Basic Multiple Light Setup

for Portraiture

A quick and easy way to produce professional-quality portraits with more than just a single light source. Give your pictures a extra punch with hairlight and/or backlight!

This is a simple and effective way to achieve a professional presentation and result without paying the high price. Featured in CAI Cameras basic portrait seminar, the same setup and principles may be applied with different brands or models of studio lights. Studio expert Ron Jung recommends JTL Versalight series (monolights) for beginners or serious enthusiasts, and Speedotron Blackline series for pro and experienced photographers.

Equipment Overview

Main light- For single or couple portrait, a 200ws to 300ws strobe flash is sufficient. For bigger studio or bigger group, consider higher power units. Mounted with a rectangular softbox in vertical orientation. Softbox size is usually the bigger, the softer. A popular choice is 48"x32". The light stand should be telescopic so the height can be adjusted depending on the subject's height. Usually an 8' stand is preferred. The main light is slightly above subject's eye level. Move to the side for more contrast on the facial features, or move towards the front for flatter lighting.

Fill light- Usually the same model as the main light, but dialed down. The ratio could be 1:2 or 1:3. An easy way to determine the fill light setting is to set it the same as the main light, but place the light twice or triple time the distance away from the subject. Softbox used on the fill light can be smaller, such as 24"x24" square size. Fill light should be placed to fill in the shadow created by the main light. Use the modeling lamp to decide the angle to place the fill light.

Backlight- (behind the subject, not shown in the picture.) Purpose of the backlight is to light up the background so it is at the right exposure as the subject. It should be placed between the subject and the background, pointing at the background. Backlight is not always necessary, but highly recommended if 1) shooting against and producing a pure white background such as fashion catalog shots, 2) bringing out the details on a very dark-colored backdrop, or 3) shooting against a background with colors that are very similar to those of the subject. The backlight provides separation between subjects and the background and thus creates dimensions in a photo. Also, color gel can be placed in front of the backlight to change colors on neutral-color backdrops without affect the colors of the subject. No softbox necessary, but a reflector (either standard or wide angle) is highly recommended. Use a short stand such as the JTL 300 or C-stand turtle base.

Hairlight- An accent light to highlight the hair and separate it from blending into the background. Usually placed on a boom, tilted slightly away from the camera to avoid lens flare. Height is based on preference- lower (closer to the subject) for wider coverage or higher (away from the subject) for smaller highlight. A narrow softbox is usually recommended because of less contaminated light overspilling to the front and back of the subject. Also, a strip box is usually long enough to cover multiple heads or add in highlights on the shoulders for single-person portraits. JTL 10"x36" or Westcott 12"x36" or 12"x50" are all good choices.

How to take the shot

Start with both the main light and the fill light at 45-degree angle, one on each side. Camera should be at least 5 feet away from the subject. Use a standard to medium telephoto lens for portraiture (80-135mm in 35mm equivalent, or approximately 50-90mm in digital SLRs with APS-size sensors). If using a zoom lens, it is best to fix the lens at the ideal range, and move the camera front and back for composition. Backdrop should be placed at least 6' away from the subject. This way there can be enough room for a backlight, and the backdrop could fall off the focal range for a blurred effect. Set the camera in manual mode and set the shutter speed at the sync speed of the camera. For digital SLRs, it is usually between 1/125 to 1/250 second. Then use a light meter to measure the aperture and set the camera f-stop according. If shooting without a light meter, start with f/5.6 and do trial-and-error to find the correct exposure. For portraiture, wider aperture is usually preferred because of the shallower depth of field. F/2.8 is often used for single-person or beauty shots. However, be careful of where the focal range falls off. Focus should be on the eyes, but other facial features should stay relatively sharp as well. For group shots or to keep props/ backgrounds in focus, the aperture could be as small as f/11. Adjust the aperture setting on the camera if the overall exposure needs to be brighter or darker. Adjust individual lights if only particular areas of the image need exposure change. If using a powerpack system such as Speedotron lights, refer to the chart on the powerpack and connect the lights to appropriate channel for the desired lighting ratio.