While many professionals employ the use of complex setups consisting of multiple lights, even just a single source can create vivid and compelling images when in the right hands. This excellent video tutorial will take you behind the scenes to show you how a photographer shot a striking series of full-body portraits using just one light.
Coming to you from Brandon Woelfel, this helpful video tutorial will show you how to create a series of compelling full-body portraits using a single light. It can be tempting when you are first learning how to work with artificial light to immediately jump into two- and three-light setups, but it is important to stick with a single source until you are comfortable. This will allow you to build an intuitive knowledge of things like light source size's effect on the subject, subject-to-source distance, falloff, and much more. Once you feel comfortable with a single light, you will find it far easier to work with more complex setups. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Woelfel.
If you would like to continue learning about how to light a portrait, be sure to check out "Illuminating The Face: Lighting for Headshots and Portraits With Peter Hurley!"
Brandon is an incredibly creative photographer. I had the pleasure of meeting him in Alaska a few years ago and it's been wild watching his journey. Back then he was pretty much only a natural light shooter and it's cool to see him using more flash to capture his ideas. One thing he always does well is directing his subjects and also taking control of the styling in his images (something I struggle with myself).