you cannot move the lights more than about twenty-five feet from the power
pack.
Beforeyoubuyanything,defineexactlywhatyouwishtoshoot(Isitmod-
els only? Or do you also need to photograph products? Or other subjects?)
and what youmusthave to accomplish this objective. Studying the work and
types of equipment used by other professionals can help you here. Studio
strobe systems vary widely in price—from a few hundred dollars to tens of
thousands—butyoucanachieve excellentresultswithoutowningtop-of-the-
line products. Look for equipment that suits your budget and learn to use
that equipment to produce the results you want. Don’t get caught up in the
“latestandgreatest”craze,buyingequipmentyouwillonlyuseonceortwice.
As your requirements change, add a piece at a time. Learn to use what you
alreadyowntoproducepredictableresultsbeforeyouacquiresomethingelse.
As you see in this book, many photographs can be created with just one
light. If you wish to do actual studio work, however, I would recommend at
least three lights with variable power. The lights need to be able to accept
softboxes, umbrellas, or both (more on these in chapter 5). You’ll also need
heavy-duty stands (one with a boom arm for hair lights) and several sandbags
to stabilize the light stands.
Practical Example: Strobe for Consistent Results.For thisBillionaire
Mafiaposter (4-15), I needed to shoot multiple individual subjects moving
as if they were walking away from a tragic scene. Because the exact scene was
yet to be determined, I had to do this without knowing precisely how each
image would be blended together to create the final design.
The first challenge here was the lighting. Each subject needed to be shot
with similar lighting so the final image would be uniform, yet the look also
needed to be individualized sufficiently to enhance each actor’s unique look
and personality. To do this, I used a light setup that I call my basic lighting
(see the accompanying diagram). This is a very versatile setup that has three
majorbenefits.First,itcaneasilybetransportedtolocationshoots;itrequires
only three light sources, all of which can be easily carried. (Here, I’ve added
two lights on the background, as well, making it just slightly more complex).
Second,itallowsagreatdealofflexibilitybothforthephotographerandsub-
ject, especially when shooting an inexperienced model; no matter which way
the model turns, he/she is well lit. Third, it is nearly foolproof. It’s pretty, it’s
predictable, and it’s easy to set up.
Another challenge was creating the needed feeling of movement, even
thoughwe were shootingina studioona seamless backdrop. To achieve this,
I placed a piece of tape on the floor and had the model stand on the tape as
I pre-focused the camera at that spot. Then, I had the model move as close
to the background as possible and walk forward in an exaggerated motion
past the spot on the paper. When he/she hit the mark, I fired the camera. It
66 LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR PHOTOGRAPHING MODEL PORTFOLIOS
Each subject needed
to be shot with similar
lighting, so the
final image would be
uniform...