Affordable portable lighting for amateur graduation portraits
Asked 11/23/2016
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2 answers
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We’ll be photographing people at a graduation and want better-looking portraits than available light alone is giving us. We’re looking for a low-cost lighting setup that is portable and doesn’t require wall power. What kind of lighting would you recommend for simple amateur portraits, especially if we want either a clean bright background or to keep the event background visible?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
5
If you can find a large north facing window, you can eliminate purchasing any lighting kit. This is a good place to start.
With a single flash and a white wall, you have a great lighting source.
Finally, put the flash into an umbrella close to the subject with a reflector on the other side.
Originally by user24878. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user24878
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A simple battery-powered flash setup is the most practical low-cost option. You don’t need a mains-powered studio kit to improve portraits.
Good starting options:
- Use available light first if possible: a large north-facing window can give soft, flattering light.
- If using flash, start with one off-camera flash and a modifier.
- A shoot-through umbrella is useful when you want soft, even light while keeping the existing background visible.
- A reflective umbrella can also work well; placing the light close to the subject makes it softer.
- Put a reflector on the opposite side of the subject to fill shadows.
- A white wall or white seamless background can help create a bright, clean look for graduation portraits.
In short: for cheap, portable portraits, use one battery-powered speedlight off-camera with an umbrella and a reflector. Choose a white background for a brighter studio-like look, or use a shoot-through umbrella if you want to preserve the venue background.
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