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A likeness painted with light
One of the most important skills that we as photographers must learn is the ‘Seeing and Controlling of Light’. From the tuition days I run at my studio and talks I given at conventions I am finding that more and more “photographers” (People who Paint with Light) just do not know, or understand, what to do when setting up portrait lighting.
One of the most basic of skills in
photography is reading light and controlling light. Now we have gone digital it would seem to me that many photographers feel it unnecessary to learn these basic skills, resulting in the use of the Auto settings. Whenever a photographer phones me about difficulty with consistency of colour and exposure they are advised to go back to basics, that is use RAW file and manual setting, this normally removes 95% of problems.
My intention over the next few articles is to share with you my Lighting Techniques for a Professional Portrait Studio. I have always believed that to learn anything, you start with the basics.
The most common question I am asked on portrait lighting is, “How do I create High Key Lighting?” This style of portrait is now fashionable, and photographers have been creating it since the advent of photography itself.
My studio is a part of my home therefore space is at a premium, the camera room is 6m x 4m (20’x12’) and reception 3m x 4m (10’x12’) it is designed for family and children’s portraits, with the use of a wraparound background and now digital back grounds, I can set up groups up to 20 people.
The Studio
"A Room for an Artist to Create his or her work"
Does size matter? 'Yes' – Too small and you will distort your sitter, too large and your sitter may feel intimidated or lost in the room.
Basic Dimensions
For an adult portrait and a camera to subject distance no closer than five feet (1.5 metres). From sitter to background five to six feet (1.5 – 2 metres).
The length of the room should be 6 ft + 5 ft + room to move back. To cover the largest group, using a standard lens on camera (using wide lens will distort people on the outer edges), move back to cover group, with space each side. You will quickly learn you maximum group size.
The height is determined by the groups you will take. Larger groups require some of the clients to be standing. A minimum of nine feet (2.75m). To allow for subject plus space for hair lighting. High Glide
tracking will need a higher ceiling 10–12 ft. (3–4m).
Wall covering is white with the facility to draw in black curtains.
Floor is laminate, easy to clean. Camera stands and lighting are easy to move.
White Ceiling.
Backgrounds. Blue mottled painted also black, grey and white vinyl
Lighting.
Unless you are using a daylight studio you will need lighting. For most small to medium studios the ‘Mono Light’ is the first choice. I personally use Bowens Esprit 500s. Whatever you choose it is best to keep them all matching. To start you will need two or three lights and as your studio grows, you will need between six and seven lights. Light modifiers such as brollies, soft boxes, etc will add diversity to your lighting. As I am starting with basics, my suggestion is to have a pair of translucent brollies. These can be used for most basic portrait lighting.
Lighting Layouts
See the opening spread also:
1. Fill light: This is a diffused light that gives an even light across the subject. Its main purpose is to illuminate the shadows.
2. Main Light: This is your ‘paint brush’, it shapes the light and creates the three-dimensional effect in your portrait. It lights the eyes and paints shadows. It is mounted for ease of use and highly maneuverable. Main light power is normally 1 to 1 1/2 stops brighter than the fill light.
3. Hair Light: To illuminate the hair, to give separation from the background (high key work often does not use this light). The hair light is set at the same power as the fill light.
4. Background Light: Light for the background, to create separation from the background and to balance the lighting coming from the fill light. Coloured gels or snoots can add special effects. Careful attention has to be paid to the spill of the light from the fill and main lights. High key backgrounds require at least two or maybe four lights to create an even, white background.
5. Kicker lights in some portraits: These are lights which come from behind the sitter(s) and highlight props, etc, to great effect. Keep it simple use as few lights as possible, but as many as needed to do the job correctly.
Backgrounds
Today the style is towards simple backgrounds. For high key work you will need a white background that covers from background to foreground. It should be of a material that has a matt surface and is easy to clean. Some studios use paper, but this is quickly damaged. For years I used the reverse side of a piece of vinyl flooring, painted white. I now use a white background purchased at Focus from a company called Viewfinder. This is much lighter than the vinyl, and does not need painting.
Grey and medium coloured backgrounds are good for coloured gels or creating lighting effects.
Using black backgrounds for low key work, where the background disappears to give a solid black background, is particularly effective in monochrome work.
It is best to have backgrounds permanently attached to the ceiling or wall. Motorised backgrounds are a luxury. As with all equipment, fixtures and fittings you should always consider Health and Safety Regulations.
Props
Nowadays most studios use fewer props. The current style of portraiture is for families and children to be seated on the floor. Small chairs and beanbags are used for babies and small children. A set of stacking boxes or tubs enable you to add variety to your poses.
I do feel that shortly we will see a return to using contemporary props and backgrounds. These things are fashions so they come and go.
Lighting – Setting up the lighting
The first light to be set up is your fill light. In my studio this is bolted to the ceiling with the light facing the back wall, centred over the camera, and it is set to give a reading of f5.6 at the subject position (these are the setting in my studio).
The main light is a brolly or light box, set to give f8 or f81/2 at the subject location (a piece of string is used to distance the light from the subject). As the subject is moved I use the string measure to maintain a constant distance (and hence the same exposure).
The hair light is positioned behind the subject and on the same side as the main light (for larger groups the hair light can come from above and centred to the group).
Care must be taken not to spill the hair light onto the nose or on any part of the face. The hair light is set to the same output as the fill light.
The background light is sited on the floor, pointing upwards, giving a graduation of light. Set your light output the same as the fill light. For location see the diagram.
Reading the Light
You will need a light meter that will read flash power values. Using the light meter with the Invacone attached, take all reading as incident light readings, do not use reflected light readings. The f-stop values in the diagrams are those measured from the sitter's position.
Set up the lighting as above.
Step 1. Switch on the fill light take a reading (in my studio I set this to
f5.6).
Step 2 Switch the fill light off; switch the main light on, take a reading
(my studio f8).
Step 3 Do the same for all other lights and set them to the same value as
the fill light (f5.6).
Step 4 Switch all the lights on, take reading of total exposure (My studio
will read f8 ½ ) set the camera to this value (f8 ½).
Painting with Light.
The way we use the main light will have a dramatic effect on our sitter. Bringing the light in from the camera position – a flat light is created with no three-dimensional effect.
1. First we set up the fill light. This lights up the shadow area. Flat even light, no modeling.
2. Main light – this shows the effect of main light only. The result is deep shadows with modeling.
3. Main light and fill light – modeling with shadow detail.
4. Hair light only – shows the effect of the light.
5. Main, fill and hair light all together giving modeling, shadow detail and separation from background.
6. Main, fill, hair light and background as above with the addition of colour and more separation to background.
I do hope that this short introduction has helped you to gain the basics in studio lighting. For those of you who would like more details of the Training Days I run, please phone me or email for an update of forth
coming events. A maximum of 10 delegates per session. I also run one-to-one sessions at my studio for you to see how a working studio operates or I can quote for me to attend your studio.
Mike Williams Portrait Studio
01745 560633
mikewmsstudio@btinternet.com
Lighting Patterns
Here I have examples of close light patterns on the face. Whether you are taking classic portraits or modern contemporary work, these patterns should be seen at work.
A. Butterfly lighting – classic beauty light. It gets its name from the butterfly shape of the shadows under the nose.
B. The same as above with the addition of a reflector.
C. Short lighting – Created by bringing the light over the face to create shadows on the side of
the face closest to the camera. This makes the face look thinner.
D. Broad lighting – The opposite of short lighting, it has the effect of broadening the face
E. Split Lighting – Like short lighting, without any light on the side closest to the camera (has the effect of dulling the eyes).
F. Profile lighting – This effect is created by lighting the face with short lighting and moving the sitter 90 degrees.
Photo Quote: I tried to keep both arts alive, but the camera won. I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a photograph can! - Ansel Adams
