Knowing how to use light effectively is crucial for capturing portraits. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started with three easy setups.
Coming to you from Eli Infante, this informative video breaks down the process of using a speedlight for night portraits. The first step is location scouting. Finding colorful backgrounds and lights for bokeh will make your photos pop. During the holiday season, there are plenty of colorful lights. If it’s not the holiday season, downtown areas usually provide a good mix of lights and colors. In case there are no lights or color, consider using additional lights to illuminate the background or add a rim light.
The next step is setting your ambient exposure and camera settings. Start with ISO, which might need to be adjusted depending on the brightness of your location. For bright areas, you can use a low ISO, around 100 to 400. Shutter speed is another critical factor. A slower shutter speed lets in more ambient light, making the background brighter. Infante often uses shutter speeds like 1/30th, 1/50th, or 1/60th of a second, even though these are considered slow for handheld shooting.
Adding the speedlight for fill is the final step. With your ambient exposure set, your subject will appear dark, so use a speedlight to illuminate them. Some speedlights come with a modeling light, which helps focus in low-light conditions. Position your speed light about four to five feet from your subject, and adjust the power output based on a test shot. The power required depends on the distance of the light from the subject and the type of modifier used. Those are just the basics, so check out the video above for the full rundown from Infante.
