How to Shoot Portraits in a Professional Photo Studio: Do’s and Don’ts

When taking standard non-fashion portrait shots in a professional photo studio there are several rules of thumb you may want to consider or follow. Below are some of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to showing a person in a professional manner and in flattering light. Remember, there are not really any unbreakable rules when it comes to photography, but you may want to follow these tips if you’re trying to improve your professional photo studio portrait images.

Do’s

• Avoid high contrast and deep shadows as well as harsh highlights on the person’s forehead.
• Bring their eyes to life by having catchlights in them. A catchlight is a light source which will usually create a specular highlight the eyes of your subject.
• Make sure there’s enough light in their eyes. Be careful not to place the key light too high since it can result in too many shadows on the brows.
• Use a grey seamless background since the color of it can easily be changed afterwards in a photo-editing program such as Photoshop.
• When you’re after flattering compression, you should use a longer focal length such as 85mm-to 200mm on full frame.
• Use a relatively soft source of light such as an octa, softbox, or beauty dish along with a diffusion sock.
• Make sure that the white balance is accurate for attractive skin tones by using a grey card and then fine tuning.
• Be sure to separate your model from the background. For example, don’t shoot a person with a black shirt on a black background or a subject with a red dress on a red background. You can create separation between your model and the background with a back light or rim light.
• Retouch the image professionally by touching up the skin and brightening the teeth and/or eyes. However, it’s a good idea to discuss this with your model first.

Don’ts

• Don’t use glamour glow, soft focus, or overdone Gaussian Blur skin softening as you don’t want to turn the image into something too soft.
• Avoid doing too much contrast correction as it can result in your model having a halo around his or her head.
• If you add too much fill light or use excessive frontal light you may find that the shadows will completely disappear. You may want to retain some of the shadowing since they can be made to look flattering. It’s good to remember that while the light reveals, the shadows will define.
• Don’t use HDR (high dynamic range imaging) on your portrait.
• You shouldn’t edit out or retouch any of your subject’s defining facial features unless they ask you to do so. This refers to things such as freckles, moles, beauty marks, and perhaps even scars. They may want a true image of their face with no editing at all.

These are just some ideas to consider, but of course, a great shot is a unique one. So, be creative, try new things and find your style.

4 Fantastic Reasons to Shoot in Studio, Not on Location

If you’ve been thinking about a photography studio rental for your project but you’re still undecided between renting a space or shooting on location, then don’t worry, these tips will help you make the right decision. While it might seem glamorous shooting your project on location, there are many factors that are often overlooked which can make the whole process a nightmare. These same factors are the reason why choosing a photography studio rental can make your project run smoother and save you a lot of headaches.

Factor #1 – Decoration

If you are filming on location then you have to put a lot of forethought into the decoration that is already there. Any color schemes that you might want will have to take primary priority over things such as distance and costs. This isn’t the case though if you chose to use a professional photo studio as it will be easier to accommodate your needs. Most studios are willing to completely change the look and the feel of their rooms to suit the customer’s needs. This means they will allow you to change the color scheme and the layout of the room.

Factor #2 – Props

If you have ever shot on location, you probably already understand the hassle of props. Props can carry a lot of secret costs when shooting on location that can simply be avoided when choosing a studio. Studios are equipped with ample room to store your props and you can always be sure that they are safe. The same cannot be said about photographing on location as the setting hasn’t been designed with your project’s needs in mind.

Factor #3 – Lighting

Any professional photo studio will enable you to get the best you possibly can out of your lighting. It doesn’t matter if it is half past midnight and you need to make it look like lunch time on a sunny day, or if you need to make it look like night time in the middle of the day – in a studio you can do it. The same cannot be said for a shooting on location. When you work on location you will need to work around whatever time of day you’re there.

Factor #4 – Pedestrians

One of the attractions to location shoots is that you can use famous landmarks as your backdrop.  This is an attraction though that comes with consequences. If you chose to shoot at a famous landmark or even in your local town, you will find that people will just keep getting in the way. This isn’t something that you get while using a professional photo studio, as it’s like being in your own protected bubble. Photographing on location can have its charms, but are those charms really worth taking on the extra work, especially when you can have all that charm and quirk in a professional photo studio that’s tailored to your needs? If you need to make the choice, then make sure you make the right one.

Umbrellas vs Softboxes in Photography Studio

Most professional photo studio photographers ask themselves if they should use an umbrella or softbox when looking for a light modifier with flash photography. Since both umbrellas and softboxes have their uses, it really depends on the type of lighting effect you’re hoping to achieve. When shooting through an umbrella you’re apt to get softer light, while a reflective umbrella allows you to control the lighting by giving it more direction. Just remember that the light will be harder when a source is further away from the subject and softer the closer it is to the subject. A softbox lets you change the lighting’s direction, so you may want to move it around the subject to find the most effective angle. You can do this by setting your aperture for the shoot to find the depth of field you want and then move the softbox while taking test photos from different angles. If the images show uneven, harsh lighting on your subject or strong contrast you should move the softbox to make sure the light is in front of the subject instead of at an angle. But if the lighting appears to be too flat you should consider giving it more of an angle.

Umbrellas

When it comes to umbrellas, they’re relatively inexpensive and quite easy to use and there are two basic types: the shoot-through and the reflective version. These devices, which are available in various sizes and shapes, can produce a soft and broad light source which is similar to outdoor lighting. If an umbrella is used in its traditional position it will offer indirect, bounced light which could require a greater flash output from the light source. Beginners usually find a white translucent shoot-through umbrella easy to work with since it produces broad lighting. A shoot-through umbrella just needs to be positioned between the flash and the subject and in general, larger umbrellas produce softer light.

Silver Reflective Umbrella

This type of umbrella functions when you point the flash away from the subject and the umbrella will bounce the light back onto the person. They’re ideal for shooting groups of people as they provide simple and even lighting. Another type of fashionable umbrella is the parabolic umbrella. This device can create high specularity in the light as the umbrellas can focus the flash pattern.

Softboxes

Most softboxes are rectangular in shape, but you can also find square and octagonal versions. They emulate window light, which means it’s soft and directional, with the key being directional. The flash is fired directly through a softbox which produces direct lighting, even if a diffusion panel is used to soften the flash. Since you don’t have to rely on reflected light, the flash uses less power than when an umbrella is used. Softboxes come in a variety of sizes and you’ll find numerous accessories can be used, such as louvers and grids which even the lighting across the plane of light. However, you may need to know how to balance the main light and fill light when using a softbox if you don’t want too much contrast. This means a softbox may be a little more complicated to use. The type of light modifier you use—an umbrella or softbox—should really depend on the type of portrait you want. Each device can create different lighting effects. The shape of a softbox can affect the quality of the lighting. For example, long and thin softboxes are often known as striplights and can emulate stage footlights since they result in dramatic lighting. Octagonal softboxes produce direct, wraparound sources of light with even light spreads.

Umbrellas vs Softboxes

Umbrellas are more portable, but softboxes are better for emulating window light in a professional photo studio. A softbox offers less directionality than an umbrella but can provide flatter, wider and more even light, which reduces the intensity of shadow edges. The curved shape of an umbrella offers more apparent directionality in the light with more intensity to shadow edges. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with both types of light modifiers as this will give you more creative options in the studio. In fact, the best option is to sometimes combine an umbrella and softbox, it just depends on your creative eye!

Top Portrait Photography Lighting Styles

There are many different lighting styles when it comes to portrait photography. Really, the lights can be adjusted so much, placed in so many different locations, that it just comes down to the photographer’s preference and creative vision. But, for the photographer just getting started in a professional photo studio, whether at home or in a photography studio rental, here’s a little help. There are five basic lighting styles used in portrait photography in professional photo studios: Rim, Paramount, Loop, Rembrandt and Split.

Rim Lighting

This dramatic style is also known as profile lighting and it’s often used when your model’s head is turned at a 90-degree angle from the lens. Rim lighting is used to accent a person’s elegant features. The key light sits behind the model to illuminate their profile and to produce a highlight on the edge of their face. In addition, the key light highlights their neck and hair. Try to make sure the center of the accent is on the face though. The fill light is placed on the same side as the key light and the shadows are filled in with a reflector. You can also use a hair light opposite the key light to separate the model’s hair from the background.

Paramount Lighting

This type of lighting may also be known as butterfly lighting. It’s basically a feminine style which provides a symmetrical and butterfly type of shadow underneath the nose of the subject. It typically emphasizes the skin and high cheekbones. Paramount lighting isn’t used often when photographing men since it can make their eye sockets and cheeks appear too hollow. In paramount lighting, you place the key light directly in front of the model’s face and high up parallel to the vertical line of their nose. The fill light should be positioned at head level of the subject and right underneath the key light. Both the fill and key lights are on the same side of your camera so a reflector should be placed opposite them and close to your subject as this will fill in any deep shadows on their shaded cheek and the neck. The hair light is placed opposite the key light and should be used to light just the hair and not the face. The background light will be behind your subject and lower down.

Loop Lighting

This type of lighting is basically a version of paramount lighting and is often used for subjects with oval or average-shaped faces. The key light will be lower and to the side of your subject to create a shadow under their nose which resembles a small loop on the shadowed side of the face. The fill light is positioned on the opposite side of the key light and closer to the subject-camera axis. Make sure the fill light doesn’t cast a shadow. The background and hair lights can be used the same as in paramount lighting.

Rembrandt Lighting

This style is named after the famous Dutch artist Rembrandt, who illuminated his subjects with skylights. In portrait photography, the shadowed cheek of your subject will show a small triangular-shaped highlight. This dramatic lighting style is commonly used with male models and is often used with a weak fill light as this will accentuate the highlight on the shadowed-side. The key light is placed further away from and lower to the side when compared to paramount and loop lighting. The fill light will be similar to loop lighting, but the hair light is generally a bit closer to your subject to create more brilliant hair highlights. The background light will be placed in the standard position, but kickers can be utilized to delineate the sides of your model’s face and add brilliant highlights to their shoulders and face. Just be sure that the lights aren’t shining directly into the lens of the camera.

Split Lighting

The key light will illuminate just half of the subject’s face in split lighting. This style has a good slimming effect as it can appear to narrow a wide nose and/or face. Facial irregularities can also be hidden when used in combination with weak fill light. If you use split lighting without a fill light it can be quite dramatic. The key light will be moved further to the subject’s side and lower down. The fill, hair, and background lighting are used in the normal positions. Split lighting will basically divide the subject’s face in half with one side being shadowed and the other highlighted.