It’s “Tricky Tuesday” which is a way for me to share some of the tricks, tips and techniques I’ve used over the years when shooting portraits in the studio, Today’s post features aspiring glamour model Laura May Bachmayer.
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul” —Andri Cauldwell
When applying for a job.In the business world as well as theater, movies, and television, actors and models usually need a headshot, along with their résumé, Those head shots are intended to help them land a career and can also help a photographer understand the person they might be photographing.
Creating a Low Key Headshot
Low-key lighting is a style of portrait lighting that can be used to create a chiaroscuro effect. Chiaroscuro is Italian for light-dark and emphasizes the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, with bold contrasts that affect the overall composition.
Today’s featured portrait was made in my 11×15 home studio with lighting provided by a Broncolor MOVE Two-Head lighting kit 2, a portable, battery-powered system that recycles fast with short flash durations and offers nine-stops of power. The kit includes a 1200Ws Move 1200 L Battery-Powered Pack, two MobiLED Flash Heads, a Continuous Light Adapter, weatherproof case and an outdoor trolley backpack. A 28×28-inch soft box and a 33.5-inch umbrella are also included.
How I made this photo: To make this low-key portrait of Laura May Bachmayer, I placed one of the MobiLED heads with a 28×28-inch soft box attached at camera right. A second MobiLED head was placed behind her as can be seen in the lighting setup photo above right.
The power pack was initially set for an approximate 3:1 lighting ratio but while shooting, power settings to the second head were gradually increased to add contrast and more highlights to the subject’s hair and upper body. I think it could have used another stop of power but I didn’t so I’ll never know for sure. A reflector (not yet added to the setup photo) was placed on a Savage Air Flow Tech Table that Laura May was leaning on to bounce light under her chin. She was photographed against a 5×7-ft Savage Universal Black Infinity vinyl background. .
The image was originally captured as a color JPEG file and was made before my current RAW+JPEG regimen. Look for a discussion of RAW+JPEG in an upcoming Pixels, Grain & Cookies podcast. Because nothing says “low key” like a black and white photography, the file was converted to monochrome using Exposure Software’s Exposure using the first of their B&W Tonality presets. Then the Detail Extractor and Glamour Glow filters that are part of Color Efex were applied to first sharpen then add just the smallest amount of softness to the overall look.
In addition to this image, this session with Laura May Bachmayer included other images that members of our Patreon got to see. You can read about membership benefits in this post.
My book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography is full of tips, tools and techniques for glamour and boudoir photography and includes information on all of the cameras used as well as the exposure data for each image. Used books are available from Amazon for $33.29, as I write this. The Kindle version is $19.99 for those preferring a digital format.