Lighting Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios: Strategies for Digital Photographers

sexy to add a new dimension to her portfo-

lio. Because of Jen’s schedule, the shoot

had to be scheduled in the afternoon. As a

result,we were shootinginbrightsunlight.

This shot was taken when the sun had

started to drop, but was still not in the

“golden hour”; the sun was still bright and

the lighting was very high in contrast.

Harder, more directional light is good for

texture, such as in the jacket, but requires

that the model close her eyes until the mo-

ment of the shutter clicks. As we were

shooting, I noticed the pattern of light on

the buildingandmovedthe modelintothe

area, thus capturing this shot. If you are

shooting a model in full sun and the em-

phasis is on the model, have her turn her

face toward the sun. Instruct the model to

close her eyes, then open them when you

cue her for the shot. If the emphasis is on

thegarmentsratherthanthemodel(forex-

ample, in a catalog shoot), simply have the

model wear sunglasses or look away.

So,directsunlightisharsh.Butarethere

ways to find softer sunlight effects? Ab-

solutely. When the sky is covered with

clouds, the sun lights the clouds, and the

clouds—a massive light source that, rela-

tively speaking, are a lot closer to us than

the sun—castsoftlightonour subjects.Ef-

fectively, light cloud cover turns the sun into one huge softbox, softening the

hard light. Colors are more vibrant, shadows recede, and the contrast be-

tween shadows and highlight is much lower. This light can be beautiful and

especially flattering to a model’s face and figure.

Direction of the Light.

In addition to its quality, you must also consider the direction of the light. As

notedabove,lightthatcomes fromoverheadis usually notflattering,because

it creates dark shadows on the eyes. Instead, look for light that strikes the

subject from another angle.

Front Light.Lightthatcomesfromdirectlyinfrontofthesubjectiscom-

monly used in beauty photography because it tends to smooth the skin and

THE PHYSICS OF LIGHT 35

2-6.When the sun is too harsh, consider
moving inside to use window light. This
can be a very flattering light source—
especiallyiflarge windowsareavailable.