Creating Pure Comfortable Studio Mild with One Strobe

We’ll present you the way to grasp the artwork of making delicate and pure mild portraits utilizing off-camera flash. Whether or not you’re knowledgeable photographer or simply beginning out, this tutorial will give you precious ideas and methods to reinforce your portrait images abilities.

Table of Contents

Tools Used:

Digital camera: Canon EOS R5
Lens: Canon RF 50mm F1.2 Lens
Mild: Westcott fj400 Strobe,
Modifier: Westcott Rapid Box Switch Octa-L

Crew:

Photographer: Sal Cincotta
Mannequin: Violet Deardorff

What’s up, everybody? My identify is Sal Cincotta, and right now we’re in my studio and we’re going to create pure delicate mild, besides we’re not utilizing window mild. We’re going to be utilizing one studio strobe.

What’s the setup? What are we doing? I’ve acquired a Westcott FJ400 as our foremost mild. I’m utilizing a Westcott Octa large switch. Their change system simply means that you can use your mild modifiers on completely different mild sources. It interchanges the adapter so you should use it. You by no means lose your funding. So far as I’m involved, Westcott is among the greatest mild modifiers available on the market. Inside right here, you’ll discover I’ve acquired some interior baffling, acquired diffusion materials out right here. So it’s simply going to soften that mild increasingly more as a result of I need delicate mild. Now if we’re open air and we’re outdoors, all mild, pure mild is just not all the time delicate. So we’ve seen a whole lot of portraits the place they use arduous mild they usually look lovely. It’s very tough to create that magnificence type portrait utilizing arduous mild. Not unimaginable, however it’s simply not what we’re doing right now.

So right now I need to soften this mild up through the use of a big mild supply, placing that mild supply very near our mannequin, to our topic. You are able to do this for headshots. They’ll feel and appear completely different versus that conventional flat lighting. And one of many issues to think about once we’re speaking about pure mild is if you’re utilizing pure mild, true pure mild, it’s bouncing in all places. So every thing tends to have some mild on it, except it’s being formed by a sure dimension window, sure route, the solar’s excessive, the solar’s low. You perceive what I’m saying. So for this, I simply need to soften it. I need to get a good delicate directional mild, and we’re going to mirror it utilizing a white V-Flat. And the nearer I put that V-Flat, the much less the shadows shall be on the facet. The additional I transfer that V-Flat away, the more durable these shadows shall be.

So that is the sweetness, I all the time say it, season to style. That is the great thing about all that as a result of we’re going to dial one thing in that appears and feels considerably extra pure, considerably extra delicate, than a standard arduous portrait. So let’s get some issues out of the best way. I’m utilizing a lightweight meter. I’m utilizing the Sekonic LiteMaster Pro L-478DR-U. Can we simply provide you with less complicated names? And if I measure ambient within the room proper now, no flash, I’m being lit with nearly 1.0 of sunshine, of pure mild, at ISO 200 and 250th of a second. And so all I’m going to do to eliminate most of this ambient is ready this up for about 2.8, perhaps 3.2, or 4.0. After which I’m overpowering the ambient within the room in order that we’re utilizing the flash to light up this portrait.

So within the spirit of that, let’s get dialed in right here. On digicam, we’re utilizing a Canon EOS R5. We’re utilizing the 50 millimeter 1.2, however I’m not going to be taking pictures at 1.2. Then I’m additionally utilizing FJ Westcott 400 and their X3 M, their new set off. So we’re going to have her proper about right here. It’ll be considerably directional, however it’s off to the facet. Get some reflection right here. ISO 200, two hundredth of a second. And if we put this right here, we’re getting 2.8 on that mild. And I’ll put it nearer to her head, high of her head. And we’re getting 2.8 flat. So if you wish to see that, 2.8 flat is what we’re getting.

Now, that is what’s going to be reflecting a few of that mild again. It’s not going to be 2.8. I don’t need it to be even. We do need some shadows right here. Type of see what we’re getting right here. And right here it’s telling me it’s underexposed. So all I’m going to do right here is transfer this a bit bit nearer to her to push a few of that mild into her. And now we’re getting 1.8. So there’s a few cease and a half distinction between that key mild and what’s being pushed again right here. If I need extra, I simply maintain pushing it nearer and nearer. So hopefully that’s all making sense. Now let’s begin dialing in on digicam as a result of it doesn’t matter what the sunshine meter tells you, and it’s not sophisticated to make use of, guys, however it doesn’t matter what that mild meter’s telling you, there’s all the time a bit little bit of that type of seasoning, you recognize what I’m telling you?

As a result of what you see on the again of your digicam by no means actually fairly seems the best way you need. However a bit type of professional tip right here, don’t belief the again of your digicam display. Anyone who’s been knowledgeable photographer for any period of time is aware of this as a result of what you see on these vibrant LCD display, it’s only a lie. The true check to know is to have a look at the histogram of the picture. And I don’t know for those who can see this right here, that histogram is telling you the place the highlights and shadows are. So that you’re seeing we’ve acquired extra shadow than spotlight element. And that’s the true check. It doesn’t matter what that picture is telling you right here, that histogram is absolutely the fact.

So that you’ve acquired to make use of a bit little bit of the histogram, a bit little bit of a mild meter, and actually your personal skillset to know what you’re going to do in post-production. Are you going to crush shadows? Are you going to deliver down highlights. Season to style. I can’t maintain saying it. Let’s get going right here. Let’s do one thing cool. Come on in right here, my woman. So I’m going to have you ever proper there. Flip in direction of me. Yeah. All proper. So on digicam, ISO 200, two hundredth of a second, F3.2. And I’m going to take a check shot. We’re going to see and ensure it seems the best way we would like, after which we’re going to start out working. What I’m on the lookout for is I don’t desire a background that’s going to go black, so I do want some mild hitting that background as a result of I need type of an evenly lit portrait apart from her face. I need her face to pop. It’s a portrait.

So right here we go. Let’s get a check shot going. Lovely. Right here we go. One, two. Okay, so I like what I’m seeing again at digicam. You’re going to see this in your display. Lighting seems good. If I have a look at the histogram right here, no highlights are being blown. We’ve acquired some darkish shadows which are there, however nothing’s clipping. So my shadows aren’t being blocked up. If you wish to type of see what which may appear to be, if I spin this to F8 simply to point out you guys, okay, now what you’re going to see if you have a look at that histogram, you see all of the shadows being crushed down right here. There’s no line between that and the bar. There’s no line there. So meaning all these shadows are being crushed and that’s the way you type of use that histogram. And I do know that’s not the purpose of this video, however we acquired to find out about these things.

So let’s return to F32. I’m going to examine right here on my LCD display. The sunshine is simply so delicate on her face. You guys acquired to be loving that delicate mild. And we’re doing it with simply one strobe right here. So it’s simply proof you don’t want thirty lights to create a lovely portrait right here.