Hey this is Daniel Norton,
I'm here in my studio in New York City
with Marisa and we're gonna make a
pretty simple video today.
I get asked us a lot and normally
my answer is just kind of put the light
wherever it looks good, because people
ask me where do you put your lighting,
different lighting positions, and where
to start.
So I'm just gonna show a few
different kind of common lighting
positions.. just so you guys get a feel,
really really simple, single light.
I've got Profoto B1X.
I have it in my little schmear here...
this is the the shallow extra-small,
and I've got the the Canon camera here.
So first I'll make a shot at f/8 250,
with no flash okay?
So I always do this, and the main reason why I'm
doing this video is, because you want to
see the light that I'm creating, as you
can get an idea, so I'm just gonna start
with what I think is probably where most
people think to put the light when they
start the kind of the classic 45-degree
light.
So that's basically light more or
less in front of the model, so depending
on how you're doing this right?
We basically could end up with a shadow
coming this way.. right?
She's gonna get some nose shadow...
she's gonna get some light on the side of
her face, and maybe a little bit on the
other side depending
on where exactly you put the light.
So I'm gonna put it in TTL, so we should
be okay with that.
it's a single light with a
plain background, so we'll see how the
TTL works.
It's okay so I'm gonna just
fire my A light...
actually it's hah..
I always say put the light as close as you
can until it's in the shot...
and guess what it was in the shot.
Alright so, let me go here cool all
right... all right, classic shot, right we've
got the light here...
Backgrounds lit up of course...
because of where it is.
You've got some.. no shadow here,
because my light is more or less in front,
but to the side we have a little bit there.
If you want to do you.. you know,
Rembrandt look whatever,
you got to kind of tweak it over a
little bit more, or whatever, but this is
kind of 45.
It's not bad I think when
you're doing this, though you want to
consider height of the light right?
Right now I have it right more or less the
center of it, at her head level which is
I think what people say to do.
I tend to go a little bit higher, the reason for
that is.. I don't like my nose shadow to
come from the side, because rarely is the
light coming from the side like that.
You want the light to be a little bit high,
so I usually bring it up a little bit
and tilt it down.
So let's try that to change it up a bit,
so you can see the difference.. there!
So now we've got... kind
of the way I would do a 45 if I was
gonna do it right?
You've got this kind of side shadow,
which is not as nice and
then you get this thing, kind of cleaner..
45 look.. and you have shadow on the side
of the face.
You can definitely add a
reflector or something for feel..
if you want to do that.
If you wanted to do more
than.. a more dramatic shadow...
you could come more side lit.
So if I take my light and I bring it to the
side of her face..
what's gonna happen here is we're gonna
get basically our lights gonna come here.
It's gonna come across this side of her
face.
It'is gonna be in shadow depending on
how far forward this is.
We're gonna get some light or not..
on her eye.
We can probably take the modeling light in here..
see what it looks like..
Yes. And we can pretty much see.
I don't know how much you guys
can see that - she's gonna get next to no
light on her, her left side.
Let's try that right?
That's very, very, dramatic.
If you're going for something that's super
dramatic, then that might work for you.
It's not typically how I would shoot, you
know kind of a portrait, or a fashion
shot unless you had something really in mind.
You can also kind of split the difference
again, we're not gonna do every single
position here, but if I go like this we
can start to get that side light, but
also with some light coming forward.
Yeah we can see that there,
I'm getting a little bit of light on her face...
Right... now we've got that.
So again more dramatic, so now
you've got two different versions of the
side light, you know this is probably a
bit much I think.
This is probably more classically how you
do it because you want
to see her eyes...
you know in this kind of sense,
and then this is two versions of
kind of the 45 light again.
I think the second one is a little nicer
because that we raise the light up a bit.
So that being said, normally so we'll give
the.. we'll show the two like successful
shots right now...
normally what I would do when
photographing a female subject...
I say this all-time, is,
I like to put the light
in the center...
or would they call butterfly.
Partially because I like butterflies, but partially
because you know, what it's gonna do is
gonna give an even light across the face.
It's going to diminish most of the
shadow right?
So your shadows all gonna
come from the other side, and from the
top rather. It's gonna go down under her
neck, it's gonna oftentimes narrow the
face a bit.
So this is usually pretty
flattering for any kind of beauty look.
Again you want to kind of bring it up.
I'm gonna well I guess for consistency,
I'll leave it vertical, because we've
been vertical the whole time, but you
might want to go horizontal when you're
doing this.
So I am booming this...
I should put a sandbag on it..
Throw a sandbag on this bad boy...
that didn't work,
that was ineffective...
there it is, all right sandbags on there.
Let me take a peek, okay,
lights in the shot.
I'll make sure to take it down a smidge more...
I'm gonna raise it.
So oftentimes when your doing this kind of
light, you want enough light kind of
coming in front of her.. right?
We could partially light her, her body, but
also because... what's that?
I can see your body..
partially to light her body, but also
partially because am, oftentimes with this kind
of light, you're gonna want to use a
reflector to fill in.
So we'll just do that to kind of finish this right.
I think with most, in most cases, your
butterfly lighting, you're gonna want to
use a reflector.
Classic Brooklyn reflector... like that
baboom... and then lower it down.
Okay, so yes, totally in...
actually let me do it as I am probably
gonna have to go much lower.
Kick back what we can.
Okay there we go,
fills in a bit with with this more
three-quarter shot.
You might even want
to add some kind of like actual active fill..
like a yeah..
I'll get a little light there so we can see..
broke up a bit,
alright nice and simple, so the final way
which I wouldn't use that often, if it's
your only light, but that I sometimes
will light somebody, is to just light
them with a backlight for something dramatic.
So we'll drop this guy down to
come back up here.
So I'm using the same box and everything.
Now one of the things is important.
The reason why I don't normally,
I don't normally give like a straight answer exactly,
how you should do this is
because every person, every box, every
place you're gonna be is a little bit
different right?
So what you're gonna
have to do is this.
This is giving you a general idea what you're
gonna have to do is...
decide for yourself what is gonna
work for you, or not!
So yeah I move forward, basically.
So I'm basically I'm just gonna come back
and light her more or
less from the back.
Now this TTL is gonna
hate me here...
I think...
So we can see how it is there.
Yeah perfect, so this is gonna be kind of
dramatic right?
Even more so than the side light.
We don't really have any light
interface, but in this case I almost
never have her look towards the, the
camera, I have her look more that way ...
yeah so she's looking off,
right.. That way
we've got some light on her face.
So it's kind of almost like side lit but
she's turned right, so we've got that
kind of backlight.
The advantage to that versus the side lit
and not turning is
that with the way our body is shaped, and
stuff will look nicer.
So we've got basically backlight...
we have butterfly light.
We have kind of a 45-degree ish
slot... side light rather.
Then we have a 45,
and that gives us kind
of our basic kind of lighting patterns.
If you will you know with these what you
want to do when you first get a subject
in front of you.. is you want to do some
quick tests to see how you think lights
gonna fall on them, and what will look
the best, and also part of it has to do
with the mood you're trying to portray.
Okay? So I hope that's helpful, I know
it's pretty basic, and I want to keep it
really basic, so if we started adding
extra lights it might confuse the
situation, but essentially your key light
or your main light right, that's what's
shaping the models face or their body.
So you want to think about what shape do
you want to give it.
Do you want it to have some shadow, do
you want it to be a little bit moody,
or do you want to show
all the detail and you'll make your
lighting choice there...
where you're gonna
put your key light.
Once the key lights in place you can then
use fill so if you'd, if you like the butterfly pattern,
but it was too shadowy, you could
add a fill light, or a reflector, you know.
if you like the backlight, but you want
something... separation on the other side,
you could add another light.
Your key light is basically what you're
working off...
it's the first light you're gonna
get in place,
and the one you're gonna set up.
So be sure to follow Marisa.. she's a
brand new model...
she needs some followers...
we will put her information in the
description, yeah...
But be sure to follow me
@DanielNortonPhotographer
subscribe to Adorama TV,
and I'll see you next time OnSet.