You can’t always predict the weather. When you’re out on a one-day model shoot, you have to be able to think on your feet. Here’s a video where Washington, D.C. native Tim Coburn travels all the way to Ocean City, Maryland for a fashion shoot–only to find rainy grey skies upsetting his beach shots:
The video is a great tutorial on how to handle multiple lighting scenarios with minimal equipment. Tim’s going for a simple commercial look, so he doesn’t need a lot of heavy contrast or stark lighting.
Tips for Fashion Photography Lighting
- Use a large panel for primary lighting (Tim uses a 4×7 panel, but any reflector will do)
- Have your model facing away from the sun for a rim lighting effect
- Think of a hazy sun as a giant softbox backlight, rather than your focal light
A 4×7 panel reflector is a great tool for fashion photography.
The reflector fills in shadows.
The sun peaks out partway through the day, so they switch locations to a tree-lined sidewalk, where Tim gets his model to dance around and move a bit. He uses the spots of light through the trees to create a more vibrant, textured series than you’d see in most ordinary studio shots. They move on to a variety of locations, demonstrating how a simple reflector can shape light in any situation.
Asking your model to move around creates playful images.
A light-hearted image from the shoot.
“One of the things I like to do is get the model to move. You can get some nice, playful shots that you can’t get when you’re posing.”
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Cool, Ocean City is only 20 minutes from me. Great tips.
I liked a lot your style, letting the model move around and getting the most out of her beauty, not to mention the smart use of natural lighting. Congrats!