Crossfire Lighting

Crossfire Lighting.

Good morning everyone. Today I am going to show you a great way to simulate the sun in a photograph if you have no sun. It may also be suitable it you are photographing on an overcast day and your client may have wanted to have a backlit photograph with the sun shining through onto the hair.

This is the lighting setup that you could use when shooting for this type of photograph. You could use two strobe units or if you only have a single strobe, adding a reflector can help light the face as well.

Your background can be any background,just ensure that you select a background that does not detract from your subject. Using a shallow depth of field will also help in making sure your subjects stands out.

To get  great sunlight effect against your subject hair. I would suggest using a light meter and look to obtain an exposure of f11at 1/250 sec on the back of the hair. You will have to shoot in manual mode. Your sync shutter speed will depend on the type of camera that you have.

Your key light should be approximately 2-stops lower at approximately f8. Using your light meter you can adjust your strobes accordingly.

The tricky part when using the reflector though would be to ensure that you have enough light bounce from your hair light at the back of your subject. Make sure that you have the reflector close enough to your subject and try changing the reflection surface. Use silver or white and try an obtain the results you desire.

Here are two images. One with the strobe lights and the other with the reflector. See if you can identify each setting.

 

There is a distinct difference. The entire look a feel can change giving your photograph a completely different “feeling”

I think it all comes down to what equipment you have to work with and what your client would like to achieve.

It is a simple setup that can work anywhere. Indoors and out and also great for any location shoot because you need the minimum of equipment.

Have a great day everyone. Keep on photographing.

Denzil

Ps: Please let me know if you have any suggestions or would like to see something you are working on in this Ambassador blog.