The setup Shake up your lighting Skills

learn how to get set up to mix flash and continuous lighting for creative results

01 FLASHGUNS

The key to this technique is in mixing flash with continuous lighting. We’ve used three Speedlites here – one in front and two behind the subject. You can use any flash setup you like, but keep in mind that the blur will show more clearly if the flash does not spill onto the dark background.

02 DARK ROOM

It’s vital that the room is dark, or else the ambient light will contaminate the shot and blur the parts that we want to keep sharp. So close the curtains and turn off the overhead lights – or shoot outdoors at night. The only constant light should be coming from the lights we set up.

03 CONSTANT LIGHTS

Two continuous light sources have been used here. On the subject’s right is a studio flash head with the flash turned off so that only the modelling light is in use. On her left is an LED panel fitted with an orange filter. As such, the filtered LED and tungsten lamp both cast a warm hue.

04 DARK BACKDROP

A dark backdrop is best here. If the backdrop reflects too much light then it’ll cloud the portrait. We used the grey side from a vinyl backdrop here. It needs to be wide enough to cover not just the initial composition, but also the camera movements after pressing the shutter.

05 BOLD CLOTHING

When it comes to outfits and styling, bold colours like the red skirt work well for this effect. A textured pattern like the pleats on the skirt here is also nice, as that texture can be transformed into attractive blurry streaks. Too many colours can look busy, so stick to one theme.

06 CAMERA SETTINGS

Our camera is in Manual mode with exposure setting at 1/3 sec, f/5.6 and ISO100. A 1/3 sec shutter speed allows for quick camera movements to be recorded as blurry streaks across the frame. Experiment with different shutter speeds and camera movements as you shoot.