Portrait Photography Lighting Tips - How To Shoot Like The Pros
Though it may seem simple from an outside perspective, portrait lighting is one of the trickiest photography skills to nail down and takes years to master. On the plus side, because of the posed and scheduled nature of portrait photography, it is also one of the easiest ones to practice. If youre considering starting a studio in your garage or living room, here are a few handy tips to keep in mind before you call your subject in for the shoot.
Brighter Isn't Better
Harsh, bright lights will definitely give you lots of illumination and make photographing your subject super simple. However, these lights are rarely flattering and should be avoided if you want natural results. Portrait lighting is best achieved with soft light. You can find this light in the shade, on overcast days, or by using umbrella reflectors in the studio (these are available at a relatively low price). Using soft, even light will be easier to work with and will help to highlight your subject nicely.
Lighting Setup
Two lights should be enough for portrait lighting. You should use one main light to determine the tone and direction of your light, then place a second light near the camera to help offset it. This will help to soften any harsh shadows and even out the strong contrast. Another great way to achieve this effect is by placing one light above the camera and one fill reflector below the camera. Both of these solutions will give you great results with very little equipment.
Use What You Already Have
If you don't have money to spend on a professional light setup, you can often get near-professional results by using a few desk or floor lights. If you want even more control, try using bed sheets to reflect the light around the room. Look around your house for possible lighting equipment and you may find some unique opportunities to use for your portraits.
Dont Forget the Sun
Often times, we think of portrait photography as studio photography, but that doesn't mean you have to be in a studio for professional results. You can get incredible results using natural light if you know how to properly use it. For example, if you have a large window in your house, you can use it as a source of natural light. If youre shooting outside, one of those big sheets of construction Styrofoam can work as a great reflector- just point it at your subject and it will help minimize harsh shadows.
Just like any other type of photography, portrait photography requires lots of practice, patience and a whole lot of love. Luckily, it doesn't require a lot of professional equipment or a lot of money. Be creative with your materials and subjects and you'll be surprised at how great the results can look displayed in a wood picture frame. Portrait lighting is all about subtlety but that doesn't mean that it's not a lot of fun!
Photography Lighting & Equipment Tips : Tips for Professional Photographs
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Bieffelux A2 Light Box 650mm x 500mm x 93mm £906.00 The Bieffe Light Box range is designed for professional use with a steel ventilated box painted in white epoxy. The light box is ideal for tracing, examining work or transparencies. 4mm glass working surface which allows cutting. There is an on/off switch. Fitted with 2 x 20watt flourescent strip lights. Can be fitted to our BF14 professional drawing stand.... |
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600W Pro Studio Continuous Daylight Lamp 4 x Bulb Light for Photographic or Video Lighting Pro Studio Continuous Daylight Lamp with four bulbs. Highly efficient and energy saving, this lamp with its four spiral 26W daylight bulbs gives out a pure daylight illumination equivalent to 600W. The lamp unit is fitted with a 15" mirror face reflector to maximise the reflection of light onto the subject being lit. A removable front diffuser is included to diffuse a soft bright light.... |
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LED Lenser 8407 P7 Torch in Gift Box (Black) £33.99 LED Lenser P7 Black Torch - Gift Box LED8407 The P7 Tactical should be standard equipment on every duty belt. With 200 lumens of focusable light and 130 hours of battery life from standard AAA batteries, it will far outshine any other light of its size.- Advanced Focus System - Spot to Flood Beam- Lightweight Aircraft Aluminium Casing- One Handed Speed Focus- Quick - Cycle Switch System - Touch fo... |
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Adobe Lightroom 4.0 (Mac/PC) £99.99 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v 4 complete package 1 user DVD Win Mac English European Union 65164947 Software Design Media Software... |
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Adobe Lightroom 4.0, Upgrade Edition (Mac/PC) £59.09 What is Lightroom? Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 4 software provides a comprehensive set of digital photography tools, from powerfully simple one-click adjustments to cutting-edge advanced controls. Create images that inspire, inform, and delight. Highlight and shadow recovery Bring out all the detail that your camera captures in dark shadows and bright highlights. Now you have more power than e... |
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90cm Soft Light Photography Flash Umbrella brolly Professional Photographic Translucent Studio White Soft light diffuser - 12 Month Warranty >>> THT Trade - SKU: 3735 £5.98 This Quality umbrella is suitable for all studion flash is easy to use and assemble. It's designed for portraits and product shooting of larger objects, and gives your camera best performance as well. Get softer light from a strobe, that is to say make your source of light larger via this diffuser umbrella, or bouncing the light off a wall. Quality Product!!!... |
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2000mm Height 200cm (H)Light Stand Lighting Stand Professional Studio Set Photography Studio Set Heavy Duty Video Professional Photographic Studio Lighting Light Stand - 12 Month Warranty >>> THT Trade - SKU: 3713 £8.50 Quality product - scalable/push-type connecton/easy to operate... |
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55W x 2 Colour Temperature 5400k Professional Photography Box Studio Light Soft Light Tent Kit - 12 Month Warranty >>> THT Trade - SKU: 3710 £89.99 This is an ideal set of kit for all level of photographers and it is designed for mobile usage. Easy to set up and ensure you to take it anywhere you want and make it your temp studio with a professional approch and finish. photography box soft light tent kit |
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The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book:: The Complete Guide for Photographers £24.89 ... |
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Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter) £21.39 ... |
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