Lighting Techniques for Photographing Model Portfolios: Strategies for Digital Photographers

(C. Jardin) #1
down to cover the mask of her face (the forehead, eyes, cheeks, nose, lips,
and chin). Two White Lightning strobes were aimed at the model’s garment
and goboed to prevent lens flare. With these lights, the correct white balance
(normal representation of colors) should be either a daylight or flash setting
on your camera’s menu. Setting the camera to a tungsten white balance pro-
duces a blue tonality that can lead to spectacularly beautiful images.
This is not a situation of right or wrong, good or bad; the only question is
whether or not the results meet your expectations—and the expectations of
the client who is paying you. For example, this would not be an appropriate
technique to try if you knew that the client required accurate color to show
a garment or product packaging. (Note:When you take a job from a com-
mercial client, there will normally be an art department or, at minimum, a

2-14(right), 2-15(topleft), 2-16(bottom
left).Changes in white balance and ex-
posure are a simple way to add variety.
In image 2–14, the white-balance and
exposure were set to match the flash. In
image 2-15, the exposure remained the
same, but the white-balance setting was
changed to tungsten. In image 2-16, the
white-balance setting was left on tung-
sten, but the image was overexposed by
one stop.

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