Amateur Photographer – 13 July 2019

34 13 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

O

ne of the biggest stumbling

blocks for those who want

to explore studio portrait

lighting is the practicalities

of flash photography. Flash adds a layer

of complexity that has little to do with

the light itself, and more to do with the

method of delivery. It’s impossible to judge

the strength or quality of flash by eye, so it

must be metered and tested until it looks

right. By contrast, lighting with LEDs

removes that layer of complexity. The

constant output means there is no need for

light meters or test shots; you can simply

judge the direction and quality of the light

by eye, then get on with taking the shot.

When it comes to lighting a portrait,

being able to control the direction and

quality of light is crucial. It’s the direction

that gives you shape and form, while the

quality of the light dictates the hardness

of shadows. Seeing the play of light over a

face frees you up to make adjustments so

that it falls exactly where you want it to. It

can mean the difference between a gentle

highlight along the cheek and an ugly

shadow cast by the nose.

Using multiple lights

The fine degree of control you get with

constant LED lighting becomes more

helpful when you combine two or more

lights. The portraits over the following

pages were taken with a combination of

Rotolight AEOS and NEO 2 LEDs. The

strong output, portability and quality of

the light makes the Rotolight AEOS an

ideal light for a shoot like this, while the

ALL PICTURES © JAMES PATERSON

Technique LIGHTING SET-UPS FOR PORTRAITS

Build

the light

James Paterson explains how to craft classic

lighting set-ups using Rotolight LEDs

James Paterson

James is an award-winning journalist, skilled

photo editor and photographer. His work has

appeared in countless magazines and books,

and in 2014, he was appointed editor of Practical

Photoshop magazine. To see more of his work,

visit http://www.patersonphotos.com.

smaller NEO 2 combines a powerful

output with a diminutive, go-anywhere

body. The AEOS produces a soft-but-hard

quality of light that’s akin to a beauty dish.

When using two or more of these lights,

it’s easy to control the balance of

highlights and shadows as you can dial in

as much or as little light as you need using

the percentage dials on the back (or, if

it’s easier, the dedicated True Aperture

Dimming™ mode). With instant feedback,

it takes seconds to assess the correct

output for the shot. A key and fill set-up,

for example, can be arranged in no time.

Understanding ratios

One perceived drawback of LED lighting

is the maximum output – powerful as they

are, these lights are not going to compete

with flash in terms of strength. But in

many shooting scenarios the benefits of

lighting with an LED like the Rotolight

AEOS outweighs this. As well as the

ease of use you get with a constant light,

there’s also colour-temperature control;

portability; long battery life; and when

you really need an extra stop, the option to

switch to an HSS flash mode that doubles

the maximum constant output. Besides,

with modern camera sensors ever

improving in their low-light performance,

photographers are not as uncomfortable

as they used to be shooting upwards of

ISO 400. What’s more, rather than talk in

terms of output, studio photographers will

often describe lighting patterns as a ratio,

such as 2:1 (1 stop difference), 4:1 (2 stops)

or 8:1 (3 stops). Thus, it’s not so much the

overall output that’s important, but how

one light works with another. And when

crafting a multiple-light set-up, the

Rotolights are a joy to work with.

Building the light

When two lights complement one another,

the results can be wonderful. But finding

the sweet spot between them isn’t always

easy. Whether using flash or LEDs, a

common mistake is to turn all the lights

on and then attempt to assess the overall

look. It might look good, but if it doesn’t,

then it can be tricky to determine which

light needs adjusting. It’s often easier to

build the lights, one at a time. This way

you can start by positioning one light –

usually your main or ‘key’ light – then

add a second from another direction,

and perhaps even a third. It’s a methodical

approach that takes the guesswork

out of multiple-light set-ups.

Using constant LED lighting enables you to combine multiple lights easily

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