This article is from 4th issue of OTS E-Magazine Pages 42-43
Creating Edgy Portraiture with Split Lighting By Paul LARA
Location shooting allows you to present models in the real world surrounded by a lot of structures that the model can interact with but location shooting also carries a certain amount of ambient illumination that gives you less flexibility than shooting portraits in an indoor studio environment.
One of the most common lighting setups used in portraiture, whether employing hot lights or strobes is the high-key 3-point illumination. This involves using a couple of lights fired at the background to overexpose it, creating a pure, white wash of light behind the model. The model needs to be 10 or 15 feet in front of the back wall and the back lights need to be flagged with barn doors or grids so they don’t illuminate the model. The model is lit with three lights (thus, the phrase 3-point lighting):
- A key light at 45 degrees off axis from model and camera
- A fill light at 45 degrees off axis from the model and camera
- A back light (also known as a ‘hair light’) above and behind the model
This lighting is great to use for catalog shooting, where you want the clothes and accessories very well lit. Here is a diagram as seen from above.
There are times, however, when you want something a little edgier and more dramatic.
Time to try split lighting.
This is a simple technique with just two lights that creates a faint, dark vertical horizon across the front of the model with highlights appearing on the sides. It involves setting the lights much wider than the typical 45-degree angle – almost hitting opposite sides as they face back toward the model. To maximize the contrast in the shot and the dark horizon, it helps to use a darker background of gray or black. I used a large soft box and a strip light (which is just a very narrow soft box). I applied a grid on both strobes to eliminate minimize light spilling onto the grey background.
This was my light setup as seen from above.
Note the unusual shadows across Gabi’s cheek and the shadow running down her arm and thigh.
While this setup may have limited uses, it is something I use to help accentuate edginess, drama or just a lot of attitude. So, don’t be afraid to get indoors and experiment with unusual lighting. If your attempts don’t create a suitable shot, just try something else. As photographers, our greatest tool is not that spiffy new DSLR, but light. It is our brush with which we paint and sculpt.
I’d love to hear your ideas for creative lighting, and if you have any questions, please e-mail me at photo.tx@gmail.com
Paul Lara is a life-long photographer and owner of LARA images in San Antonio, TX.
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