Lighting Techniques for Fashion & Glamour
Fashion photography is almost synonymous with studio photography, as many of the techniques developed for the photographer's studio stemmed from fashion work. To this day, fashion and glamor work continue to set trends for contemporary photographic style. Even the most cutting edge styles continue to be based around common techniques that have been used since the creation of studio lights. These techniques are easy to learn, yet challenging to master.
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Lighting Basics
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Three categories of lighting can produce a wide range of different effects. Studio lights fall into three categories. These categories are main or key lighting, fill lighting and back lighting. The main light defines the subject and it is usually the strongest light source. The fill light is not as bright and is used to fill in shadows created by the main light. The back light separates subjects from the background. Small groups of people in fashion or glamor photography can be shot with just three lights or flashes; one operating as a key light, one as a fill light and one as a back light.
Location of Lights
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The main light is somewhere to the side of the subject, a little bit above the head of the subject. This is the primary directional light and its placement creates the highlight and shadow areas on the subject.
The fill light is usually above and behind the camera position. Used by itself, it would give a flat effect with minimal shadow.
As the name suggests, the back light is behind the subject. Its job is to separate the background from the subject, to give the impression of depth to the scene behind the subject.
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High Key
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High key photos are low in contrast and and relief due to few shadows. High key photography is typically bright and light toned. It can be described as flat lighting as there is minimal shadow defining a model's face, for instance. This is frequently used in fashion and glamor work to smooth out skin tone and blemishes, often combined with overexposure. The main light is forward of the subject in a position similar to the fill light, just a little bit more to the side of the model so that some suggestion of shadow to features is given. The back light is usually quite bright on a white backdrop.
Low Key
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Low key effects echo chiaroscuro painting techniques. Low key lighting is dark and high in contrast. The main light can be at extreme angle to the subject, highlighting only a bit of the model's face; the fill light will be much less powerful than the main light, giving only enough light to retain detail in the shadows. Similarly, the back light will give only enough light to separate the subject from the background.
Reflectors and Outdoor Photography
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Direct sun is contrasty. Reflectors, flash and shade can help make a successful photo. Wide ranges of effects are achieved by varying location and intensity of the three primary light sources. Reflectors are another powerful tool in the fashion photographer's bag of tricks. Reflectors can replace a fill light in low key photography to bounce the main light onto the shadowed side of the model. Outdoors, the sun is typically used as a main light. A reflector or small camera flash can be used as a fill. The sun takes care of back light duties as well.
Diffusion
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Umbrellas are portable reflectors often used with studio lights. The most flattering light for models and fashion is generally accepted to be soft lighting, made by spreading a small light source across a big light surface. Photographer's umbrellas and soft boxes are made for this purpose. Reflectors can be simply white card or they could be covered with silver or gold foil for a more intense effect.
Breaking the Rules
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Though there are certain formulas for setting up basic fashion and glamor lighting, no place is the idea of rules made to be broken more appropriate. Play with the position of lights, their intensity and the location of reflectors. Shoot outdoors on sunny days, cloudy days or even in extreme weather. A favorite of many photographers is to shoot early in the morning, just after sunrise, when there are few people in even the most crowded places. Photography is literally "drawing with light," so when you use light in a unique way, your photographs will show it.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Getty Images Digital Vision./Digital Vision/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images Jupiterimages/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
