Photographers talk about lighting all the time—how to shape it, soften it, bounce it—but we don’t talk enough about how lighting can tell a story. It doesn’t just illuminate a scene; it sets the emotional tone and builds the narrative.
I like to think of lighting as the soundtrack of a photo. You know how, in a movie, you can sense something scary is about to happen based on the music? Lighting does the same thing in a photo. It’s one of the most powerful visual tools we have for setting the mood.
I believe photos are meant to tell stories. That’s why I love conceptual photography. It starts with a single idea—sometimes as abstract as a feeling—and from there, you can build an entire world around it. Every creative decision—from wardrobe to posing to lighting—becomes a tool to support that concept. Nothing is random. Every element should work together to make the viewer feel something.
In a recent conceptual portrait shoot, we used lighting to help tell the story and bring the concept to life. My creative partner (and husband), David, and I built a set featuring a floating bench positioned 32 inches off the ground. It was just high enough that when our model sat on it, her feet dangled and couldn’t touch the floor.
Image by Jada and David Parrish | https://www.jadaanddavid.com | Model Hannah Grace
That detail became the seed for our story: the complex relationship between trust and fear—the tension between the two, and how hard it can be to let go of control, even when you know you need to. Lighting played a major role in communicating that emotion.
To match the vulnerability of the concept, we used moody, cinematic lighting—something soft yet dramatic that allowed shadows to linger while still highlighting the structure of the set and the emotion on the model’s face.
To complement the set design, we wanted to create a soft, angelic feel. David used an LED light panel—the Nanlite PavoSlim 60C with a grid—to focus light straight down onto the subject. This setup didn’t just illuminate the model; it also cast beautiful gradients on the walls, creating a dramatic atmosphere.
We also used a Nanlite FC 120C, bare-bulbed, along with a pair of v-flats to control the fill. The white side acted as a bounce to soften the light, while the black side provided negative fill to add depth and contrast. It’s these small touches that made a big difference in the final result, allowing the lighting to be both moody and ethereal at the same time.
This setup gave us full control over the softness and direction of the light, letting us align it with the emotional beats of the story.
Image by Jada and David Parrish | https://www.jadaanddavid.com | Model Hannah Grace
As we moved through the shoot, I directed the model through a sequence of poses that gradually built emotional tension. We began with her seated calmly on the bench, then shifted into more uncertain, off-balance poses—her fingers gripping the edge, her body slipping forward, and finally, her landing on the floor. Every pose followed an emotional arc, and the lighting helped bring that arc to life.
I absolutely loved how all the elements of this shoot came together to tell a story—from the deep purple color palette to the moody lighting and expressive posing. The narrative really came through.
Be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes video for a closer look at how we lit and directed the shoot from start to finish.
