This article will tell you how to create cheap, simple, effective lighting that you can use for indoor, posed portraits or family group pictures.
You've been given a new digital camera for Christmas. Or the pressure is on to take a family photo for a holiday newsletter. Or maybe there is a reunion and Grandma says "let's get everyone to pose for a picture--this is the only time we'll be together this year!" Sounds like a great idea--except you're not a professional photographer and when you try to take posed pictures inside, they tend to look bad.
There are a lot of factors that go into a good portrait or group shot: background or backdrop, the pose and expressions of the subjects, the composition of the shot. But it all starts with light. And unless you know what you're doing, most indoor light produces lousy portraits. This article won't tell you how to pose subjects or where to position lights. But I will tell you how to create cheap lighting options (total amount: less than $35 for everything) that will produce outstanding portraits.
Instructions
- 1
Review the Space. This is not an article on how to use your lights for the best effect--there are other articles on how to set up key and fill lights for a good portrait. But you have to start by identifying your lighting needs. If you've got good daylight and windows spilling in strong natural sunlight, than you'll need at least two pieces of equipment: a scrim (some kind of light cloth to go over the window to soften the light so it's not so harsh on the skin) and a reflector (like a large piece of white cardboard or poster board) to bounce light off of. If you have no natural light, than you need to see where the artificial lights are that are in the room, where the push the light, where the shadows are, and what kind of lights they are. You can produce good portraits in any of these situations (only natural light, only artificial residential lighting) but you need to first figure out what you have in the shooting space and how to manipulate it.
2Set Your White Balance. For a digital camera, the white balance is how the camera sees light and colors. The human eye adjusts. A digital camera does not. So...absent any adjustment, a digital camera shooting under incandescent lights (your normal residential light bulbs) will produce a yellowish tint to skin and a white wall will look yellow or even red. The same camera shooting under fluorescent lights will produce a sickly blue tint. Under direct sunlight, it will wash out faces and skin tone. So, once you've figured out the primary light sources you're dealing with, you adjust your white balance appropriately. You probably won't be shooting indoors with direct sunlight--you'll use your scrim (light transparent cloth or lace) to soften the light so you'd set white balance to "shade".
3
Adjust or Setup the Existing Lights. Unless you're shooting in an unfurnished building, the room will have some existing lights. They maybe be ceiling floods, they may be table or floor lamps. Refer to another E-How article (there are a lot of good ones) on positioning lighting for indoor portraits. The quick summary is that you'll need a "key light" (which is the primary light) directed at the subject. It's usually at an angle off to one side. You'll have a "fill light" which is usually on the opposite side of the subject from the key light. The purpose of the fill light is to eliminate the extreme shadows created by one light source coming from one direction. It's okay if the fill light is not as intense or bright as the key light. Then you'll often have a third light called a "back light" which bounces light off of the background behind the subjects. This light course behind the subjects creates a flattering light and helps to make them distinct from the background. Since you're using residential, existing lighting, none of these lights will be sufficient alone or as a trio. They will likely be incandescent, won't have sufficient lumens (lighting power), will probably be harsh without a light shade. But that's why you're reading this article--to find out how to compliment those existing lights in the house so you can produce a great portrait without blowing $500 on studio lighting or a softbox.
4Position Your Halogen Light. The halogen work light burns bright and it burns hot. Set it someplace where people won't bump into it. Ideally you will want to bounce the light off the ceiling. This will compliment other light sources that you have (such as the shaded sunlight or the existing light sources in the room). The ceiling will soften the light and by bouncing the halogen in this manner, you eliminate lots of unflattering shadows created by the existing lights you're using.
5Position Your Reflectors. At this point, you've got a lot of light sources. The subjects may appear well lit or at least not deep in shadow. But you want to get the reflectors so that they bounce light (either sunlight coming in the window or from one of your artificial light sources) so they fill in the faces. This will produce a softer look on the face (as opposed to harsh light) and because the face won't be in shadow or darker, the viewer's eyes will naturally be drawn to the face in the final picture. So use the reflectors to bounce light on to the faces. Here's a hint: if you have something that's gold (wrapping paper, gold tin foil) it will produce a warmer look on the face. You'll probably need to duct-tape your reflector at the right angle to keep the right light on the subject's face.
6Create a Halo Effect. This is sometimes called a "head light". If you're shooting a single portrait or a small group, you can now use your other halogen light or the LED flashlight positioned behind the subjects and pointed to the camera. Position it so the subjects block the light and so the light or flashlight is not visible to the camera. Go back to the camera and take a look--you'll see a small halo effect and enhanced backlighting around heads and shoulders. It adds a professional look and feel to the shot.
This article will tell you how to create cheap, simple, effective lighting that you can use for indoor, posed portraits or family group pictures.
You've been given a new digital camera for Christmas. Or the pressure is on to take a family photo for a holiday newsletter. Or maybe there is a reunion and Grandma says "let's get everyone to pose for a picture--this is the only time we'll be together this year!" Sounds like a great idea--except you're not a professional photographer and when you try to take posed pictures inside, they tend to look bad.
There are a lot of factors that go into a good portrait or group shot: background or backdrop, the pose and expressions of the subjects, the composition of the shot. But it all starts with light. And unless you know what you're doing, most indoor light produces lousy portraits. This article won't tell you how to pose subjects or where to position lights. But I will tell you how to create cheap lighting options (total amount: less than $35 for everything) that will produce outstanding portraits.
Instructions
- 1
Review the Space. This is not an article on how to use your lights for the best effect--there are other articles on how to set up key and fill lights for a good portrait. But you have to start by identifying your lighting needs. If you've got good daylight and windows spilling in strong natural sunlight, than you'll need at least two pieces of equipment: a scrim (some kind of light cloth to go over the window to soften the light so it's not so harsh on the skin) and a reflector (like a large piece of white cardboard or poster board) to bounce light off of. If you have no natural light, than you need to see where the artificial lights are that are in the room, where the push the light, where the shadows are, and what kind of lights they are. You can produce good portraits in any of these situations (only natural light, only artificial residential lighting) but you need to first figure out what you have in the shooting space and how to manipulate it.
2Set Your White Balance.
Enhance your photography skill,The Top Secret Photography Techniques
. For a digital camera, the white balance is how the camera sees light and colors. The human eye adjusts. A digital camera does not. So...absent any adjustment, a digital camera shooting under incandescent lights (your normal residential light bulbs) will produce a yellowish tint to skin and a white wall will look yellow or even red. The same camera shooting under fluorescent lights will produce a sickly blue tint. Under direct sunlight, it will wash out faces and skin tone. So, once you've figured out the primary light sources you're dealing with, you adjust your white balance appropriately. You probably won't be shooting indoors with direct sunlight--you'll use your scrim (light transparent cloth or lace) to soften the light so you'd set white balance to "shade". 3Adjust or Setup the Existing Lights. Unless you're shooting in an unfurnished building, the room will have some existing lights. They maybe be ceiling floods, they may be table or floor lamps. Refer to another E-How article (there are a lot of good ones) on positioning lighting for indoor portraits. The quick summary is that you'll need a "key light" (which is the primary light) directed at the subject. It's usually at an angle off to one side. You'll have a "fill light" which is usually on the opposite side of the subject from the key light. The purpose of the fill light is to eliminate the extreme shadows created by one light source coming from one direction. It's okay if the fill light is not as intense or bright as the key light. Then you'll often have a third light called a "back light" which bounces light off of the background behind the subjects. This light course behind the subjects creates a flattering light and helps to make them distinct from the background. Since you're using residential, existing lighting, none of these lights will be sufficient alone or as a trio. They will likely be incandescent, won't have sufficient lumens (lighting power), will probably be harsh without a light shade. But that's why you're reading this article--to find out how to compliment those existing lights in the house so you can produce a great portrait without blowing $500 on studio lighting or a softbox.
4Position Your Halogen Light. The halogen work light burns bright and it burns hot. Set it someplace where people won't bump into it. Ideally you will want to bounce the light off the ceiling. This will compliment other light sources that you have (such as the shaded sunlight or the existing light sources in the room). The ceiling will soften the light and by bouncing the halogen in this manner, you eliminate lots of unflattering shadows created by the existing lights you're using.
5Position Your Reflectors. At this point, you've got a lot of light sources. The subjects may appear well lit or at least not deep in shadow. But you want to get the reflectors so that they bounce light (either sunlight coming in the window or from one of your artificial light sources) so they fill in the faces. This will produce a softer look on the face (as opposed to harsh light) and because the face won't be in shadow or darker, the viewer's eyes will naturally be drawn to the face in the final picture. So use the reflectors to bounce light on to the faces. Here's a hint: if you have something that's gold (wrapping paper, gold tin foil) it will produce a warmer look on the face. You'll probably need to duct-tape your reflector at the right angle to keep the right light on the subject's face.
6Create a Halo Effect. This is sometimes called a "head light". If you're shooting a single portrait or a small group, you can now use your other halogen light or the LED flashlight positioned behind the subjects and pointed to the camera. Position it so the subjects block the light and so the light or flashlight is not visible to the camera. Go back to the camera and take a look--you'll see a small halo effect and enhanced backlighting around heads and shoulders. It adds a professional look and feel to the shot.
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