When you want to create portrait lighting with a slightly more "luxurious" feel, you should try cross lighting. Only two light sources are needed, which are placed directly opposite each other with the subject in the middle and the camera at about a 45° angle in relation to the studio flashes.
We show you how to shoot portraits with cross-lighting.
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Working with the light sources placed diagonally means that you get a bit of what you could call a "light kick" or a "kicker". When you encounter light on the shadow side of the model, an interesting contrast is created that gives depth to the portrait and you can get nice highlights on skin and textiles, which gives a more "worked" and luxurious feel to the images.
A straight-shaped softbox 90x110 cm is used as the main light, which is an excellent all-round softbox for portraits up to full figure. With the camera as a starting point, the softbox is placed diagonally from the front of the subject, approx. 45° angle.
The second light source for this lighting, is placed diagonally behind the subject, directed towards the hood light. A strip-shaped softbox 35x100 cm is a very good choice for this type of photography. The challenge is that different skin and different textiles can intensify the effect of the kicker light in different ways, which means that you have to keep a close eye on how the light behaves as soon as you change position, model, clothes, etc.
When doing this setup, aim the light just in front of the model between model and camera. It gives a nice fading between light and shadow on the subject.
In this example, a plain background is used that has no separate lighting, but the light that hits the background comes from the large rectangular softbox 90x110 cm. If a brighter background is desired, add another studio flash placed behind the model and aimed at the background.
When shooting with studio flashes, the camera should always be set to manual exposure, a fixed ISO number and preferably manual white balance. Lenses with a focal length around 85 mm to 100 mm provide a nice perspective and suitable shooting distance.Set the camera's shutter speed to 1/125 sec and ISO 100. For portrait photography with a monochrome or white background, aperture f/8 is excellent.
When using more than one light source, always start by activating only one light source and set it to the desired effect. Then add the other light sources to be used during the photography.
Start with the main light and set the brightness so the exposure is right for the selected aperture, in this case f/8. Move the softbox laterally and vertically until you are satisfied.
Then you add the kicker light, which you can experiment with in terms of brightness and position. Feel free to use an assistant to help you with the placement of the light so that you can judge the light from the camera position.
When you work with lighting in the studio or on-location, there are great advantages to photographing with the camera connected to a computer, tethered. On the computer's large monitor via live-view, you can have full control when you set the light and can immediately see what happens on the subject when a light source is moved. If the focus is slightly off, it is easy to spot and you can quickly give the model feedback by showing the result on the monitor.
Here you will find the gear you need for portrait photography with cross lighting.