My Favorite Portrait Lighting Setup
To start off my year with making something new I decided to take a new self-portrait and take you along to see the whole process by showing how I take a portrait with my favorite lighting set-up from start to finish!
This is what we’re looking for; an image that is perfect for a profile picture on any social media site or even as a professional head-shot. It is a dramatic image, so doesn’t necessarily suit all applications, but the lighting setup is extremely simple, only requires two lights, and easily repeatable. The lighting for this image really brings the subject forward from the background with a very 3D look. This is due to the pool of light on the background surrounding the face which is lit mostly towards the front, with the edges falling off into shadow. The difference in luminance between the edges of the subject and the background are what causes the image to pop. But how do we make an image pop off the background like this?
Step 1:
To start we center a background light behind the subject perpendicular to the background. A standard 7 inch reflector is used on the strobe to direct the light towards the backdrop. If the circle cast onto the paper is too large grids can be used to further reduce the angle of projection.
Step 1:
A circular softbox is hung above the subject as our key light. This light is angled ever so slightly away from the backdrop to prevent light from spilling on to the background. This light is the only light affecting our subject, so this is where we set the image’s exposure.
Step 1:
At this point the image is far too dark, moody, and contrasty for the majority of applications. To fill in the shadows on the underside of the face we use a piece of white foam-board. Angled upwards towards the face and just out of frame this material will bounce light into the face completing the look.
Here you can see the final setup. Give it a shot and let me know how this simple lighting workflow works for you on your next portrait shoot!
