— Steve Limones Photography

So, we all know this is a crazy time right now. This year, 2020, will absolutely be in history books for future generations to read. While everyone’s individual situations are different, I’ve taken this period to lean in and exercise creativity in many aspects of my life: How will I be creative with my finances now and in the future? What parts of my creative self will I try and explore? How can I dive further into being creative with my photography?

This blog is part of the answer to the last question. I started taking an online course in Portrait Lighting, trying to better understand the use of artificial lighting and controlling my light for various styles and feelings of photography. When it was safe enough to convene, I called my friends Stella & Haley, (roommates who had been in quarantine together), and asked if they would be my muses for a safe, social-distance shoot. They kindly obliged and the following is a glimpse from our day. Not only are they two absolutely beautiful women, but it was fun to have Stella in front of the camera instead of collaborating from behind the scenes with her killer make up skills (seriously, hire her, she’s amazing). I think the coolest thing I discovered was first, how simple the concepts were of using artificial lighting, and secondly, how with the right balance, I didn’t have to do much work in post like adding presets, etc. What you’ll see at the start is minimal lighting adjustments done in post production, and some basic photoshop skills. Towards the end, the images have been adjusted with a preset to provide more contrast in the overall vibe of the photos.

My first few set ups were a variation of what you’ll see below. I purposely set the backdrop up in front of the natural light because I wanted a soft catch light to appear on the top of the models’ heads. With the green backdrop, the surrounding area definitely looked sloppy and felt cramped. But, when you’re only getting a head & shoulder portrait, whatever is outside of the frame doesn’t have to be pretty! I took a flash, faced away from the models, and bounced it directly off the white wall. I placed an old curtain to diffuse the bounce, and then had a reflector under and to the sides of the models. This created a very soft light .

The final setup is a very similar idea to the first setup. This time all the light was in front of the backdrop. I had a diffuser umbrella over the flash, pointing down towards the models. On the other side, I attached a white sheet to serve as a bounce, and then also attached a bounce to the pole to reflect more light onto the models’ faces. I wanted an intentional dirty frame look for these shots, and it’s interesting to see it all work together! I love how they turned out - more proof that it’s all smoke and mirrors!

I know I still have a lot to learn, but for it being my first time attempting Portrait Lighting, I’m pretty proud of myself! Plus, James was a HUGE help, and really helped me focus my brain when I began to get overwhelmed - husband duties! Haha!

Anyway, moving on, I present the first installment of my Portrait Series!