What this setup creates
A female subject is photographed through a glass panel with water droplets, creating a soft-focus, intimate portrait. The setup involves a Godox octa softbox with a grid as the key light, a large white fabric panel for fill, a "cutter" to control background light, and black negative fill for shadow enhancement.
Light placement
Light 1 (Key Light): Camera Right, approximately 45° from the model, slightly above eye level. Negative Fill: Camera Left. Cutter (Flag): Camera Right, placed between the diffusion cloth and the backdrop. Foreground Effect: Between the camera and the model.
How to build it
This setup creates soft, premium beauty lighting with depth and contrast. The light is softened twice, shadows are controlled using negative fill, and a sheet of glass with water droplets adds an organic foreground texture. The key light is a small octabox with a grid and double diffusion cloth, positioned camera right, 45° from the model and slightly above eye level. Negative fill (black foam board) is camera left to absorb bounced light. A cutter is placed camera right, between the diffusion cloth and the backdrop, to prevent light spill. Transparent glass with water sprinkles is placed between the camera and the model for a natural in-camera foreground effect.
- Lighting style
- Soft, flattering beauty light with controlled shadows and natural foreground texture.
- Key light
- 45 degree
- Light quality
- Soft light, Diffused
- Shadows
- Clean shadows, Moody
- Background
- Pure black
- Colour
- Neutral
- Visual mood
- Luxury, Premium, Commercial clean, Dramatic
Camera settings
From the tutorial- Aperture
- f/9
- Shutter speed
- 1/160 sec
- ISO
- 100
- Focal length
- 24-105mm
Camera: Canon R6 Mark II, Lens: Canon RF 24-105mm f/4
