How to Shoot Dramatic Portraits Using a Single Light Source
In my previous post I showed some photos I've taken using lighting and posing techniques inspired by Irving Penn. In this post I'd like to explain how I achieved that lighting style.
This is the photo I've taken that I would like to discuss.
Direction of the Light Source
As you may notice, the left side of my model's face is well lit, while his right side is in shadows. You may also notice the shadow caused by his nose is at a downward angle hinting that the primary light source is coming from the upper left corner and slightly in front of the model - otherwise the side of his head would be lit up, instead of his face.
Light Quality
Light quality is an extremely important component in telling the story you want your story to tell. In future posts I'll discuss the various types of lighting, where you can find them and how you can utilize them, but for now, I'll say this - the more gradual the change between the well lit parts of the picture and the shadowy parts, the softer the light is. In this photo, the light is relatively soft. This is because I fired a strobe at an umbrella that is white on the inside and the light that bounced back from it lit a wide area of my model's face.
Background Color
An important part of any portrait is the background. Whether the image is in color or in black and white, the background will have a significant impact on the picture.
When shooting outdoors, it is harder to control the lighting, but with artificial lighting, you can fully control the photo's lighting, including the background. I've used only one light source for this image, however, I've positioned my model away from the white background. When the flash lit the scene, it only lit my model well, because my model was close to the light source. The background, however, was only slightly lit and so it was underexposed, making the white background look grey. Had I have wanted to keep the background white, I could have lit the background with a separate light source, or just moved my model much closer to it and lit both the model and the background with the same light source.
Here's a picture of my lighting setup I've taken on my phone right before creating the shot. As you can see, the setup is relatively simple, yet it lit the photo up in a very dramatic way. The umbrella is only black on the outside, but white on the inside, so it reflects the light onto the model.
I will talk about posing, probably the most important element of any portrait, in a future post. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, take advantage of light!
Yehonathan