One light studio setups are popular for portrait photography, not only for their convenience but also because they produce gorgeous results. They’re especially great for black and white portraits because they bring an elegant simplicity to the shots. If this is something you want to practice, we have just the quick demo for you to check out!

In the video above, Canadian portrait photographer Nathan Elson shared some behind the scenes of a lovely black and white portrait he took with a single light. First, he talked briefly about the gear he used and how he positioned the light source as close as possible to the model. This placement produced the beautiful transition effect from bright to dark parts of the image, and the sculpting effect of the light source. Then, he noted that the metering for the strobe should match the settings on your camera. Combine all of these together with a black and white preset, tweak it if necessary and you get a simple but polished portrait!

Want more black and white photography tips like this? Make sure you’ve already joined the Photofocus Community so you can ask your fellow photographers for their insights!