In my previous blog post ”Combining direct and indirect lighting in beauty portraiture”, I explained how I used a mixture of direct and indirect light to light a subject. The lighting setup I used gave me very satisfactory results and I wanted to do something similar. This time however, I wanted the light to appear softer, cleaner and slightly more commercial.

I started out by building a 12'x12' frame covered with white reflective material. This time I was working in a much bigger space with a higher ceiling which meant I was able to raise the 12'x12' quite high and angle it down towards my model. This placing and angling of the 12'x12' shaped and enhanced the features of my model.

I placed two Pulso G 3200 flash heads with P65 reflectors facing the 12'x12'. The 12'x12' became a source of indirect lighting by reflecting the light cast from the Pulso G heads onto my subject. In the previous shoot my model was quite close to the 12'x12'. I would say about 3 to 4 meters. This time I placed my model 7 meters away from the 12'x12' which caused the light to fill the space and wrap around her a little bit more.

I used a broncolor Flooter paired with a Pulso G 3200 and placed it as high as I could, straight in front of my model and close against the 12x12. I placed a Siros 800S paired with a broncolor beauty dish reflector at a low angle below my model’s eye level. The power on both of these lights was minimal. I adjusted the Flooter’s power until all shadows disappeared on my model’s face. The beauty dish was barely visible as a reflection in my model’s eye.

The difference in lighting setup between these two shoots is minimal but the difference in results are quite big. By moving my model further from the background as well as using the Flooter and Beauty Dish as subtle fill in lights, I was able to create a softer and cleaner light.

Credits:

Model: Elizma from Fanjam Model Management

Makeup and hair by Kirsti van Zyl