imagewasgoingtobeblack&white.Ifyoushootwithgelsforblack&white
you don’t get a clean white; every color reproduces differently in black &
white.) As you can see in the accompanying diagram, a gobo was also used to
prevent the backlight from hitting the camera lens.
Photoshopwasusedtoconvertthephototoblack&white.(Note:Youcan
go to Image > Adjustments > Black & White to do this, or consult a Photo-
shop book for other techniques.) Then, I made a copy of the image, which
was flipped to create the reflection. Because I used the backlight to create a
shadowinfrontofthesubject,shelookedgrounded.Thisallowedmetosim-
ply blend the inverted image together with her shadows from the original
image.Reflectionsarealwaysdarkerthantheoriginal,sodarkeningthecopied
reflection also made it look more real.
Beauty Dish.
Beauty dishes look similar to parabolics, but they are larger (usually over 20
inchesindiameter)andhaveawhiteinterior.Additionally,inabeautydishthe
strobe is placed behind a shield so that it does not illuminate the model di-
rectly. Instead, it bounces into the white dish, which reflects the light back
ontothemodel.Thiscreatesasmallerroundcatchlightandlightthatissofter
than from a parabolic but harder than from a softbox. It can produce a nice
look on younger models with good skin.
Diffusers.
Working much like a scrim, a diffuser is frosted plastic or acetate in a frame
or screen that is designed to mount onto a parabolic, usually on the perime-
ter. This creates a broader, more diffused lighting pattern. Diffusers are also
available to fit over beauty dishes. (Note:When using a diffuser over a light—
especially a hot light, like tungsten—make sure there is room for heat to es-
cape between the diffuser and the parabolic to prevent overheating.)
Barn Doors.
Barn doors are black, metallic, adjustable flaps that can be opened or closed.
These control the width of the beam of the light so you light only what you
wantlit.Theyalsokeeplightoffthecameralens,helpingtopreventlensflare.
Spotlights.
Spotlights(sometimesjustcalled“spots”)arehardlightsources.Usually,they
aresmalllightswithaFresnellensattachedtofocusthebeamandmakeitstay
condensed over a long distance. This makes it useful for lighting a select area
of the scene, like a corner of the room. Barn doors are usually affixed to spot-
lights to control the light.
78 LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR PHOTOGRAPHING MODEL PORTFOLIOS
It can produce a
nice look on younger
models with good skin.