Download - Portrait Lighting
Portrait Lighting
Learning how to
control light and the subtle
changes that lighting can have on your
subjects.
Environmental Portraits
Announcement about
Self-Portrait Contest
• Feb 8th optional contest
Studio Portrait - Poster
Slight changes in poses can make all the difference
Studio vs. Environmental
Economy Studio• Shopping List
– Hardware Store• Clip on light: $7 • 100w Bulb, $2-3
– Wal-Mart • Twin to King Size Sheet,
Black and/or White – $4-12
Background Replacement
Rules for Portraits
• There is really a few ABSOLUTE rules–Do not put the camera down on a
table and walk away. Either…• Bless me with the camera• UNTETHER it and place it in the
drawer–Do NOT sit and spin
Types of LightingShort
BroadButterfly
Rembrandt
Other types of studio lighting
The position of the light affects the shape and outline of the face.
Standard frontal lights without background and hair light.
Sample lighting:
We have 2 main umbrella studio lights for Fill and Key light along with a hair light and a background light.
Below is a Portable Studio
Hair Light
Alternative lighting
• High Key– Background is
overexposed– Some skin
tones my be slightly overexposed
One Light
• High hair light
Portrait Fun
Shooting pictures in a studio setting can be a lot of fun because
you have total control over the light…or lack thereof.
Be creative, loosen up, explore, bring props.
But not too much fun
Instructions & Tips• Shoot on both white and Black
backgrounds…starting with whatever is down first. (don’t switch back and forth)
• Shoot on Manual Focus to take pictures quicker, but don’t forget to manually focus.
• Shoot mostly vertical, with right hand on top of the camera (top of the camera to the right).
Exposure Settings
• Exposure Mode Dial: M• Shutter Speed: 1/125• Aperture: 9.5
• To change the shutter speed, rotate the command dial (right upper corner on the back)
• To change the aperture, hold down the AV button (behind shutter release) while rotating the command dial (right upper corner on the back)
AGAIN: Shoot verticals with HAND on top of camera…not under
• Verticals must be hand rotated…but I can do them in a batch as long as they are going the same direction. The above strip of images would require two passes.