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Introduction To Portrait Lighting



Photography is light. That's all it is. Learning to see, capture and control light and share that with others. Learning to control lighting in portraits is the number one most important thing you can do to improve your portraits. Whether you're a natural light shooter, a beginner or love using lighting, learning more about light and how to see and control the way it interacts with your subject will take your photos to the next level! 



I teach an 8 week, portrait lighting class. We focus solely on how to use off camera lighting to choose the best way to light your subject. If this is something that interests you, there are a few spots still available! We'll  cover everything for getting your camera and flash working together, lighting outdoors, studio lighting, groups and weddings and breaking down images to understand and recreate the lighting setup.



Class starts January 15th at 6:30 and it only cost $98 for all 8 weeks! Click here to see a weekly itinerary and how to register! 

Here is what some of my previous students have said about this class: 


"I really enjoyed the lighting class. Mike was very professional and had professional models each week to practice shooting. He was always coming up with new and fresh ideas for different lighting techniques which really helped me to think outside of the box. I would highly recommend the class!" -Kaylin Thompson- "The lighting class taught by Mike Johnson through the CVCA is an amazing class. Mike teaches everything from getting the flash off the camera to color gels, modifiers, and different light set ups. He always had a willing and capable model for the class, he covers the inverse square law and qualities of light. If your ready to take the next step with off camera flash, this is an excellent class." -John Hart- 


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What is Clamshell Lighting? 

Clamshell lighting is a simple two-light setup involving one light above the subject acting as a key light, and one light below the subject creating fill light. It's a easy set up to master and one that will work well with a variety of subjects. Clamshell lighting is most commonly used in beauty and fashion photography, as it create a very soft, smooth light with a flattering glow on your subject. 



Portrait, Beauty, Glamour, Fashion, Model, Lighting, Set up, Ideas, Inspiration, Picture, Photography, Photographer

Clamshell Set-Up:

To set up clamshell lighting you'll need two lights, and two modifiers. You can use umbrella's, softboxes, octoboxes, or beauty dishes. For the example shot today we'll have two beauty dishes, a 28in dish and a 20in dish. To set up the the lights, I would recommend putting your smaller of the two modifiers on the bottom light and the larger on the top light. We'll refer to the top light as our 'key' light and the bottom light as our 'fill' light. As the top light is our main source, or key, light source.

You'll want to make sure your fill light is subsantially lower power than your key light to keep the under glow to a minimum. This will help to open up the shadows and fill your subjects eye's with light. Also make sure your fill like 2-4 stops lower than your key light. In the example shot, our fill was 3 stops lower than our key light.

The actual power settings for your set up will vary depending on the conditions, but we were running two Einstein lights, with our key light at 1/2 power and our fill light at 1/16 power. Our camera settings were ISO 100, f/8.0 and 1/160th. Editing was performed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

You can see the diagram below to see our set up for this shot. 
Portrait, Beauty, Glamour, Fashion, Model, Lighting, Set up, Ideas, Inspiration, Picture, Photography, Photographer


Here is a behind the scenes shot of the set up, take by Vibrance by Sheree who was on set assisting for the shoot.

Portrait, Beauty, Glamour, Fashion, Model, Lighting, Set up, Ideas, Inspiration, Picture, Photography, Photographer

And another shot taken from my position between the two lights.

Portrait, Beauty, Glamour, Fashion, Model, Lighting, Set up, Ideas, Inspiration, Picture, Photography, Photographer


Final Image: 

And once again, a finished image from our shoot.

Portrait, Beauty, Glamour, Fashion, Model, Lighting, Set up, Ideas, Inspiration, Picture, Photography, Photographer

As you can see the finished image, we're getting a gorgeous glow on Christie's hair from our key light, as well as great definition on her cheek bones and very smooth flattering light. The fill light below the camera is creating a nice catch light in her eye's and opening up the shadows to ensure the light is soft and smooth across the entire image. 

TOP TIP: Bring your lights in as close as you can! The closer the light source, the softer the light will be and you'll also get much more rapid fall-off which will help to create nice soft shadows and definition on your subjects face!

If you have any questions, hit us up in comments below! 

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I love teaching the Portrait Lighting Class at Cache Valley Center for the Arts! This class is seriously one of my favorite parts of my business. If you're looking to create seriously stunning and well let images then this is the class for you! I honestly believe this class is the BEST way in to learn about lighting in Logan. Whether you're a natural light shooter or prefer artificial light, this class will definitely improve your photography. Understanding how to control light will help you understand how to shoot better images. Photography is all about the light in your image. Learn to control it and shape it and you're on your way to creating fantastic images! 

To register for the class go to: http://www.cachearts.org/photography/ and click the purple Register Here button! 



Logan, Cache Valley, Utah, Photographers, Photography, Photos, Club, Classes, Teaching, Lighting, Off Camera Lighting, CVCA, Center for the Arts


There are limited spots available and class starts January 15th and runs for 8 weeks (until March 5th). Class is held every Thursday night at 6:30pm at the Thatcher-Young Mansion in Logan. This class is for photographers of all ages and skill levels.

A brief class outline can be found HERE. 

Requirements for the class: 
  • Any Camera that has Manual Mode
  • A basic understanding of manual mode
  • That's it! We'll teach you all you need to know! No gear require, you'll be able to learn and experience off camera lighting with the equipment in class! 




If you have any questions, comment below or feel free to contact me through my website at: www.endless.photography

I hope to see you there! 


Reviews from previous students: 

"The lighting class taught by Mike Johnson through the CVCA is an amazing class.  Mike teaches everything from getting the flash off the camera to color gels, modifiers, and different light set ups.  He always had a willing and capable model for the class, he covers the inverse square law and qualities of light.  If you're ready to take the next step with off camera flash, this is an excellent class." -John Hart-


"I really enjoyed the lighting class.  Mike was very professional and had professional models each week to practice shooting.  He was always coming up with new and fresh ideas for different lighting techniques which really helped me to think outside of the box.  I would highly recommend the class!" -Kaylin Thompson-








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One of the biggest aspects of my job is commercial head shots and portraits. I have a client in my studio or on location every week looking for a clean, eye catching head shot. For me, headshots are all about the lighting. You need to light your subject in the most flattering way, to highlight their good features and minimize the bad. Below is a headshot I took today for a client and explanation of the lighting set up.  



Endless Photography


Here below is a basic diagram of the lighting set up used for this shot: 


Endless Photography
So here is the set up. I had one AB1600 on full power with a blue gel firing through a staircase creating the blue lined pattern on the wall in the background. I had my subject seated on a chair and a beauty dish directly over her head. The dish was mounted to a AB800 on 1/4th power and pulled in real close. For a light fill I added a 42in reflector sitting on her lap to open up the shadows on her neck and cheeks just a little bit. 

Post processing was done in Lightroom and Photoshop. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask or post in the comments section! 

Mike
www.endless.photography
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About Mike Johnson

Hi! Welcome to the blog! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Mike, this place is my life. I'm a photographer, film maker, drone pilot and explorer. This is a place where I try to stay up to date with current work, ideas and projects (but fall behind at times). Have a look around and feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thanks!
Mike

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