We often see pictures with multiple off-camera
flashes but not usually more than one
continuous light. Although off-camera flash
creates a striking look, continuous light can be less
intimidating and faster to work with, as you can see
what you are doing. You simply have to move the light
into a position that achieves the lighting and desired
result you’re looking for. I’ve often said that when you
have one direction of light and two people are
interacting with each other, one person usually suffers
(with respect to the lighting on them). That is, one
person is in more flattering light than the other. In most
situations, I will usually “sacrifice” the king for the queen.
In this example, I wanted to have Georgia and Josh
interacting by embracing each other. Georgia is the
main point of interest for this portrait, so she needs to
be illuminated with a brighter light. And Josh will have
less light on him and play a supportive role.
I often favor short lighting, photographing someone
on the shadow side of the face. You can either place
someone in a pose or position them in order to take
advantage of existing light, or you can create the
FOCUS
BY JERRY GHIONIS
WHAT WOULD JERRY DO?
Working With Multiple
Continuous Lights
