FreePhotoResources – Photography Blog - Photography blog for ALL photographers

Portrait photography lighting does not have to be expensive. I am currently awaiting a lighting kit and background to take my portrait photography one step further but this has not stopped me experimenting with lighting…..

.

My Kit

I do not currently have ANY studio lighting equipment or indeed, a studio!  The photo’s below were all taken in my living room using the following equipment;

1. Camera (obviously) – Canon 50d
2. Canon 430ex MK11 flash gun
3. 2 x tripod
4. Phottix Duo TTL lead

The Camera Setup

I set up the camera on one tripod (the more expensive, sturdier one) and the flashgun on the second tripod.  The flash gun is connected using the Phottix Duo TTL lead.  I also make sure to use the lens hood to further minimise the amount of any ambient light still left and also focus the lens to capture only the light that hits the subject (you).

Setting the flashgun up on the tripod allows me to change the angle and height of the light source meaning that the direction of the light can be any that I choose.

I then set the self timer on the camera to 10 seconds (there is also a 2 second option but this does not usually allow me enough time to position myself for the shot).

It is also helpful if your camera and flashgun have an option to illuminate the settings screen so that you can see what you are doing without needing to continuously turn the lights on and off.

The Environment Setup

The next step is to make the room as dark as possible (made a lot easier if you wait until later in the day!).  In my case this means turning off the lights (obviously), the aquarium lights and the lap top.  I also position the equipment in front of my full length curtains as these are darker in colour and easier to get rid of in post processing.

As you can see, there is definitely no special studio equipment used here!

You (the subject) Setup

Before taking one shot make sure that you know what kind of poses and looks you want to capture (you don’t want to be sat in the dark not knowing what pose to strike!).  I tried to go for poses full of character and portraying an emotion, or a bit of mystery).

The above photo was taken with the flash (light source) diagonally in front of me and to the left, about 1 foot each way), it was also set about 1 foot above the height of my head.

This shot was taken with the flash positioned as above but level with the height of my head.

This one was taken with the flash directly to my right.

This one was taken with the flash below my face and about 1 foot in front of me.

If you have the option try playing around with the strength of the flash and also use a diffuser on some shots.  Each technique will offer a slightly different effect.

Post Processing

For each photo I adjusted the curves in Photoshop to darken the shadows and get rid of any trace of the background.  I then duplicated the layer and applied a High Pass filter.

Finally, if needed, I lightened my eyes slightly and used the burn tool to darken any part of my shoulders that were showing.