When you make a portrait using standard “studio settings” (i.e. you have the ambient light do nothing; and to achieve this you use f/8 at 1/125th sec at 100 ISO), and you use one flash, modified with an umbrella or softbox, you get a portrait, but it is very dramatic: only what you light is lit.
As in this portrait of Henrys’ Deanna Flinn (a fellow photographer and teacher) at yesterday’s excellent meeting of the Ajax Photography Club, where I held a Flash workshop:
Good exposure, and good catch lights at the 2 o’clock position. If that dramatic look is what you are aiming for, fine.
But usually, people look for a different, softer look. A standard portrait has a fill light on the opposite side of the main light. That fill light is two stops darker than the main light.
So, you need another flash. Yes, I suppose; but you can instead use a reflector. Cheaper and quicker! I asked one of the students to hold up a white sheet of paper to the left, and now we see this:
Nice, no?
Then if you have a second flash, you can put a snoot on it and use it as a hair light:
Even better! Yes, a good portrait really is that simple.
Of course you can now aim another flash at the background and light it up – or move it back and colour it with a gel. Or use a grid on a single flash and have fun:
Flash photography really is fun!
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The Pro Flash Manual explains these techniques and many, many more – a full, 123-page flash course e-book.. Available now. Just saying.
