Basic Lighting for Portrait Photography

Lighting  •  Photography Tips  •  Portrait Photography

Lighting can be one of the most challenging aspects of photography, but something every photographer should strive to learn more about, no matter what their skill level. This new eBook is designed to lead you on a path of learning by doing using realistic example images from real client situations.

Basic Lighting for Portrait Photography

This eBook is intended for photographers at a beginner and intermediate level where lighting is concerned. There is a lot of beginner material that won’t be of much use to the advanced photographer who already knows everything there is to know about studio lighting. The emphasis is on studio lighting, not natural light.

Topics covered in This eBook include the fundamentals of gear and lighting options and modifiers, traditional portrait lighting patterns, one-light setups, multiple-light setups (main, fill, hair, background light), classic portraits, headshots, full-length lighting, white background lighting, and other topics.

Chapter List (117 Pages):

• Introduction
• Light Sources and Gear
• Three Types of Light
• Basic Lighting for any Budget
• Light Stands
• Lighting Modifiers
• Starting Points
• Backgrounds
• Light Meters
• Portrait Lighting Basics
• Lighting for Faces
• The Five Basic Lighting Patterns
• Flat vs Dimensional Lighting
• Background and Environment Considerations
• What Else Makes a Good Portrait
• Dramatic Portraits
• Everything Starts with One Light
• Adding Fill Light
• Adding Hair Light
• Adding Background Light
• Side Lighting
• Single Side Light Profile
• Split Lighting
• Two Side Lights
• Adding Fill Light
• Halo/Hair Rim Light
• Full-Length Lighting
• One Light From Above
• Two Lights for More Coverage
• Big Softbox without the Box
• Wall Bounce for Bigger Light
• Another Solution: Move the Light Farther Away

Pages from Basics of Portrait Photography

• Lighting for Headshots
• It Begins with One Light, But You Already Knew That
• The Fill Light
• The Hair Light
• The Background
• Clamshell Lighting
• Headshots come in many styles
• The White Background
• White Backgrounds are Easy
• A White Background Isn’t Always White
• The Basic White Background
• Wrap-Around Lighting
• The Light Source as Background
• One Light Can Work
• Freestyle Lighting
• Conclusion

The illustrations mostly feature main and fill lighting represented by small flash units modified with shoot-through umbrellas. However, any of the light sources can be replaced by other types of lighting and modifiers to suit your particular needs.