slightly from the main light and modified with a beauty
dish, is placed directly beneath it. In between the two
lights will be several feet of separation, allowing the
camera (photographer) position to be more eye or belly-
button level. The camera will normally have a slightly
powered-down ring flash attached to it. The beauty dish
will help bring brilliance to the subject’s eyes and the
ring flash will fill in the shadows in the pores of the face,
thus giving a smoother skin look to the subject’s face.
In this situation, the law of reflection allows soft shad-
ows from the upper and lower lights, and the ring flash
utilizes the law of reflection to remove shadows, creat-ing soft shadows that separate the chin and neck and no
shadows in the pores of the face.
Because the vast majority of what we see is reflected
light (as opposed to incidental light), we as photogra-
phers live in an illuminated world. Without light, we
would have no images to capture, and humans would
see nothing but perpetual blackness. Understanding the
law of reflection will allow you to outshine your com-
petitors, as your photographs will take advantage of one
of the fundamental laws of the universe and stand out
from those created by your peers.I used one light (a Hensel Integra 500 Pro Plus fitted with a 7-inch metal reflector and a 10-degree grid on the front of
it) to create deep shadows for this “nailed” concept. The key to this type of editorial nude image is to walk around your
subject; the angle of reflectance rule will give you many possibilities. In addition, it’s best to break away from traditional
horizontal or vertical framing and turn your camera for interesting angles—here, the models’ bodies form a diagonal from
opposite corners. (CAMERA: Canon EOS 5D fitted with a Canon 85mm f/1.2L USM lens. SETTINGS:85mm effective focal
length,^1 / 200 second shutter speed, f/6.3, white balance at 6000K, ISO 100)