Rangefinder - May 2015

Opposite page: The final shot of I’Kia in Eno River State Park. Above: Sarah and Cammel light I’Kia with two Profoto B2 lights.

DIFFUSE YOUR LIGHT

for a softer, more flattering light on your subjects.

PRACTICE VARYING THE POWER

of different lights from different directions. With the Air Remote, it’s significantly easier to change your lighting on the fly.

IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH blown highlights, underexpose your image and boost the light in post-production.

WHEN SHOOTING BRIGHT SUBJECTS, trying manually activating Active D Lighting Mode (Nikon) or Highlight Priority Mode (Canon) to preserve details in your highlights.

TIPS & TRICKS

TURNING CHALLENGES INTO AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES.

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SUBJECT

LIGHTING SETUP

PROFOTO B2

(2X3’)

OCF SOFTBOX PROFOTO B2

(BAREBULB)

CAMERA www.profoto.com

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BEHIND THE SCENES

AS A PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER, I place a great emphasis on expressiveness, using light to better showcase the spirit of my subjects.

Take my
portrait of I’Kia, for
example, whom I
photographed at
Eno River State Park in Durham, North
Carolina. I’ve photographed I’Kia before for
commercial campaigns, but for this portfolio
shoot, I was aiming for more of an editorial
style. Against the tall brown grass and
expanse of trees, I needed a softer light to
make this scene beautiful and dreamy. It
was not a pretty day, however; dreary and
cold, the park looked gray and flat under the
overcast sky.

My studio manager, Sarah, stood in front of I’Kia with a Profoto B2 Flash and an OCF

2x3’ softbox, casting light at an angle across
her face. My assistant, Cammel, stood
behind I’Kia and to her left with a second B2
bare bulb. I triggered both B2 lights with my
Air Remote TTL-N and shot the scene with a
70-200mm f/2.8 lens.

I’m always looking for ways to highlight expression by lighting the eyes and using rim or backlighting to better help my subjects stand out in their environments. I’Kia is glowing on this bleak day, and you’d never guess the weather conditions we were shooting in.

When I first started shooting, I got pretty obsessive about learning to light portraits. You can have the best scene in the best location, but if you don’t light it properly, you miss the full impact. I practiced, practiced, practiced, practiced–and I’m still practicing on every shoot.