Can I get even portfolio lighting with one monolight, an umbrella, and a reflector?
Asked 9/14/2015
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I’m photographing items for a design portfolio and want two looks: 1) very even, flat lighting for books/documents, and 2) stronger directional light with harder shadows for some product shots. Can this be done with a single 500W monolight, a shoot-through umbrella, and a reflector, or do I need more lighting?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
3
A complete tent ought to do, with the light outside. Put a common mirror from around the house on the other side of the tent.
You can get ok results using plain white sheets or cloth from a fabric store.
So, you need more stuff but not more expense.
Originally by user33948. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user33948
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—one monolight can cover both looks if you shape the light differently.
For flat, even lighting on books or printed work, place the shoot-through umbrella centered above or just slightly in front of the subject and shoot from the centerline. That setup gives broad, copier-like illumination. A white board, white wall, or simple reflector on the opposite side can help even things out further.
For small products, a light tent or diffusion setup can also work well: put the light outside the tent and use a reflector or even a household mirror on the other side to bounce light back in. Plain white fabric or sheets can work as low-cost diffusion.
For harder shadows, the umbrella is less ideal because it softens the light. You can make shadows harder by moving the umbrella farther away, and use a white wall or white board nearby for mild fill.
So: for evenly lit portfolio shots, yes, one light plus reflector/diffusion is workable. For harder-edged product shadows, you can still do it, but you’ll need to reduce the softness of the umbrella setup.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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