Create strong, masculine and characterful portraits by controlling your light and shadow areas. I see WAY too many studio portraits with flat lighting. In this video I explain why I hate images where light is thrown from every direction on to the subject and background. Don’t be scared of shadows. They bring shape, depth and character to portraits. In fact, when you bring shadows into play, you can effectively capture subjects in white clothes on white backgrounds, JOIN NOW to …
Video: Capture elegant portraits with soft but simple studio lighting
Bring elegance to your portraits with a soft and simple one-light set-up. A beautiful subject can be undone by ugly lighting. Instead, think about whether the characteristics of your light flatter your subject and complement the qualities you are trying to convey about him or her in your final image. In this video, you’ll see me working to capture a gentle, softly lit portrait of a professionally-trained ballet dancer (after we were worn out capturing more dynamic dance-themed portraits!), JOIN …
Using Your Subject’s Natural Stance
People need direction in front of the camera – otherwise they often become self-conscious and suddenly forget how they would sit or stand in a relaxed manner normally. So how do I pose them without making them look all… posed? Glen got in contact with us because he wanted some portraits to give to his nan. He has quite a dark skin tone, and arrived in this dark suit, which made me very happy because I love portraits that combine …
One-Light Studio Portrait
Often, the simplest things are the best. Here’s how you can replicate my go-to studio set-up to get flattering lighting and shaping shadow in your portraits. One light, one reflector and a low camera angle: this is my go-to studio set-up. Here’s why I love it and how you can replicate it for your portraiture. I’ve got my main light source – a big soft box – to the left (as we’re looking at it) of Symone. I’ve asked her …