Basic Glamour Portrait

Using the right tool for the job is always a good idea, no matter what the job may be. But when it comes to shooting portraits , choosing the right lighting gear is more than just a good idea; it's the difference between a good shot and a great shot. The even, natural wrapping light produced by the Photoflex® LiteDome®, and the power produced by the DualFlash, is an ideal choice for a main light in indoor portraiture. This lesson examines how best to use the Photoflex® Medium LiteDome DualFlash kit for creating classic glamour portraits.

(Click on any image below for an enlarged view.)

Topics Covered:

• Starting Out
• Background Light
• Adding Some Detail
• Color Balance
• Post Production

Lighting Equipment:

• Accessory: GripSwivel
• DualFlash Adapter Kit
• DualFlash Reflector Connector
• LiteDisc® accessory: LiteDisc® holder
• LiteDome® Grid: medium (24x32 inch)
• LiteDome®: medium (24x32 inch)
• LiteDome®: medium DualFlash kit
• LitePanel 39x72 inch kit
• QuikDisc: 12 inch white balancing tool
• StarFire™ ShoeMount Digital Flash
• StarFlash® 150watt MonoBloc head

As a rule, a busy studio needs to be organized and ready for set-building if it is to keep pace with its production schedule. The Photoflex® Medium LiteDome® DualFlash system is a great asset that can help any studio keep organized. Throw a LiteDome on a LiteStand or Boom for a one-stop easy lighting experience.

Starting out
For this lesson our goal was to illustrate how to use the Medium LiteDome® DualFlash system to create a fashion/glamor portrait.

Figure 1

The medium LiteDome DualFlash system is great for getting more power from your StarFire &trade: flash. Or you can dial down your power settings to obtain faster recycle times to catch better action. Adding the Photoflex® FlashFire&trade: wireless trigger/receiver gives your setup better versatility and control. Also, if you set your second flash to slave mode you only need one Wireless receiver to trigger both StarFire flashes. [figure 1]

The first step in our process was to set up the main light. We placed a Medium Litedome DualFlash Kit about 3 feet from the subject and angled it down to cast an edge lighting across our model. [figures 2 & 3]

Figure 2

Figure 3

Next, we wanted to develop the dramatic lighting. To do so we decided to add a second Medium LiteDome DualFlash Kit on the opposite side of the subject to create a double-edged light. This lighting style was developed and perfected by Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh during his extensive and famed photography career. This lighting look really made our subject stand out from the background and gave the image the dramatic effect we were going for. [figures 4 & 5]

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

After adding the second LiteDome, we noticed that we were getting some undesirable light spill onto the background. Wanting to better control the lighting on the set, we decided to add a Grid to the face of the Medium LiteDome. [figure 6]

As you can see, the Grids helped immensely to keep unwanted light from hitting the background. [figures 7 & 8]

Figure 7

Figure 8

Background Light
Now that we had our primary lights controlled, it was time to add a background light to better separate the subject and create a setting suitable for our glamor style image . To achieve such an effect we used a StarFlash®: 150watt with a seven inch reflector at the bottom left of the background. We pointed the light up and across the background to make a gradation from light to dark. [figures 9 & 10]

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Because of the placement of our background light there was a possibility that our slave feature may not catch enough light to fire every time. To fix this potential problem and maintain versatility in our set we decided to add a Photoflex® FlashFire Wireless receiver to the StarFlash®. [figure 11]

Adding Some Detail
After reviewing where we were, we decided to add some fill to open up the shadows in the model's face and clothing. To do this, we set up a 39x72 inch LitePanel Kit and attached some silver fabric. We placed the LitPanel Kit to the right of the camera, about three feet away from the model. [figures 12 & 13]

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

After placing the LitePanel Kit into the set, we could see much more detail in the shadow areas, which created a better lighting contrast ratio for our glamour portrait. [figure 14]

Below, you can see a side-by-side comparison of the result shots up to this point. [figure 15]

Figure 16

Color Balance As with any studio shot, its important to make sure your color balance is optimal. The best and easiest way to do this is to place a QuikDisc® into the set, record a shot, and then use that image later in post-production to calibrate the color of the images. [figures 16]

Getting our Final
With our lighting setup complete and in good working order, we were now ready to experiment and have some fun. We chose to use a fan to create some fun images with the model's hair in different positions. [figures 17 & 18]

Figure 17

Figure 18

After a few tries, we finally found an image we were happy with. Having a little patience, it wasn't hard to find a great balance between facial expression and movement in the hair.

Post Production
To finalize our image we took it into post-production and made a few minor changes. Using the White Balance tool in Camera Raw we neutralized the background and toned down the highlight area with the Gradient tool.

We also decided to clone out some of the wispy hair behind the model's left shoulder. And as a last touch we brought up the shadow detail just a bit more on the model's face and neck. [figure 18]

As you can see, when you have the proper tools for the job, there are many different options open to you. The Medium LiteDome® DualFlash Kit is a great tool, and with a little bit of know-how you can come away with some great shots. Once you have a lighting setup you are comfortable with, you can begin to modify it which allows you to focus on creativity while on the set and not on the shortcomings of the equipment.

Recommended Reading

• Understanding Flash Photography: How to Shoot Great Photographs Using Electronic Flash
• Speedliter's Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites
• On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography
• Off-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Photographers
• Sketching Light: An Illustrated Tour of the Possibilities of Flash
• Kevin Kubotas Lighting Notebook: 101 Lighting Styles and Setups for Digital Photographers
• 500 Poses for Photographing Women
• 500 Poses for Photographing Men
• Posing for Portrait Photography: A Head-to-Toe Guide for Digital Photographers

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To learn more about Photoflex® equipment, go to [url=http:// www.photoflex.com] www.photoflex.com[/url] or [url=http:// www.photoflexlightingschool.com]www.photoflexlightingschool.com[/url]

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