The Many Ways to Use One Light

Today I had a shoot with a client who was shooting for the first time in his life.  I wanted to give him variety in his images but I also had a time limit to shoot so I did not have the luxury to change my set and lighting around.  With very little effort I used one light modifier to create several distinctively different looks.

In the beginning of my career I learned to use one light multiple ways and in situations like today that training came in handy.  All the images here were made with the same light.  I used a Profoto pack with one head with a beauty dish.  For some images I added the grid to the dish and other I simple adjusted the distance of the light and the angle of light.  Knowing how to manipulate light quickly will impress your clients and help you become a more creative photographer.

All images were shot on a white background but the background is not lit.  Instead I selected to let the light fall off naturally.  The images of the subject on a dark background is shot with the beauty dish very close to my subject with a grid.  The light is concentrated on my subject and the background goes dark for this moody effect.

The images of the subject with the black tie is made by having the same beauty dish directly in front of him and a small fill card underneath to fill under his chin.  This is normally a great beauty light using it in this fashion and great for women, but good on men too at times.

The image of my subject in the white shirt without the tie required me to move my light closer by twelve inches and moved it off to the right slightly which gives the shadowing effect on the left side of the subject.  I think this is a great lighting effect for me.  

The image of my subject without a shirt is again made by adding the grid and taking the light back and raising it by two feet.  Having the light higher helps give more muscle definition by letting the shadows create shape.  Notice also how the light affects the background as well.

Lastly, the shot of my subject in a blue shirt was made very much in the same manner as the shirtless image except the grid is taken out.  For each look I had to use my light meter to check my exposure and adjust my exposure accordingly.

For more information on lighting check out all the video tutorials available in the Gallery Store.

Camera Info:

Sony A900

50mm 1.4 Sony lens

85mm 1.4 Carl Zeiss Planar lens

Always Dream Big

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