Fashion Portrait Lighting Techniques

Introduction

Objective: Teach three ways to light a fashion portrait: soft light, hard light, and color gels.
Focus: Help photographers master studio lighting through practical video tutorials.

Purpose: Full-body portraits with a refined, elegant feel.
Equipment:
- Lenchrome 190 cm indirect octabox
- Mole Richardson 412 fresnel with Lenchrome 1 and CTO gels
- No Vflat initially, but used later to adjust shadow contrast
Setup Details:
- Octabox on camera right, metered at f8
- Fresnel metered at f2.8
- Feathered lighting to darken the floor and background
- Used a Canon RF70-200mm F4 lens with a 1/8 black pro mist filter
Camera Settings: 1/200th sec at f8, ISO 100
Backdrop: Cool gray painted canvas
Post-Production:
- Enhancements: Abs, arm, pants, floor color, and skin tone adjustments

Purpose: High-end magazine look emphasizing texture and attitude
Equipment:
- Two strobes with grid reflectors
- Vflat and 4x4 floppy for shadow creation
Setup Details:
- Main light on camera right, flagged to create dramatic shadows
- Kicker light on camera left with a 30° grid
- Both lights set at 1/200th sec at f8, ISO 100
Flash Duration:
- Action mode for freezing motion
- Standard vs. Action mode comparison
Post-Production:
- Capture 1's beyond film styles to tint shadows and warm up skin tone

Purpose: Transition from showing clothing to a complete visual experience
Equipment:
- Three strobes with grid reflectors and Rosco color gels
- Initial colors: Cyan, magenta, yellow. Switched to red, green, blue.
Setup Details:
- Colors combined for secondary colors (cyan, magenta, yellow)
- Red and blue strobes positioned to minimize blending
- Fourth light for background illumination
Final Result: Tetradic color harmony with vibrant combinations
Styling: From dark jacket to yellow polo for varied tones
Tips:
- Meter lights for balanced color blending