How to Use Venetian Blinds in Portrait Photography

Photography Tips  •  Portrait Photography

One great thing about working in a studio is how you can find so many things laying around that you can use in your photography. And it’s not necessary that they be specifically related to photography. For instance, as we’ll see in today’s video, even something as common as Venetian blinds can do a great job. Photographer Gavin Hoey from Adorama shows us how he uses Venetian blinds in three different ways to create unique looks:

Venetian blinds are typically used to partially block light. Because they’re not blackout-strong, they work great as light modifiers. The shadows that the blinds cast can work a great deal in adding depth and drama to the image. However, there are a couple of things that you must pay attention to.

To begin with, it is essential to understand that prominent shadows require a hard light source. So there may be a couple of changes to make to your setup. Hoey achieves some beautiful shadows by increasing the distance between the blinds and the light, and by replacing the reflector on his light with a smaller one. This makes the light source act as a smaller light source.

The great thing about using Venetian blinds is how you can easily change the shape and direction of the shadows by opening or closing the blinds, and by raising or lowering the light respectively.

Using these basic principles, Hoey demonstrates how you can easily achieve images with the following different looks:

• Shadows on the model and the background
• Shadows on the model only while using a black background
• The blinds as a part of the image

Be sure to watch the complete video to see how Hoey achieves some incredible shots using these methods. If you happen to have a Venetian blind at your place, why not give it a shot? We’d love to hear about your experience.