Lighting Design For Commercial Portrait Photography : Fashion And Beauty, Lookbooks, Production Stills, Magazine Covers

Effective Commercial Portraiture Is Heavily Reliant On Clean, Crisp Lighting Looks That Emphasize Color, Contrast, Contours, And Texture To Allow Viewers Of Magazines, Newspapers, Television, And Movies To View A Product Or Model/celebrity In A Precise And Predetermined Way That Suits The Overall Marketing Campaign And Leaves Viewers With A Specific, Conscripted Feeling About The Product /person Being Shown. Crafting This Type Of Polished Lighting Requires Absolute Proficiency With The Tools Of The Trade, From Flash, To Beauty Lights, To Softboxes, To Gobos And Gels. It Also Requires Thinking Outside The Box To Create Lighting With A “hook”—a Certain Quality That Binds The Look To The Brand Identity And Can Be Carried Out Repeatedly Across Several Advertising Campaigns. Whether You Are Producing Album Cover Art, Lingerie Shoots For An Intimates Catalog, Or Production Stills For Television Shows Or Movies, Jennifer Emery Will Give You The Technical And Creative Skill Set You Need To Thrive Artistically, Work Efficiently With Models And Set Designers, And Win Repeat Clients. Beginning With Essential Strategies For Finding And Casting Talent, Paying/trading With That Talent, And Creating An Open Dialogue Throughout The Directorial Stages, Jennifer Builds A Solid Foundation From Which The Artistic Concept Can Spring Forth. In The Following Chapters, She Presents Text And Images That Will Instruct Readers On Creating Numerous Looks/projects, Including: (1) Beauty Lighting For Beauty/cosmetics Ads (2) High-key Lighting For A Magazine Cover Shoot, (3) Lighting Groups For A Movie/tv Poster, (4) Sculpting Light For Boudoir/lingerie/swimsuit/nude Photograph, (5) Working With Speedlights/flash For Editorial Fashion And Lifestyle Shoots, And (6) Lighting Exterior Locations For High Fashion And Fashion Editorial Work. Armed With These Skills, Photographers Will Be Able To Approach Any Commercial Lighting Job With A Repertoire Of Skills, An Ability To Overcome Challenges, And The Confidence Needed To Nail The Shot Every Time. Contents 3 About the Author 7 Introduction 8 My History 8 My Work Today 8 Commercial vs. Retail Photography 8 Application of the Book 9 Disclosure 9 1. Tools 10 Full-Frame Sensor DSLR Camera 10 Lenses 10 Zooms 10 Primes 11 Other Options 11 A Basic Kit 11 Speedlights/Flashes 11 Basic Considerations 11 TTL vs. Manual 12 Off-Camera Flash Accessories 12 Studio Strobes and Hot Lights 12 Strobes 12 Hot Lights 13 Mixing Sources 13 LIght Modifiers and Other Accessories 13 2. Producing a Commercial Shoot 14 How to Learn 14 Makeup 14 Wardrobe 15 Models 15 Equipment 15 Craft Service 15 Casting and Working with Models 16 Where to Find Models 16 Model Compensation 17 Working with Models 17 Communication Is Key 18 Conclusion 19 3. Beauty Lighting 20 Concept and Planning 20 Lighting 21 Bare Beauty Dish 22 Beauty Dish Plus Diffuser 23 Mola Plus a Background Light 24 Refining the Background Light 25 Sideways Clamshell Lighting 26 Traditional Clamshell Lighting 30 Creating Catchlights 33 Shapes 33 Ring Lights 35 Putting It All Together 37 Styling 37 Models 37 Formalize Your Agreement and Follow Through 37 4. High-Key Lighting 38 A Four-Light Setup 38 Equipment 38 Two Softboxes, Two Umbrellas 38 Four Umbrellas: Two Shoot-Through, Two Reflective 41 Controlling the Light 42 Working with Client Concepts 44 Magazine Cover Shoot 44 Shooting Tethered 44 High-Key with Props 46 Obscured White Backgrounds 46 Two-Light High-Key Headshots 49 5. Lighting Groups 50 Lighting Design 50 Large Sources 50 Modifiers 50 A Two-Umbrella Setup 51 A Simple Multiple-Light Setup 54 Planning and Production 54 Group Portrait 55 Individual Portraits 58 Drama with Multiple Lights and Gels 65 Group Cast Photo 65 Individual Cast Photos 66 Movie Poster with a Three-Light Design 70 Group Cast Portraits 70 Individual Cast Portraits 72 Even Lighting Is Critical 75 6. Body Contouring 77 If You Are Choosing the Models . . . 78 Promotional Portrait of an Athlete 80 Lighting 80 Posing 83 A Lookbook Test Shoot 85 Contouring with Negative Fill 87 Against a Black Backdrop 87 Posing and a Prop 89 Switching to a White Backdrop 90 A Little About Gobos 92 Posing with Gobos 94 7. Speedlight Techniques 97 Reflective Umbrellas 97 Even Lighting with Two Speedlights 97 Dramatic Lighting with One Speedlight 100 Adding a Snoot 102 Backlighting 104 Lighting Setup 104 Posing and Composition Refinements 105 Dragging the Shutter 106 Location Lighting 109 Need More Power? 110 8. Outdoor Images 112 Plan—But Be Prepared to Improvise 112 Overpowering the Sun 112 Ferris Wheel Fashion 112 Nuts and Bolts 114 Adding an ND Filter 114 Adding Fill Light 116 Using Lens Flare 118 The Basics 118 Exposure and Camera Position 119 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions . . . 119 Sunset and the Golden Hour 120 9. Putting It All Together 122 Concept 122 Lighting 122 Final Thoughts 124 Index 126