HOW TO LIGHT AND POSE YOUR PORTRAITS

1 Set the mood

For this image I wanted it to feel like it was shot at night which naturally lends itself to warmer colour temperatures/ incandescent lighting. As a result I set the colour temperature of the lamp using the WiZ app on my phone.

2 Position key light

Next, I need to position the key light which is a Rotolight NEO in a gridded strip box. Strip boxes are great for boudoir because they are long and thin in shape, which is ideal for the human body. The soft grid helps keep the light straight and focused. I also match the Kelvin setting to the lamp.

3 Add a second light

I add an accent hair light which is another Rotolight NEO. This time modified with barndoors to ensure that I can minimise the spread of light to a very narrow beam to light only the hair and shoulders. This gives some separation from the background. Like the key light, I match the Kelvin.

4 Strike a pose

The aim is to pose my subject so that the shadows and light fall in a way that enhances her form. All sources are continuous, and the strip box is positioned to look like the light is coming from the lamp in the frame. The human eye is always drawn to the brightest part of the image so make sure that the light is hitting areas of the subject that you want to enhance. To finish off I asked my subject to turn her face into the key light source – the ‘nose to light’ approach.

5 Camera settings

I set the Kelvin/WB on my camera to match all light sources and in manual I expose for the brightest areas of the scene (underexposing by about 1-2 stops according to the cameras light meter). I then direct my subject to move within a very limited range which is dictated by the lighting.