Photo: Pye Jirsa, medium.com [ad_1]
Photo: Pye Jirsa, medium.comCan’t make a normal portrait with one flash? No matter how! We have translated for you an article by American photographer Pye Jirsa, in which he shows five spectacular lighting schemes with just one light source and a couple of accessories.
In this article I will talk about five studio schemes with one light. For these I use the Profoto A10, but you can use any flash. Also, we will only be using basic modifiers, mainly the umbrella. For all setups, I will give you different equipment options, regardless of what I use myself.
You can find the model, Sammy, on Instagram (@boom_shenanigans).
Scheme #1: Rembrandt Light
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comOne of my favorite schemes is Rembrandt lighting. For this scheme, you need to place the flash at an angle so that the light falls mostly on the near side of the face, and only slightly reaches the far side of the model’s face. Usually with this scheme, the light forms a triangle on the face (see image above).
Here is a simple trick for this circuit. Have your model look directly into the camera, and then place the light source where you can only see a small part of the far side of the model’s face (see image below).
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comNow just add a modifier to the illuminator. I use a standard translucent umbrella. I have a Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 lens screwed onto my camera. I use settings (1/200, f/4, ISO 100) that would make the picture completely dark without flash. I also remove all ambient light so that the only light you see in the photo is the light from the flash.
Let me remind you that Rembrandtian light is characterized by a small triangle on the far side of the subject’s face. You can control the size and location of this triangle simply by adjusting the position of the face. If you want more light, turn your face a little closer to the source; if you want a little less glare, turn it off.
V‑flat provides a large white surface for reflecting light onto the model. Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comAlso if you want to fill in the shadows you can use v‑flat to bounce the light back onto the model. This is a great studio accessory, but if you don’t have one, you can use a 5‑in‑1 reflector with the white side facing the light source. Of course, you will also need a reflector holder.
Scheme No. 2: Paramount, or Butterfly
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comThe following scheme is named after the Paramount studio and sometimes “Butterfly” because it creates a small butterfly-shaped shadow just below the nose.
To use this setup, place the flash directly above the model’s head, pointing it at a downward angle. I am using the same umbrella from the previous setup. This is a very simple scheme that does a great job of highlighting the hair, as well as the outline of the cheeks and face. You may need to experiment with the height of the light source to make sure you are getting fill light in the eyes. If there is not enough light in the eyes, just dim the lighting a little.
Scheme number 3: Shell
Take a reflector and add it to the previous diagram and you will get a “Shell”. Have the model hold the reflector at waist level or place it on her lap if seated.
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comWe started on the silver side of the reflector — you can see that the light bounces off of it and fills in all the shadows and also adds a lot of highlights.
You can control the effect in two ways:
1. Move the reflector closer to the subject’s face. The closer the reflector, the more light fills the face (move further away to make less light).
2. We can control the light in this circuit by simply using the white side of the reflector.
When the lightning got stuck in the 5‑in‑1 reflector and we couldn’t use the white surface, we just took foam. Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comIf you don’t have a reflector, just take a sheet of paper, a piece of Styrofoam, or something else white. Bring the reflector closer to the model, choose a pose and take a picture.
Scheme No. 4: Square
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comIn this scheme, we fill the space with light from all sides. In addition to the umbrella and reflector, I use v‑flats on both sides of the model. If you don’t have a v‑flat, take two reflectors and hang one on each side, with the main light at the top and the third light at the bottom.
A professional analogue of such lighting will cost thousands of dollars. And this is a very simple and effective way to do the same without any equipment. The great thing about this scheme is that it perfectly fills in shadows all over the face. This setup is great for close-up shots of the face.
Scheme number 5: Flat backlight
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comFor this circuit, you need to take a reflector and (fasten!) Make a square hole in it right in the middle.
Set your flash above the background in the middle. Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comI placed the flash directly above the background (see photo above) and angled it downwards, essentially creating a two-light setup, actually using only one. The light from the flash, “sliding” over the top of the model’s head, bounces off the reflector back onto the face. The resulting lighting resembles the previous scheme, but the light on the hair here falls from behind the back of the model.
Photo: Pye Jirsa, petapixel.comYou can keep all the equipment in your hands, but if you plan to use this circuit often, I would recommend purchasing a reflector holder. They are quite cheap and can save your equipment from falling.
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