Compact Edge – Two-Light Chair Portrait With A High Square Softbox And A Gridded Strip

A two-light chair portrait sounds straightforward, and in some ways it is – but this particular setup, a high 1m square softbox on an Elinchrom FIVE as the key, paired with a gridded 30cm x 100cm stripbox as a rim, is one of those setups where small moves can make a big difference. The high key position is deliberate: it keeps the face properly lit given the head angle, and lets the light roll down across the body without the shadows turning into a mess. The rim sits camera-right and slightly behind the subject, running at roughly a stop under the key, just enough separation from the black paper background without tipping into that “fluorescent snake on the shoulder” look. Get the balance right and you end up somewhere genuinely useful – edgy enough to feel current, clean enough for commercial and branding work, and repeatable enough to teach.

At A Glance

• Pattern: Short-lit feel with a high key from camera-left, plus a very gentle rim from camera-right.
• Mood: Edgy but still commercial, clean, confident, and a bit moody.
• Lights Used: Two Elinchrom FIVE heads.
• Difficulty: It’s simple, but it’s fiddly. Little moves matter.
• Space Needed: Small studio friendly, but you do want a bit of room behind the subject for the strip to sit slightly back.
• Ideal For: Fashion-leaning commercial portraits, branding, and any time you want “cool” without going full high-fashion.

The Finished Portrait

This portrait feels compact and intentional, like the subject has chosen the pose rather than been posed. The lighting is soft, but it still has shape, and that little rim gives just enough separation to stop the hair and shoulder melting into the black. The high key suits this pose because the head angle could very easily end up looking underlit if the light is too low. My job here was basically not to mess it up.

Before And After

 

Most of the “look” is created with lighting and fall-off, then I’ve added a subtle texture to the black paper to take the digital edge off it, and I’ve strengthened the vignette with a simple exposure adjustment and a mask so it stays brighter where I want your eye to sit.

Lighting Setup – Overview

The key light is a 1m square softbox on an Elinchrom FIVE, placed camera-left and deliberately higher than I’d normally go. That height is doing two jobs, it keeps the face from being underlit because of the head angle, and it lets the light roll down across the body without turning the shadows into a mess. The second light is another Elinchrom FIVE in a gridded 30cm x 100cm stripbox, placed camera-right and slightly behind the subject as a controlled rim. The power ratio is roughly 2:1 key to rim, so the rim is a hint, not a headline. White studio walls will kick in a bit of free fill whether you…