Whenusedappropriatelytheresultscanbe flatteringand
beautiful;however,usedincorrectlytheycanbeuglyand
harsh.
Somelightsandtheirattachmentsaredesignedtobesoft
and diffused, while some are harsh; and others are for
accent use and not for lighting the subject as a whole.
Softboxes are generallyused to soften and disperse the
light,whereastoolssuchassnootsorreflectorscanbehard
anddirect,lightingmoresuitedtolightbackgroundsrather
thanthesubjectitself.Allwillhavetheirusedependingon
the required look of the final portrait.
The photographer’s main concern when lighting for
portraiture is to use the equipment in a sensitive and
consideredwaysoastoenhanceandbesympathetictothe
sitter.Themoreadvancedportraitphotographerswillstudy
each and every studio sitting, and light their subject
accordingly.Theywillnoticefeaturessuchascheekbones,
eyesandfaceshapes,andwilldecidetousethelightand
accessories to accentuate and enhance these good features.
Inverse Square Law
Theinversesquarelawinaphotographiclightingscenario
isusedtodeterminethefall-offinilluminationonasubject
as it moves closer to or further from the light source.
Foraquickcalculation,itisgoodforthephotographerto
rememberthatsimplydoublingthedistance betweenthe
lightingsourceandthesubjectwillreduceilluminationto
one quarter of the power. For example if we were to
illustrate these ratios:
- Light at 2× the distance from the subject is 1/4 as bright.