to edit with out crushing the shadows fully.
Remaining Ideas
One mistake I made early on in my journey as a studio photographer was buying a modifier I might find yourself utilizing solely as soon as. It is too straightforward to build up gear as we’re experimenting and looking for that elusive “good mild.” As an alternative of shopping for a ton of lights and modifiers, get your self one good mild and one modifier, and experiment with that till you’ll be able to see how the sunshine is falling on and round your topic. I might extremely suggest getting a steady mild just like the Nanlite I used for these photos, since you see the ends in real-time, making it a wonderful instrument for studying how mild falls on the human face. There are limits to steady lights, however they’ve come a good distance in the previous few years and lots of nonetheless photographers at the moment are utilizing them for portraits and headshots.
Seeing mild is a talent that one can develop, identical to listening to and understanding music. Once I first began taking part in electrical bass as a young person, I might take heed to music, however I couldn’t hear the bass line. It took a while and lively listening earlier than I used to be simply in a position to acknowledge the bass line in several genres of music. It then it grew to become the outstanding voice that I might hear and nonetheless do to this present day. Understanding and seeing how mild works is similar to this. Once I first began, I did not see lots of the subtleties that I now see when creating photos, and it took a variety of time training in my studio in addition to finding out the work of photographers I like as a way to start to acknowledge and internalize mild. It’s a talent I’m nonetheless engaged on, after all, and one we are able to develop all day lengthy just by observing the sunshine round us in any given scenario.
