PROJECT 3 - SIMPLE ONE-LIGHT PORTRAITS
All of the techniques we shot here use a one light set-up and you can keep things simple with a continuous light, or go as complicated as you like with flash. A 50mm lens is ideal as they’re affordable and also have super wide apertures which make it easier to work with constant lights. Our simple set-ups look great in black and white, so it’s worth using your Canon’s Monochrome Picture Style to see your desaturated scene in real-time using the live view. Just be sure to shoot in your Canon’s RAW format so that you retain the colour information. Good settings to get started are Aperture Priority (Av) mode with an aperture of f/2 and ISO of 800 to achieve a fast shutter speed.
SET-UP 1 FABRIC FANTASTIC
For our first technique we set up two budget lightstands and used some duct tape to secure a curtain pole between them at the top which we could drape over a netted curtain with a pattern we could project onto our model’s face, you could of course use a background stand if you have one, but the curtain pole method works well if you’re on a tight budget. A single continuous light was set up on the other side of the fabric and we turned off all other room lights, and closed the blackout curtains to reduce light spill from outside. For camera settings we went with aperture priority (Av) mode with a wide aperture of f/1.8 and boosted the ISO until we got a shutter speed of at least 1/250 sec.
LIVING IN YOUR SHADOW
The shadows you cast are affected by a number of different variables. You’ll need to fine-tune all of them to get the shadows looking just right in your portraits. Move the light closer to your subject and the fabric results in softer, blurry shadows, while moving the light source further away will render the shadow much sharper and more defined. If your model is close to the fabric you’ll see more detailed shadow patterns from the fabric too.
SET-UP 2 FILM NOIR FEEL
For our next simple set-up we asked our model to change outfits and this lingerie helped add a little variety and make the portraits look different from the others. We wanted to go for a film noir style to make it look like she was peering through blinds. A venetian blind was hung to our curtain pole using a few bits of picture hanging wire. Our continuous light was then set up on the other side of the bl
