This is how I light some of my street portraits using the two point lighting technique that I learned way back in the 1980s while I was training at the BBC. The two point light principle is simplicity itself with the subject being lit from two opposing directions with the light sources are 180 degrees apart. It doesn’t get any more complicated than that but there are a few things I’d like to share with you.
It doesn’t matter what you use as a light source. I regularly find natural light to act as one or both of the sources and if the sun is out I always make use of it either directly or reflected off a window. Point of note: Reflected sunlight can be tolerated by a model or client without the need for sunglasses or squinting.
Shooting with filtered light was a fad, a craze that has passed for now. It is used occasionally in commercial shooting too and I’ll share a bridal collection I shot with mixed colour lighting at some point soon. When you study these pictures for the lighting clues remember that the light is 180 degree opposed. The camera position is irrelevant relative to the lighting angle. Two of the three shots above have the camera immediately below the light and the shot below has the camera at 90 degrees to the light. Get the light and subject directions right and you can shoot from anywhere.
What is really important is the direction of light relative to the subject. You will notice that the key light in all these pictures is ‘straight down the nose’. It’s a phrase I use to describe my lighting angles and principally it means that if the subjects nose was really long like Pinocchio’s it would touch the lighting stand. So I have only gone for eye contact when I am under the light.
Two point lighting is the most versatile lighting design for shooting fashion or beauty on the street. Having a back light elevates the pictures to a more polished state. Take a look at any CSI tv show or 24 etc and freeze frame as you go. You will see two point lighting on just about every scene if not every shot.
Flash and the unexpected mirrorless camera advantage. I use the Fujifilm X-Pro1 for nearly all my work these days and I use the Fujifilm X100 for all the rest. I still have my Nikon system with the trilogy of f/2.8 pro zooms and my Canon system with a fabulous set of prime lenses including the Zeiss 21mm but they stay at the studio largely gathering dust these days. A modern mirrorless camera is all I need and want to use. When I shoot flash and want to work the lens wide open I put a x32 ND filter on the lens and open it up. Instead of shooting in bright conditions using ISO 200, 1/125th second and f/16, I can shoot at ISO 200, 1/125th second at f/2.8 with the ND filter. The electronic viewfinder compensates straight away and I have a fully bright viewfinder, fast accurate focussing and perfect exposures. With an SLR the process is a bit of a faff. I can’t use ND filters because I can’t see the shot through the viewfinder. So I use high speed sync. This works fine occasionally but it needs a degree in tech and fiddling to get right. Even with the most expensive systems out there I suffer from errors usually caused by me I have to say. With an ND filter on a mirrorless camera I don’t have to think.
ND (neutral density) comparison chart
1 stop = ND 0.3 or *2ND
2 stops= ND 0.6 or *4ND
3 stops = ND 0.9 or *8ND
4 stops = ND 1.2 or *16ND
5 stops = ND 1.5 or *32ND
10 stops = ND 3 or *1024ND – (Lee big stopper, B&W f-pro 110, Tiffen ND3 etc)
I hope you find this useful. You can connect with me by leaving a comment below or visit my website Damien Lovegrove. You can also connect with me on my Google+ page.
If you would like to join me on a workshop or at a seminar in the US please email Blaise at my studio to register your interest. I’ll be at a cattle ranch in Oklahoma and a boutique hotel in Chicago. Where else should I be heading in 2014? Let Blaise know your thoughts.
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Loved this! The power and versatility of speed lights goes overlooked way too often. I’ll be trying out this technique at a wedding I’m shooting this weekend.
Thank you for your kind comments. For those of you who like to shoot TTL I have a video download called Speedlight Mastery. It is Nikon and Canon friendly and covers Nikon CLS, Canon TTL and Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5. You can check out a free chapter here.
One quick q.. when you shoot from the key light position (like grid #7 or grid #3 top left photo), the 2nd light (back or rim light) has to be hidden behind the model to avoid the flare. Do you position it lower to the ground and aim it up in this case?
Hi Martin, thanks for your kind words. I usually have the second light high like the sun. Light from low angle is scary at best. Some wedding photographers do it to create an effect but I like my light sources to be elevated. I move the stand just out of shot to one side if I have to. I hope this helps, Damien.
Loved this! The power and versatility of speed lights goes overlooked way too often. I’ll be trying out this technique at a wedding I’m shooting this weekend.
Thank you for your kind comments. For those of you who like to shoot TTL I have a video download called Speedlight Mastery. It is Nikon and Canon friendly and covers Nikon CLS, Canon TTL and Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5. You can check out a free chapter here.
One quick q.. when you shoot from the key light position (like grid #7 or grid #3 top left photo), the 2nd light (back or rim light) has to be hidden behind the model to avoid the flare. Do you position it lower to the ground and aim it up in this case?
Hi Martin, thanks for your kind words. I usually have the second light high like the sun. Light from low angle is scary at best. Some wedding photographers do it to create an effect but I like my light sources to be elevated. I move the stand just out of shot to one side if I have to. I hope this helps, Damien.
Yes, always above the eyes for the keylight. If the bottom of a nose is brighter than the top the light is too low. Unless it is for Halloween. :)
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Beautiful work, very insightful post. Thank you..
Great article, thanks for the thorough explanation!
Thanks for sharing your experience! very cool stuff!
Hi Damien,
Love your work and this article is great. Something to try out now.
many thanks for sharing
Gary
Brilliant editorial. Thank you
Loved this! The power and versatility of speed lights goes overlooked way too often. I’ll be trying out this technique at a wedding I’m shooting this weekend.
Thank you for your kind comments. For those of you who like to shoot TTL I have a video download called Speedlight Mastery. It is Nikon and Canon friendly and covers Nikon CLS, Canon TTL and Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5. You can check out a free chapter here.
Hi Damien, great article and example as always.
One quick q.. when you shoot from the key light position (like grid #7 or grid #3 top left photo), the 2nd light (back or rim light) has to be hidden behind the model to avoid the flare. Do you position it lower to the ground and aim it up in this case?
Thanks.
Hi Martin, thanks for your kind words. I usually have the second light high like the sun. Light from low angle is scary at best. Some wedding photographers do it to create an effect but I like my light sources to be elevated. I move the stand just out of shot to one side if I have to. I hope this helps, Damien.
Got it, Damien. Thanks. And the key light is about the face height or just slight elevated (judging by the nose shadows on your photos), right?
Going to practice this set up over the weekend :)
Yes, always above the eyes for the keylight. If the bottom of a nose is brighter than the top the light is too low. Unless it is for Halloween. :)
How do you mount the ND filters on the Fuji X100 camera? Are they screw in filters or Lee or Cokins filters with a holder?
Beautiful work and very nice article. Thank you for sharing this information.
the beauty portraits of the lighting stand to capture is best.
Great article, thanks for the thorough explanation!
Brilliant editorial. Thank you
Thanks for sharing your experience! very cool stuff!
Beautiful work, very insightful post. Thank you..
Hi Damien,
Love your work and this article is great. Something to try out now.
many thanks for sharing
Gary
the beauty portraits of the lighting stand to capture is best.
How do you mount the ND filters on the Fuji X100 camera? Are they screw in filters or Lee or Cokins filters with a holder?
Loved this! The power and versatility of speed lights goes overlooked way too often. I’ll be trying out this technique at a wedding I’m shooting this weekend.
Thank you for your kind comments. For those of you who like to shoot TTL I have a video download called Speedlight Mastery. It is Nikon and Canon friendly and covers Nikon CLS, Canon TTL and Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5. You can check out a free chapter here.
Beautiful work and very nice article. Thank you for sharing this information.
Hi Damien, great article and example as always.
One quick q.. when you shoot from the key light position (like grid #7 or grid #3 top left photo), the 2nd light (back or rim light) has to be hidden behind the model to avoid the flare. Do you position it lower to the ground and aim it up in this case?
Thanks.
Hi Martin, thanks for your kind words. I usually have the second light high like the sun. Light from low angle is scary at best. Some wedding photographers do it to create an effect but I like my light sources to be elevated. I move the stand just out of shot to one side if I have to. I hope this helps, Damien.
Got it, Damien. Thanks. And the key light is about the face height or just slight elevated (judging by the nose shadows on your photos), right?
Going to practice this set up over the weekend :)
Yes, always above the eyes for the keylight. If the bottom of a nose is brighter than the top the light is too low. Unless it is for Halloween. :)