Thereisnothingmoreenergisingthan
afunportraitthatusesacreative
approach.Forthisshootingtutorial
we’regoingtoshowyouhowtocapturean
actionportraitusingtwoexternalflashguns,a
diffuserpanel,areflector,ablackbackdropand
abagofflour.
Whenitcomestofindingamodelyou’ll
needtofindawillingparticipantwhodoesn’t
mindgettingmessy.Forthisphotoshootwe
hadaminionewhowasmorethanhappy
togetcoveredfromheadtotoeinflour,and
hadagreattimeintheprocess!Weadvise
whenworkingwithchildrentogivestrong
andcleardirection,astheyareslightlymore
unpredictablethanadultswhenthrowingflour.
Flourisafinewhitesubstance,soitcan
bearealkitkiller.Ifyou’reworriedaboutyour
camera,placeitinabagortapeupanylarge
gapswhereyouthinktheflourmayseepin.
Weplacedaclearplasticbagoverourrear
flashgunthatwasinthemessyzone,and
throughouttheshootwekeptcheckingonand
dustingdownourgear.Finally,you’llneedtothinkaboutwhereyou
canshootthis.Doingitoutdoorsistrickyif
thereisanywind,soweoptedtoshootthis
setupinadustyworkshop,wheremakinga
messdidn’tmatter.Inset
Before the flour
Although this is a nicely lit image
by itself, the fun and charisma
of the shot comes with the flour
being thrown. Before the action,
check your background is dark
and the face is well litClaireGillorevealshowtolaunchflourintothemix
tocreatefunportraitsunderasimpleflashsetup
Ready, steady,
1
PreparethebackgroundFind a suitable
space and hang up a black or dark
background. It’s going to get covered in flour,
so pick a material that is washable, like a sheet,
or use a roll of paper you can replace. Make
sure you cover any kit you want to keep clean.2
ChoosecamerasettingsKeep in mind
that you need to sync the shutter speed
to the flash. For that reason we’re shooting in
Manual mode at 1/200 sec, and we have the
aperture set to f/9 and ISO at 100. Set your
focus to the single-point tracking feature.3
PlacekeylightSet up the key light (to
the camera’s right) and place a diffuser
panel in front of the flashgun for a softbox
effect. Take a test shot and change to full
power. Open the aperture up if you need more
light and are at maximum flash strength.All images © Claire Gillothrow!
SHOOTING SKILLS