Portrait Photography: A Beginner's Guide

This blog post will guide you through all the necessary steps to recreate successful studio lighting using Canon flashguns that can be set up in almost any situation, though the same setup may be achieved with other brands in a similar fashion.  Shooting in a studio or similar scenario is an excellent way to learn how light can affect your photos.  These lessons can be used in any photographic situation, be it a highly controlled studio setup or shooting with natural light in an uncontrolled environment.



DCW's Portrait Photography Demo at Sydney Morning Herald's Photo1440 Workshop

The following are some general rules for lighting -

1) The larger the light source when compared to the subject, the softer the quality of the light that falls on the subject. This is because the larger light source wraps around the subject, softening the edge of shadows.  As the light source gets smaller you’ll notice the shadow edges become more defined.

Moving a large light source closer to the subject also has the effect of softening the shadows while moving the light away makes the edge of the shadow sharper and more defined.        

If you diffuse a light source, the light scatters and results in a softened quality as the diffuser essentially becomes the light source. For example - On a bright, sunny day the shadows are strongly defined as the light source is far away i.e. the sun. If passing clouds then block the sun, the light will soften as it becomes diffused by the clouds, thus simultaneously drawing the light source closer as the clouds now become the source.  So you can look at it two ways - the hard light source is now diffused OR the light source is now very large and close.

2) Bouncing a hard light source off a wall onto your subject effectively creates a larger light source.

This occurs by making the wall a light source.  As the wall is much larger than the size of the flash, the light also becomes a lot softer.  This requires a greater power output from your flash as some light is lost from the wall and the light also has to travel further to reach the subject.  Be aware of the colour of the wall as the light from your flash will change to whatever colour the wall is i.e. red wall equals red light, green wall equals green light, etc.

3) Front lighting diminishes texture, side lighting (from any direction) emphasizes texture and rear lighting highlights the shape of the subject.

The direction of a light source has a big affect on the appearance of texture in an image. Lighting from the side will increase the appearance of texture on surfaces while light hitting the subject from the camera position will flatten the texture in an image. To achieve this, the light should be un-diffused as a diffused light source will soften the shadows and may even eliminate the texture. Light from behind the subject highlights the shape of the subject; a prime example of this would be a silhouette.

Some general portrait photography tips -

1) A messy background will interfere with a good portrait. That is unless the background helps to tell the story of the portrait.  For example - a violinist may have a portrait taken with their violin in the background to tell the viewer more about the subject.  If the background doesn’t assist the story then blur it out as much as you can with a large aperture or if possible, get rid of any distracting elements completely.  There’s nothing flattering about seeing images of people with trees sprouting from their heads.  

2) Have the lighting set up and the camera ready to go before your subject arrives so that they won’t have to wait for you upon arrival.

3) In portrait photography the primary area of interest and focus is almost always the eyes.  As humans, that’s where we look first. Because of this it’s critical that the eyes are in focus.

​4) The direction of a subject’s eyes is also very important in a portrait. Having the subject return the gaze of the photographer can give the viewer a sense of connection with the subject.  An alternative is to have your subject looking at someone or something within the shot, which sets up a story in the image.  The most obvious one is a mother with her child looking at each other.  If you imagine that same photo with the mother looking directly at the camera and not her baby, the image immediately shifts to a completely different vibe.

​5) Portraits are most commonly taken at the same eye level as the subject. Playing around with the angle can give a different perspective to the portrait. For example, shooting down on your subject from above, or up at them from ground level can change the viewer’s perceptions of the inherent power of the subject.

​6) Firing a number of shots at a time can either give you a series of images that work together or it can help you achieve one image that is natural. This is useful when you’re photographing somebody engaged in an activity or when working with kids.

Lighting Setup

The following is a list of steps to recreate our portrait set up.  In this example we used 3 Canon 600EX RT flashes, 2 60x60 Mircopro soft boxes and a Honl light shaper (for the hair light).

Step One.

Flash 1 is set up with the soft box at a 45 degree angle to the subject.  The light in this photo is softer than a direct flash due to the soft box and off-centre position which creates a nice modelling effect upon our subject.  This light is referred to as the key light or main light as it is responsible for the primary lighting effect in the shot.  At this point the line between the lit part and the shadow is nice and gradual but the shadow area is quite dark. I set this flash at +1/3 exposure compensation to make the image a bit brighter.

Step Two.

To lighten this area we require a second light from the opposite side of the subject.  This light needs to be less powerful than the key light so it doesn't eliminate the modelling effect the shadow creates.  I set the power of this light to half of the power of the key light and use the same soft box on it.  This will lighten the shadows to even out the contrast while still keeping the shadow areas present but to a lesser degree.  I set this light at -2/3 exposure compensation.

Step Three.

Now we need to add a bit more light to the hair of our subject to create a bit of shape.  For this I put a Honhl flash bender onto the third flash.  I’ve put it into the shape of a snoot, which is simply a tube made to funnel light into a specific area of a photograph.  In this case I want the light to fall onto the hair of our subject to highlight it and give some definition and shape to the subject. To do this I simply aim the snoot towards the subject directly from the other side of the key light.  Also make sure you have a bit of height so you are shooting the light at more of a downward angle.  This has created a highlight effect that helps the image to pop and adds a bit more depth.  This light is set to +/-0 exposure compensation to make the highlights stand out when compared to the second flash.

So there you have it. A simple, quick technique for studio lighting to get you started.  Off-camera flash is a great way to begin learning about how different angles and quality of light can change the look of the subject.  Once you are confident in using flash then it is easier to know how the quality of existing light will look in your photos.  Using flash is also a really good way to train yourself to understand how different lighting can affect the photo you take and also trains you to identify lighting conditions and ways you can manipulate it to obtain a good result. 

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Studio Lighting Tips: Three-Point Lighting Setup

If the photography bug has bitten you hard and you want to start doing some serious shooting, you might want to think about kitting yourself out with some lighting gear. If you’ve never used your own external lighting setups before, it can be a learning curve but the rewards are rich. See below for some great tips on getting better photos with controlled lighting:

1   Okay, first things first. Great lighting can be let down by poor composition and posing, especially when it comes to portraits. Take the time to set the scene properly. Watch for shrugged shoulders, stiffness, slouching and striking features hidden by poor positioning. You can also make use of props and accessories, and be sure to pay attention the background of your photos – it is better to enhance than detract from your subject.

It can be a little overwhelming playing director and having to guide your subject so specifically, but the results can be stunning. Try and breath some natural life into what can be seen as quite a rigid situation – tell a joke to get natural expressions of happiness and laughter, or give a totally left-field direction and you might just strike a gold pose. 

Just remember to keep snapping and try different things.

     There are many lighting setups, and once you learn the ropes you will be an unstoppable lighting machine that will have many ideas on what works for you. Portraits tend to be shot with a three-point lighting setup, and that is what we will focus on.

The Three Points:

1.       Main (or Key) Light:

This is your main lighting source, and is the primary point of illumination of your subject.  You can use a speedlite [ADD LINK] for this or a studio lighting kit [ADD LINK], sometimes referred to as flashes or strobes.

If you are using a speedlite, get it off your camera! On-camera flash can cause flat lighting, whereas you can use it to much greater effect off the camera with a flash trigger.

By using an off-camera light source you can use shadows and highlights to enhance bone structure, skin tone, eyes and other features of your subject’s face that you may not normally achieve.

No matter how good you get, with lighting comes testing and repositioning until it looks right. This can take an indeterminate amount of time! Be patient.

2.       Fill Light

 

This light will help soften harsh shadows caused by the main light. This will improve overall results and give your shots a more professional edge, though it is optional and if you are starting out and only have one light you can try reflectors to soften hard edges.

In terms of positioning, if the main light is to one side of the camera, the fill light is typically placed on the opposite side.

3.       Background Light

As you might have guessed, this one lights the background.  It will light up whatever happens to be in the background, which is essential if you have gone the whole hog and put together a set with props and the whole shebang.

The light is placed typically behind the subject, and is pointed at the background. Again, this is an option depending on your exact shooting situation, but if you don’t have a background light you can get away with using a dark backdrop in its place.

And there you go! As with anything in photography, it will take practice and you will be sure to have a ball while improving your skills. You won’t believe the difference some controlled lighting can make, so do feel free to check out our extensive range online, or pop into one of our stores to ask our knowledgeable staff.

Linky linky:

Studio and Lighting at DCW

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