Easy methods to shoot a clear and easy colored fill portrait within the studio

Typically you simply need a clear and fast setup to begin a shoot off the proper approach. Certain, you might have a ton of artistic concepts in retailer for in a while within the day, however they might be new concepts you’ve by no means tried earlier than or they might be extra experimental. If that’s the case, I all the time discover it sensible to begin a shoot with a tried and true setup that’s not too tough to do, fast to arrange and supplies nice photographs every time.

That approach, the staff is aware of that no matter occurs from right here on out with the extra experimental work, we’ve already bagged some killer photos and all people is optimistic in regards to the setups to come back.

What constitutes a ‘easy’ setup?

For me, a easy setup is usually 2 or 3 lights which have quite a lot of flexibility in relation to gentle placement and mannequin motion inside these lights. Lots of my setups require a number of lights and people lights are sometimes positioned in a approach that’s fairly restrictive for mannequin posing. A easy setup makes use of lights that don’t must be positioned with laser-guided accuracy and it usually leaves flexibility for headshots, 3/4 size photographs and even lens modifications as properly if wanted.

House and Package

One other issue of a easy setup for me is the equipment and house wanted. A easy setup shouldn’t want quite a lot of room to set it up and ideally, it shouldn’t want any tremendous technical or area of interest equipment. You may very comfortably obtain the look I’m sharing right here right this moment in your front room and with easy equipment too, and by easy equipment, I imply fundamental necessities that each one portrait photographers ought to already personal.

Holding it easy, while sustaining your private type

I believe if you happen to’re on my web site, you already know by now that I desire so as to add some color to my photographs wherever I can. For the setup I’m sharing right this moment, I’m including color to the fill gentle. Clearly, you don’t want so as to add that colored gentle if it doesn’t match the look you’re going for and you possibly can even swop that fill gentle out to only a reflector if you happen to wished.

What you’ll want…

• 3 lights – You possibly can do that with 2 lights. Simply swap the fill gentle out for a reflector if you happen to weren’t going so as to add a colored fill.
• 22” Magnificence Dish – This could possibly be substituted for a softbox, nevertheless it received’t have the directionality of a magnificence dish, nor will it give the identical closing high quality of sunshine on the topic’s face.
• Massive Umbrella + Scrim – That is my new favorite combo and I actually have fallen in love with how clear this gentle is as a mushy fill-light. Alternate options embody a really giant softbox, however this won’t give the identical high quality of sunshine in a small house.
• Small/Medium Strip Softbox – The one motive I’m recommending a strip softbox right here is house restraints. In the event you’re taking pictures this setup at dwelling, chances are high you’re coping with low ceilings and this strip-box is a superb resolution to that drawback, as you’ll see in a while.
• Easy Backdrop – For lighting like this and in a small house like this, a hand-painted backdrop is such an excellent resolution. It supplies a way of depth to a shot when you’ve little room to step again and it supplies some much-needed separation from topic to background too. You may after all use any backdrop right here and you’ll even make one your self as defined right here: DIY Mottled Backdrop.

The setup

As all the time, let’s have a look at the setup itself after which I’ll clarify what’s occurring.

Digicam settings

• Digicam – Nikon D850
• Lens – AF DC Nikkor 105 F2
• Shutter Pace – 1/250th
• Aperture – f2.8
• ISO – 40
• Kelvin – 5900K
• Focal Size – 105mm

The Outcomes…

Breaking it Down

As I discussed, that is pretty easy to arrange, however you need to nonetheless bear a few key issues in thoughts earlier than leaping in.

The Key Mild

That is our magnificence dish and though I used mine with a grid, you’ll be able to nonetheless make this work with out one. The trick right here is to carry the wonder dish in good and near the mannequin, it will maintain the white gentle managed and can cut back the quantity of white gentle that can spill across the set and contaminate the colored fill. I did use a mini-boom setup with a C-stand to keep away from the sunshine stand showing within the shot, however once more this isn’t all the time crucial so long as the wonder dish is positioned straight in entrance of the mannequin as a lot as doable.

The Fill Mild

That is our large mushy gentle that’s positioned virtually behind us and is flooding the room in that mushy color. I’m utilizing a really giant 160cm diameter umbrella right here, however a barely smaller one may nonetheless work so long as it’s being subtle sufficient. My giant umbrella is being shone via a big scrim as properly and this produces extremely mushy gentle consequently. The rationale for that is that the sunshine is present process double-diffusion. The primary diffusion occurs as the sunshine bounces off the inside of the umbrella and the second degree of diffusion occurs as that gentle then passes via the scrim. This degree of softness may be very exhausting to recreate with softboxes, particularly in small areas like this. The core motive for that is the inherent scorching spots that each one softboxes produce because of the sunshine being positioned straight in direction of the topic. Once more, that is much more obvious the nearer the softbox is to the topic and that isn’t supreme for taking pictures in small areas.

The Colored Fill

As I discussed on the prime, the colored gel isn’t strictly necessary, extra strongly suggested. Sure, this setup works adequately with only a easy white gentle, however some factor of color shouldn’t be solely suggested however extremely inspired! If the important thing gentle is positioned appropriately, then the blue fill shouldn’t be noticeable on the topic’s face as a result of white gentle from the important thing merely overpowering it and burning it away. The place the important thing gentle creates shadows, the colored fill gentle will bathe them in that stunning steely blue color. In the event you’re fascinated with what colored gel I used, then its the ‘teal’ gel from my Definitive Color Pack.

The Separation Mild

This closing gentle is the strip-box behind the topic. I’m referring to it as a separation gentle right here, nevertheless it may simply as simply be known as a hair gentle. Its key job is so as to add a little bit dimension to the topic and we’re doing that by together with that stunning bead of spotlight throughout the highest of the mannequin. Look once more on the photos and see how that spotlight provides that straightforward, but clear separation with out dominating the shot with distracting highlights. This can be a nice instance of a separation gentle because it provides gentle to the topic simply because the shadow from the important thing begins to creep in on the sting of the physique, leading to a good looking layer of dimensional gentle that separates the topic from the darker background behind.

Word: I’m really hanging this strip field excessive of the background, however the light-stand is simply hidden by the background itself. This can be a intelligent trick to primarily have a prime gentle in your picture with out the necessity for a increase that may ordinarily be a ache to make use of in tight areas. Simply carry the backdrop ahead barely and place the strip-box gentle stand proper up in opposition to it and hold the top and strip-box excessive in order that it’s pointing on the mannequin beneath.

Package used…

Magnificence Dish

That is arguably my favorite modifier for portraits and I discover it exhausting to consider that after you attempt one your self that you simply received’t instantly agree. There are a few issues to remember when buying a magnificence dish although and the primary amongst them is the dimensions. I exploit a 22” (~160cm) and I actually can’t suggest something smaller than this for portraits and vogue. There are smaller magnificence dishes accessible, however I might urge you to keep away from these if you happen to’re utilizing them for portraits alone. The Bowens magnificence dish I exploit is unfortunately now not made, however this one right here is the closest various I may discover size-wise at 21.6”.

Secondly; many magnificence dishes are available in both white or silver interiors. The white inside produces a barely softer look in comparison with the silver which is a barely colder, extra contrasty look. I’d most likely suggest the silver for vogue and editorial and the white for extra conventional portraits of company or household headshots.

Massive Umbrella & Scrim

I respect this may occasionally appear to be overkill, however this second gentle does must be very mushy in order to not forged shadows on my background from the mannequin. The additional I transfer the topic from the background to scale back shadows, the higher the distinction in publicity between topic and background turns into and I actually wish to restrict that while solely utilizing two lights in a small house. This massive umbrella and scrim combo produces very mushy gentle with virtually no hotspot, even in tight areas.

Potential Alternate options

You possibly can get fairly near this mushy look with merely the big umbrella with a diffusion cowl, failing that (and I’m loathed to say this because it actually received’t look the identical), you possibly can use a big softbox. Simply be conscious that you’ll forged shadows from that and also you’ll have a hotspot, particularly when utilized in tight quarters and near the topic. I actually would urge you to contemplate shopping for a big umbrella over a big softbox to see the distinction for your self.

Strip-Bins

I hardly ever suggest softboxes (strip-boxes included), as a result of virtually unavoidable hotspot they produce. Strip-boxes do have their makes use of although and that features offering directional mushy gentle in small areas. I usually use a strip-box overhead in a horizontal orientation such as you see me doing right here when I’ve very low ceilings. Perhaps I can’t get the sunshine far sufficient again to unfold the sunshine or possibly I can’t get the sunshine excessive sufficient to unfold it. A strip field is the subsequent neatest thing and it’s price having a few small/mediums ones in your equipment for that motive.

Color Gels

One of many key options of this setup was the addition of color. The color provides one other dimension to this look and whether or not that’s with this teal blue or one other color, the additional layer of curiosity is a good way so as to add extra curiosity to your picture.

Gel Packs
I’ve been promoting my very own gel packs for a lot of, a few years now, so if you happen to nonetheless don’t have them, observe the hyperlink beneath to have a look. The teal gel I used on this setup is within the Definitive Gel Pack.

Hand Painted Backdrop

In the event you’re taking portraiture severely, you’ll possible already personal at the very least certainly one of these, however the hand-painted backdrops are an outstanding addition to your portrait setups. I’ll be trustworthy, I used to be sceptical myself till I attempted them they usually actually do allow you to supply really beautiful backgrounds when used along with a shallow depth of discipline lens. I’m utilizing a 2m x 3m blue one from Important Photograph right here and if you happen to’ve ever checked out costs for hand-painted backdrops earlier than, these ones from Important Photograph aren’t as dear as many others on the market.

Potential Alternate options

Past really making one your self, there actually isn’t an alternative choice to this…. however once more if you happen to’ve ever tried to make certainly one of these your self, you’ll understand it isn’t fairly as straightforward because it appears. If you wish to give it a go although, I did write an article on easy methods to make a fairly easy DIY mottled backdrop various right here.

One Tip to Attempt – Lens Flare

There may be one apparent space that I want to deal with and that’s the truth that the backlight (the strip-box), is clearly pointed straight again to the digicam. For probably the most half, that is effective, however I ought to warn you that lens flare could also be a difficulty except you’re cautious.

With that being stated, you might, like me, wish to ‘play with fireplace’ a little bit and try to coax extra flare out of that gentle and into your lens.

Most trendy lenses do an excellent job of eliminating practically all flare because of their superior lens coatings, however we are able to undo a few of that by inserting sure lens filters in entrance of our lens.

Within the shot you see right here, I’m utilizing a low distinction lens filter from LEE in entrance of my lens and you’ll clearly see that the highest of the picture has that beautiful gentle glow to it. This look wont be for everybody, however with a light-weight positioned so completely straight into the digicam like this, it’s price having a play with any lens filters you might have to see what you’ll be able to produce.

Closing Feedback

As I’ve said all through, this can be a pretty easy setup and one that may be simply recreated and arrange in virtually any sized house, together with dwelling studios. It doesn’t require any specialist equipment both, but when there are objects on this setup that you simply don’t have already got in your equipment, I’d encourage you to contemplate them as you’ll little question use them an terrible lot in a wide range of conditions in any variety of shoots for a few years to come back.

The one trick that could be new to you right here is the strip field hanging over the backdrop behind the mannequin. This can be a intelligent workaround that I exploit quite a bit, particularly when in tight areas, because it permits me to get a light-weight virtually overhead the topic without having a increase or extra rigging. In the event you haven’t tried this, then positively give it a go because it’s a really fast and straightforward approach so as to add some much-needed dimension to in any other case flat lighting from the entrance.

Give this setup a go and have enjoyable attempting a wide range of fill-light colors, in addition to enjoying with some in-camera flare when utilizing lens filters. Let me understand how you get on.

Featured Mannequin: Sophie Baines