I've been seeing spotlights used in shoots everywhere, so I wanted to jump on the trend and put my own twist on a spotlight shoot. Here’s how my creative partner, David, and I created a theatrical portrait session using a spotlight.
A spotlight is a pretty stylized light source to use because it directs a narrow, intense beam of light onto a specific area. Unlike broader light sources that spread light more evenly, a spotlight is designed to highlight or isolate certain details, creating sharp contrasts between light and shadow.
There are so many ways to use a spotlight—you can use it as a rim light to create a glowing halo effect around your subject, as a key light for moody portraits—but for this shoot, we just kept it simple and took the straightforward approach by using it in a more theatrical way to create a stage-like effect.
Since spotlights are commonly used in theater performances, we decided to really play that up in our shoot. We leaned into that and aimed for an Old Hollywood, theatrical vibe. We chose red as the set’s color and built a simple backdrop using thick red fabric. With a staple gun, we pleated the fabric to mimic the look of a theater curtain.
Once the set was ready, we lit it using a three-light setup. For the key light, we used a Nanlite Forza 500B II with a Nanlite PJ-BM Projection Attachment, and we added two Nanlite PavoSlims as fill lights. Using continuous lighting worked really well for this shoot because it allowed us to light the scene like an actual stage, creating a very specific mood.
Image courtesy of Jada and David Parrish | https://www.jadaanddavid.com
Model: Louise Rosealma
The Nanlite Forza 500B II is incredibly powerful. We used this light at about half power, and it was still very bright. The Forza 500B II is a bi-color light that ranges from 2,700K to 6,500K, which allows you to adjust the color temperature from warm tungsten tones to cooler daylight. That was helpful for this shoot because David and I wanted our spotlight to have more of a warmer tone, similar to a spotlight you might see in the 1950s.
The spotlight did produce some pretty dramatic shadows. We wanted to soften those up a bit, so we added in two PavoSlims to the left and right of our model. For the modifiers, we used the built-in softboxes they come with to provide soft diffusion, which really helped us chill the shadows out.
Our model wore a black velvet gown and a wig, which added to the Old Hollywood vibe and worked perfectly with the spotlight.
I think that going monochromatic with the set was a good call because the spotlight created so much bright light and harsh shadow. Even though the entire set was painted the same color, you see so many different shades of red within the final image, which adds a lot more visual interest.
Check out our YouTube video to see how we DIY-ed the red curtain backdrop, lit the set, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot!
