Bright Ideas for Lighting Portraits

My on camera flash guns are useful in my camera bag and go everywhere as standard. I use them with a light sphere and as long as subjects are not close to backgrounds this is a really flexible way to work with a small amount of coverage. The sphere absorbs some power, but I can compensate for the loss of range by changing f-stops, ISO, or moving nearer to the subject. I find mixing this with daylight, bouncing off a low white ceiling or nearby wall, avoiding coloured walls and therefore casts, can give a really natural and flattering look to the image.

If I am not using the sphere because I need the extra stop I sometimes use the catch light card to push some light forward onto the subject, whilst bouncing the rest. I also have a soft box which I put onto my on camera flash guns, this was made for my Metz but it adapts well to the flash guns, it does have the same issues in reducing the range but it helps the light to be softer on the subject.

I used mainly daylight with a little fill in flash bounced off white walls and the ceiling and a gold reflector for this image of Fay Ripley for Reveal magazine. I had photographed her before and knew the look the art director was after - flattering but natural.

We shot at her home and as always, time was an issue. The daylight was not too bad but would have been better if I could have moved the windows to a south facing position! I used the on camera flash so you could barely tell it exists in the image, I was shooting with a slow shutter speed 1/60 1/50 to blow out the back grounds with ambient light and achieve a light airy feel, I shot a few frames with some movement. I used a minimal depth of field f2.8 / 3.5 to get that lifestyle look.

Fay Ripley, on-camera flash.

So power packs, mono blocks, soft boxes, beauty dishes, on camera flash, reflectors are tools I regularly use to shoot but what is my favourite?

As a student we had already experimented with various types of lighting and made some hideous jobs of it. The tutor asked us to photograph some peppers. Edward Western's Peppers. I was inspired.

I spent days combing the little shops around Hope St looking for just the right crumpled specimen so that I could pay homage to Edward Western. I experimented with the light, watched the subtle changes, I was hooked. Natural light is awesome - always different, challenging and exciting.

But when you have been looking for a shot, planning, finding a location, arranging to meet your subject, making them (a stranger to you!) wear your Dad's Wellies, climb a gate and read poetry in a bog - when the light graces you with its presence you know it. The moment of capture is clear!

This shot of poet Jacob Polley, commissioned by the Lake District National Park, was that moment.

Morocco, natural light.

Biography

Sandi Friend BA Hons is a well established photographer - with a wealth of experience and expertise in her field of portraits. Sandi is also a key trainer with the Annabel Williams Contemporary Photographic Training – www.annabelwilliams.com

Sandi has worked with a broad range of clients including The Independent Review and Men’s Health Magazine, Angels and Urchins, Manchester United, The Lake District National Park, Huggies, Practical Parenting magazine, Bunny London and Young England to name a few.

Her unique vision, strong ideas, energy and project management skills will ensure successful delivery of the brief/ project. As member of the prestigious Association of Photographers she has been awarded a merit for her work and is now in demand on the photographic lecture circuit.

For most of her work the emphasis is on portraits, images of real people. Shooting things like ‘Relative Values’ for the Independent Magazine, behind the scenes portraits at Manchester United, Booker long list writer Sarah Hall, the Poet Jacob Polley and most recently actors such as Fay Ripley and Dominic West of ‘The Wire’ fame.

For more information please visit Sandi’s website at www.sandifriend.co.uk

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Entry tags

Sandi Friend, portrait, portraits, portraiture, light, lighting, studio, flash, daylight, photo, photos, photography

Your Comments

7 Comments so far | Newest Oldest first | Post a comment

#1 Digital scene photography

A nice article. I love using strobes as my portable lighting solutions. You can add yet another dimension to so many photographs, controlling where you want the viewers eye to be lead.

12:07 pm - Thursday, January 28, 2010

#2 Paul Parkinson

You need to ask yourself one question.

“Do you NEED new gear or do you just WANT new gear?”

Another way of looking at it is to ask yourself if a stranger offered you the cash value of the purchase or the item in question which would you choose? If you chose the cash you don’t need the thing

1:46 pm - Thursday, January 28, 2010

#3 villas bali

Thanks for the ideas.  Once you get a system that works for you, you’ll only need to modify it a little for each individual, so as you experiment, make sure you take good notes so that you can reproduce your lighting set up at a moment’s notice.

4:31 am - Friday, January 29, 2010

#4 Ramon

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1:06 am - Saturday, January 30, 2010

#5 Peter Bayliss LRPS

Just a thought, portraits are my passion but manage what i believe to be good pics using much simpler items of equipment.  Even just one main flash ( not on camera ) and simple card as a fill-in reflector can achieve much.
  Much more important is to build up a good relationship with the sitter. Good eye contact goes a long way to a portrait that appeals and wins !

4:45 pm - Tuesday, February 2, 2010

#6 Robert Green Photography

A very good point by Peter there.  I’ve started using just a single light source and a reflector (or wall as a reflector) to get some nice shots because I’ve not worried about the lighting setups.

1:08 pm - Wednesday, February 3, 2010

#7 Peter Bayliss LRPS

Last week we had a portrait session at my local camera club,  some very good pictures were made i guess ( havn`t seen any results yet )  but the few i took was later than others simply because most members were taking pictures with too many lights - well so i thought!
Better be careful though as i have not seen any other prints or even yet printed any of the few i took…...will have to see…......

11:56 pm - Wednesday, February 3, 2010