Last weekend, I had an amazing shooting with Elena. Unlike my normal routine, in this post I won’t start with a whole lot of words but let the pictures speak for themselves instead. There isn’t much to say about the technique anyways – Softbox and ambient light is what I used for these outdoor shots. But I might mention that I was blessed with a VAL (=voice activated light stand) in this shooting.

Alright, I might lose a few words on these two shots below since this setup was actually the original idea for the whole shooting, while the outdoor pictures were more of a byproduct. In these shots, I moved the softbox in really close from above (thanks to a boom that I recently purchased) and placed a hair light in the back. The background is actually a white wall. Does that seem weird to you? If so, you might want to read Zack Arias’ excellent explanation on the topic of light-and-subject-to-background-distance. My assistant provided us with a little wind made with a reflector – I don’t own a huge fan (only a huge online fan base, scnr). Softbox from above, some wind, and boom went the dynamite! Actually, I started out with another softbox from below which gave an even more even lighting – but it stood in the way when we tried to create wind. And despite these shots being “beauty shots” I liked the fact that this light still has some character – too perfect can be boring.
I would love to get your feedback on these pictures! How do you like them? What do you not like about them? Please shoot me a comment or an email – thanks!