Light Positions and Functions.
Main Light and Fill Light.The two basic lights used in
portraiture are called the main light and the fill light. Tra-
ditionally, the main and fill lights were high-intensity
lights fitted with either reflectors or diffusers. Polished
pan reflectors (also called parabolic reflectors) are silver-
coated “pans” that attach to the light housing and reflect
the maximum amount of light outward in a focused man-
ner. Most photographers don’t use parabolic reflectors
anymore, opting for diffused main- and fill-light sources
like umbrellas or softboxes. Diffused light sources are
ideal for kids because they are large and forgiving, mean-
ing that the child can move around and not move out of
the light.
When using a diffused main light source, the fill light
source is often a reflector—a portable, highly reflective
surface that is used to bounce extraneous light (from theTIMING
When working with strobes, which have preset recycle times, you
cannot shoot as you would under available light—one frame after
another. You have to factor in at least these two things: (1) the
strobes may startle the child initially, thus curtailing a fun time;
and (2) while you’re waiting for the flash to recycle, you may see
three or four pictures better than the one you just took. Experience
and patience are keys in the latter situation; you don’t necessarily
have to jump at the first opportunity to make an exposure. Here’s
where working with a trusted assistant can really help, since you
can gauge by their activity if the event is building or subsiding. Out
of every sequence of possible pictures one will be the best. Assume
you’ll only get one chance and your patience will often be re-
warded. Perhaps the best advice is to always be ready. Prepared-
ness often leads to success.
HYBRID LIGHT
The late Master photographer Don Blair often used a hybrid
light—a broad parabolic fill with a barebulb strobe. He noted that
the barebulb adds a softness that you cannot get from an umbrella
or other diffuser. He preferred it for photographing children be-
cause he says it wraps the child in soft, open light.
According to Stacy Bratton, the final image (below) was created
from ten different images (right). She never even attempted to take
the kids’ photos together, reasoning that she could better control
the lighting and expressions by photographing smaller groups. The
plan did not go smoothly; one little girl decided to put on other
costumes and jump into a few shots with the other groups. The
lighting is smooth from one end to another because she only pho-
tographed five kids at a time. The key light was positioned 45 de-
grees from camera right. She used a 3x5-foot Plume Wafer softbox
with a quad-head Speedotron flash as the main light. Using all
2400 Watt-seconds of available flash power allowed her to achieve
an f/16 taking aperture. Stacy uses a specialized lighting system
for her kids’ portraits. Above the set she has mounted very large
white cards (4x16 feet) into which she bounces powerful barebulb
flash. In this photo, she used 4800 Watt-seconds! She also uses a
small silver reflector directly over the kids to act as a hair light.