Full Length Studio Portrait
- StarFlash 150
- Photoflex Convertible Umbrellas
- LitePanel with Black/White Fabric
- Photoflex Adjustable White Umbrella
- LitePanel fabric: 39x72 inch White/Black
- LitePanel frame: 39x72 inch Aluminum
- StarFlash® 150watt Dual Umbrella Kit
Topics Covered:
Equipment Used:
Lighting Equipment
Before Beginning Even adding just one trigger and one receiver you can set your secondary lights to slave so that they fire through the infrared sensor. Either way you choose to use the FlashFire, you cannot ignore its ability to provide your "tool bag" with a great amount flexibility. [figures 1 & 2] |
The Set |
Once our model was on the set, we adjusted the camera settings in the camera to sync up with the power settings of the lights and took our first shot. [figure 5] |
Figure 5 |
Silver-Lined vs. White Shoot-Through |
Figure 8 |
In the result, do you see how the change in umbrellas has made a difference? Notice how the light on the model's face is not so specular and that the shadows cast on the background are somewhat softer. |
Figure 9 |
Now let's take a closer look at the positioning of the lights. |
Figure 12 |
As you can see from the result, a one-light set-up is effective if you want to create a dramatic portrait with a high contrast ratio (a large difference between highlights and shadows), but is not typically ideal for clean portraits, which is what we set out to accomplish here. |
Two Lights |
Adding this second light made a considerable difference compared to our first image. The first image has a dark, moody feeling that we didn’t want for this casual portrait. Our two-light image here has a brighter, crisper feeling to it because we eliminated the dark shadows and brightened up the background. [figure 15] |
Figure 15 |
Below is a comparison of our first two images. On the left is the one light set-up and the right is the two-light set-up. Notice the change in the shadows on the right side of our model and the brightness of the background. [figure 16] |
Figure 16 |
Moving Forward |
With our model now seated on the ground we decided to switch our main light from camera right to camera left. We did not need to move any lights. Instead, we just increased the power our StarFlash® 150 on the left. Note that it is not as dramatic as the first set-up since we have our light positioned more to the front of the model. This helped us to achieve a shorter loop pattern (same light pattern as first light setup, but with a shorter shadow). [figures 17 & 18] |
With our second light added in from around 45 degree camera right and about two inches lower than our main light we get a more pleasing casual portrait with more even lighting and a brighter background. [figures 20 and 21] |
To finalize our setup we have in a StarFlash® 150 on the background with an Adjustable White Umbrella. We also setup a 39"x72" LitePanel with a black/white fabric on it in between our model and the umbrella. |
Here's a comparison from our one light setup to the three light setup. Notice the difference in the brightness on the model’s left cheek, the smoothness and brightness of the background, and the detail in the black clothing. This simple set-up helped us create a pleasing full-length casual portrait in a minimal amount of time. [figures 26 & 27] |
Keep in mind that this is just one way to create a full-length portrait that is quick and easy. Remember to experiment with your own configurations. |