order 1-, 3-, and 5-degree grids, but they are harder to find and more expen-
sive.) The smaller the number, the more narrow the beam of light that is pro-
duced. Also, the smaller the number, the less light and the greater the amount
of heat the light unit will give off; for this reason, the high-end studio flash
heads tend to be fan-cooled.
The most commonly used grids for glamour photography are the 10- and
20-degree models. These make great accent or hair lights because they allow
only a small spread of light. However, don’t limit your options, as it is usually
most economical to purchase grids in kits that include one of each size. These
kits also provide a nice box for transporting the grids—which is important be-
cause grids are very fragile. I’d recommend that you buy at least two of these
grid kits.
Grid lighting is harsh, but not as harsh as a plain silver, cone-shaped reflec-
tor mounted behind a flashtube. With grid lighting, the light source is much
smaller than a softbox, so there is no room for light to bounce around and re-
flect through a larger opening. Because it’s so intense, I often place two grids
in front of the light, set at about a 90-degree angle to each other. It’s still grid
lighting, but it’s softened just a tad. I call this light “sliced and diced, twice.”
Grid lighting is dramatic. I tend to use it more for accent, hair, rim, and
edge lighting, and it’s great for when I’m photographing editorial style nudes.
Note:You can also use Rosco Cinefoil to make an extension tube for your
light and place a grid at the end of the tube.
Louvers.Louvers are an adjustable light modifier that can be attached to the
front of your softbox to help feather the edges of the light. They are used to
add direction to the light and can be closed to give a barn-door effect to the
output of the light. They can also be used to mask off parts of the softbox. For
92 LIGHTING FOR GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
LEFT—Occasionally I conduct a work-
shop in which we teach photogra-
phers to produce interesting images
using body parts or landscapes—
with a story-telling flair. Here I took
my idea from the popular cable tele-
vision series Red Shoe Diariesand
had the model simply wear red
shoes. The main light for this image
was a Hensel Integra 500 Pro Plus fit-
ted with a 7-inch metal reflector and
a 10-degree grid. (CAMERA:Canon EOS
5D fitted with a Canon 85mm f/1.2L
USM lens. SETTINGS:85mm effective
focal length,^1 / 160 second shutter
speed, f/8, white balance at 6000K,
ISO 100)FACING PAGE—Here, I used my “One
Chair, One Light” theme with model
Cal Lilly. It was created using one
Hensel Integra 500 Pro Plus fitted
with a 7-inch metal reflector and a
20-degree grid. (CAMERA:Canon EOS
5D fitted with a Canon 85mm f/1.2L
USM lens. SETTINGS:85mm effective
focal length,^1 / 125 second shutter
speed, f/10, white balance at 6000K,
ISO 100)