The Basics of a One Light Set Up: A Lighting Tutorial with Jay P. Morgan

Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens has released a video that gives us a detailed look at one of the most basic aspects of portrait photography, the single light portrait. It’s a very basic technique, but it’s incredibly versatile set up that can be used to create many different looks. In this video, Jay P. Morgan is using a Canon 1DC and shooting video from which he will pull stills. It’s a different way of shooting than we might be used to, but the end results are can look a lot more natural than posed pictures as the model is given much greater freedom to move around. 

Jay P. Morgan breaks it down in very simple to understand terms, describing the human face as simply a ball with features, and showing us on a simple white ball the ideal way of lighting the face.

So, if you’re new to the game and want a great walk through on some basic portrait techniques, or you’re more advanced and just want a quick brush up