As Steve was relatively new to Studio lighting, we started with a single light setup & muggins here became the model <doh> .  Going for the dark moody, low key portrait, we used one light box to camera left & kept the power as low as possible to minimise bounced light.  Finally, we added a collapsible back drop to finish the portrait.

Cheltenham Portrait Photographer

It’s often said the most important area of a portrait is the eyes.  You can see why from the photo above !  Having the eyes pin sharp & beautifully lit, grabs the attention of the viewer & drags them in to the shot.

Step 1 :   Lighting.  Try to get some catchlights in the eyes.  What are catchlights you ask ??  Look at the shot above & see the reflection of the windows in the eyes…… these are the catch lights.  They add a real wow factor to portraits.  Just look in any magazine & look for those catchlights.

Step 2 : (Optional) Shoot from a higher angle.  By forcing the subject to look up at you with their eyes, you get to see the whites under the iris.  This  makes the eyes look bigger, which quite often is more flattering.

Step 3: Use a shallow depth of field.   If you want to add impact to the shot, you don’t want anything in the background distracting you from the model.  By using a shallow depth of field you can achieve this goal (Shot abaove was F/4)

Step 4:  Focus on the eyes.  Ideally change your focus point so it’s placed on the nearest eye to you, when you have the shot composed.  This way you get the perfect focus for the shot.   An alternative that some people use, is to position their centre focus position over the eye, half press the shutter release to lock the focus , then recompose the shot & take the photo.

There you have it.  Hope these tips have been of some use & once again let me know how you get on.

Until the next Friday Freebie.

(Read more Photography Tutorials here )

To avoid the harsh afternoon light, this shot was taken under the dappled shade of a tree, with some subtle fill in flash.