One model, one light

With one model, the very versatile Que, in our studio this week, I decided to play around with a few different light sources, using only one light source for each scene to create a different effect. All photos were taken with the Nikon D750 and both the 70-200mm and 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms.

For this portrait, one studio lamp fit with a slit bank was placed to the left side and slightly behind the model to provide a soft modelling to the face. Some of the light from the bank was allowed to spill onto the gray seamless background to light it and allow the model's face to be clearly defined against it. I often do a series of photos like this so I can combine them later with other backgrounds using Photoshop. For this combo, I added a photo I had of an antique map and worked it in to preserve a dramatically dark effect. The model's face was in the top layer and changed to "Soft light" mode. I then worked some of the background out of her face by using a layer mask on her and painting out the areas where I didn't want detail from the map to come through. 

This is the original photo used to create the top image. 

Here I used a Nikon SB-910 flash mounted in a beauty dish and pointed directly at the model from a position slightly above and to the left of the camera. That gave me the hard shadow to the right and below the model, while the fast speed of the SB-910 froze her action as she jumped in the air. 

In this version I used a studio ring light to create a direct, hard, shadowless light on the model and the scene. I always use a zoom lens with the ring light so I can zoom in to crop instead of moving the whole studio strobe closer. Moving the light would alter the exposure, while zooming keeps the light in the same position and maintains the same exposure.