Lighting setup
5-light High contrast, glamorous, dramatic lighting setup for catalogue / fashion with a Glamorous and dramatic with strong highlights and deep shadows. mood using Small octabox with grid, Continuous light with barn doors and grid, Snoot and bare bowl.
A photoshoot featuring a female model with short blonde hair and a sequined skirt, using three continuous lights to create a glamorous and dramatic look. The key light is a gridded octabox, a second light with barn doors acts as a top light, and a snooted backlight creates sparkle on the skirt. 2 backlights, one with bare bowl and one with a snoot, are pointing towards the camera.
Key light: gridded octabox to the left of the subject, providing front-side lighting. Top light: continuous light with barn doors and grid on a boom arm. Backlight/Edge light: continuous light with snoot and bare bowl behind the model, pointed at the skirt. 2 backlights, one with bare bowl and one with a snoot, are pointing towards the camera.
Three continuous lights are used. The key light is a small octabox with a grid positioned camera-right (model's left) for soft front-side lighting. A second light with barn doors and a grid is on a boom arm as a top light. The third light, a snooted bare bowl light, is far behind the model to create an edge light on the skirt, creating star-like reflections. The background is underexposed to appear black.
Estimated settings for a continuous light setup with shallow depth of field and good light capture. White balance set for daylight-balanced continuous lights.
3 lights · Dark, warm, and cinematic with controlled highlights, soft skin, and separation from the background.
3 lights · Polished and commercial, with a high-fashion sensibility.
2 lights · Elegant, glamorous, sophisticated, editorial.