Today, I want to provide insights and details about my upcoming, self-imposed shooting challenge: portraits using only one light in front of a plain white wall.
Naturally, it will all be about the modifier choices (= Quality of Light), different lighting directions, and indispensable helpers like reflectors for fill-ins and fine-tuning light ratios between key light areas and shadow parts.
A. I'm Starting Over
First, let's back up a bit and allow me to provide you with some personal insights — let's start at the beginning.
After closing my portrait studio in Prague (danhostettlerportraits.com), I migrated to the northwest of Spain, to a town called Gijón in the Principality of Asturias.
After living here for quite some time now, I felt the urge to create a studio space yet again — a new lab on a smaller scale, so to speak.
B. My New Lab
Said and done: Over the last few weeks, I was lucky enough to be allowed to convert a friend's unused space into a functional working area that now fulfills all basic needs, like incorporating white surfaces and the possibility of blacking out specific areas simultaneously.
Now, the time has come to go ahead and produce my first-ever shoot in Spain!
C. My 1st Shoot in the Lab
I set the following parameters and will see if I can achieve my goals and book the shoot as a win.
Lighting
- Day 1 — 4 hours: LED (350W)
- Day 2 — 4 hours: Speedlight (~75W, varies heavily based on zoom settings)
Modifiers
- Standard Reflector Ø18 cm / 7''
- Octa Ø55 cm / 21''
- Octa Ø120 cm / 4'
- Shoot-Through Umbrella Ø80 cm / 2.6'
- Strip 90 × 20 cm / 8 × 35''
Helpers & Tools
- Grids, honeycombs, barndoors
- Various-sized silver and white reflector panels
- Gobo(s)
D. Shooting Parameters
I intend to shoot eight different sets over two days in total.
Some lighting patterns will be Backlighting, Butterfly Lighting, Side Lighting, Flat / Front, Rembrandt, and Broad. The different lighting designs will be created solely by using the appropriate combination of a specific modifier and deliberate light direction. This will offer me all the narrative moods I'm looking for — from soft & cheerful all the way to hard & dramatic.
Four sets will be shot with an LED light, so I will continue to see the exact effect changes during the light placement. This is particularly helpful for judging patterns like Butterfly or Rembrandt lighting. It makes it much easier since the speedlight won't offer any visual assistance with a pilot/modeling lamp.
E. My Prep in SAL3D
Now, this is where finally set.a.light 3D comes into play: Since my shooting schedule will be rather ambitious — 4 sets in 4 hours (×2), incl. makeup + hair changes, wardrobe changes, lighting setup alterations, etc. — meticulous preparation is essential.
What other approach than experimenting, preparing, testing, and finalizing each set, iterations, and additional aspects beforehand in the app?
Not only does SAL3D support me in the proof of concept phase, but it also provides documentation to help me be fast, concise, and sure-footed on set, helping me progress quickly without losing the oversight.
F. Download My Setups
Here are my practice/prep sets for you to download. This way, you can examine and see for yourself what I'm up to.
Download the sets: i12e.co/sal3d/sets/shooting-on-white
Have fun trying it out,
Dan from elixxier
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