Many new photographers are trying to figure out
basic boudoir photography Lighting, so I thought I would write a post describing
how I lit the photo below. Lighting seems hard when you are first starting out but it
is fairly simple once you get the hang of it. I think we tend to make it harder than
it really is by over thinking it. You have to learn to see the light and have a few tools
to control it. There is no magic lighting formula to teach you . Every situation is
different and light is always changing. I used to want someone to just show me where
to put the studio light so I could start shooting beautiful photos. Sorry, but that is not how
it works.
In the photo of the girl below I used two lights.
Using two helps add dimension to the image. The light on the back of her head is called
a hair light. Hair lights are no big mystery. Think of your strobe as a big flashlight.
If you had a flashlight and you wanted to light up the back of her head, where would you
point it? That’s right, at the back of her head! Your studio strobe can do the same thing
but you have to add a grid to it so you can narrow the beam of light. That way it lights up only
what you point it at and not the surrounding area.
What is a grid? There are different kinds, some are for your studio strobes
and others are made to use on soft boxes. I’ll show you both. Grids that fit on your
studio lights come in different sizes. The size you use determines the width of
your beam of light.
The photo below shows you the different sizes they come in which are
10, 20, 30 and 40 degrees The second photo shows the grid inserted into the reflector that comes
with your strobe. I happen to
use Alien Bee studio lights.
So, now you have the hair light shining on the back of her head. If it is too
bright turn the power down or move it farther away from your model. If it is
too dark turn up the power or move it closer. I check my exposure by taking a test
shot and looking at the back of my cameras LCD and checking the histogram to
determine if I’ve gotten the exposure correct. If I haven’t I adjust the camera
settings or my light settings, then take another test shot. I repeat this until I
get what I’m looking for.
Next I use a small soft box as my main light. I like my small 2′x2′ soft box with a grid for
boudoir photography. The first photo shows an octagon grid by its self. The second photo
shows the soft box without the grid and the third photo shows the grid attached to the soft
box by the Velcro on its sides. Never buy a soft box that won’t accept a grid. I made that
mistake once. The grids are easy to install and remove.
I usually placed my main light next to my left or right shoulder when I’m shooting
in this case it was my left shoulder. Again, to determine how bright I want my main
light I take a test shot. If the light is too dark I increase the power and if it is too
bright I decrease the power. It is that easy!
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