Pascal Baetens. Nude Photography. The Art and The Craft. 2007

70 exploring techniques

studio lighting

Working with studio lighting can be a frustrating exercise

if you find yourself adjusting and readjusting a number of

lights, unable to get them right. i find the easiest way is to

put the lights in place one by one, beginning with the main

light. i position that to get the overall effect i want, and only

when i am completely satisfied that i have got everything

i can from it do i go on to put a second light in place to

soften the shadows or highlight another part of the image

or the background. When this feels right, i then add a third

light, and so on. if you set up too many lights at once you

risk confusion as to exactly what each light is really

contributing to your setup.

Frontal lighting

one frontal spotlight gives a similar

effect to an on-camera flash,

rather like police mugshots and

amateur snapshots, and for this

reason it is used for grunge and

deliberately “amateur” images.

Side lighting from the right

one softbox placed at the right

side of the model sculpts his body

and lights his face. this is ideal

lighting for fine art nudes, but

looking into the flash may be

uncomfortable for the model.

Lighting from below

light coming from directly below

the model gives a dramatic,

cinematic, and rather sinister

effect. it is most often used to give

the immediate impression that the

subject is someone to be feared.

Side lighting from the left

With the model in the same pose,

this gives a similar but reversed

effect as lighting from the right.

Because the model’s right hand

is on top of the left it is fully lit, but

his face is now lost in shadow.