Sara will soon be auditioning for grad school, so she needed some updated headshots to send with her applications. Break a leg Sara!! If you're a photographer, try to guess the lighting and location... it's my secret weapon! ;)
I too am saying natural light....garage...with paper background...open garage door, have client sitting on stool and there you go...covered light with some bounce from the cement and open door. I shoot all me senior headshots this way and the opening of my website with my daughter laughing is this as well....cheap and VERY effective!!!
I find that parking garages are some of the BEST places to take studio style portraits for several reasons... - You can never beat the quality and intensity of natural light - You can be in "open shade" and still have a stream of beautiful soft directional light - You either have a great colored wall or a near perfect 18% gray cement background to work with, and sometimes even some interesting textures and graphic elements - It's often free or very inexpensive to shoot there - You're covered from the elements, but may still be able to snag a soft breeze for a little bit of hair movement if you need it
So, there ya' go. If you don't have a studio of your own, go out and find your closest parking garage. ;)
edit: obviously it would have to be an above-ground garage!! HA!!
One more note... what makes light soft or harsh is not only its distance to the subject, but how large it is, and with a parking garage, you can often get a much larger stream of light than you could ever get in a studio. AND... you don't have to wait for your strobes to recycle, or worry about your subject being affected by flash.
oh my god, these are amazing! I can't believe it's really a parking garage! almost makes me glad they built one across the street from us... I will try it out!
Anne, those pictures were awesome! And the parking lot reference reminds me of Kevyn Major Howard's work with headshots -- he works out of his garage with I what I think is one reflector for fill. Great stuff!
Is this my own personal favourite form of lighting - window light??
ReplyDeleteis it in a parking garage?
ReplyDeleteI too am saying natural light....garage...with paper background...open garage door, have client sitting on stool and there you go...covered light with some bounce from the cement and open door.
ReplyDeleteI shoot all me senior headshots this way and the opening of my website with my daughter laughing is this as well....cheap and VERY effective!!!
Good luck to her!
Lisa nailed it!
ReplyDeleteI find that parking garages are some of the BEST places to take studio style portraits for several reasons...
- You can never beat the quality and intensity of natural light
- You can be in "open shade" and still have a stream of beautiful soft directional light
- You either have a great colored wall or a near perfect 18% gray cement background to work with, and sometimes even some interesting textures and graphic elements
- It's often free or very inexpensive to shoot there
- You're covered from the elements, but may still be able to snag a soft breeze for a little bit of hair movement if you need it
So, there ya' go. If you don't have a studio of your own, go out and find your closest parking garage. ;)
edit: obviously it would have to be an above-ground garage!! HA!!
ReplyDeleteOne more note... what makes light soft or harsh is not only its distance to the subject, but how large it is, and with a parking garage, you can often get a much larger stream of light than you could ever get in a studio. AND... you don't have to wait for your strobes to recycle, or worry about your subject being affected by flash.
oh my god, these are amazing! I can't believe it's really a parking garage! almost makes me glad they built one across the street from us... I will try it out!
ReplyDelete2 word anne! YOU ROCK. thanks for the tips - i love you more each time i visit.
ReplyDeletelove the shots! thanks for sharing your cool spot.
ReplyDeleteAnne, those pictures were awesome! And the parking lot reference reminds me of Kevyn Major Howard's work with headshots -- he works out of his garage with I what I think is one reflector for fill. Great stuff!
ReplyDelete