How can I improve this portrait lit with a flash placed low and off to one side?

Asked 3/10/2015

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I’m new to using flash and tried a portrait with the flash and diffuser placed on the ground to the subject’s right (left side of the photo). I’d like feedback on what could be improved in terms of lighting angle, light placement, exposure, background separation, white balance, and composition so I can reshoot it better.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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The light is on the ground, which means the underside of her face is lit, which is quite different than we are used to seeing people lit (above, from sunlight or ceiling lights). Not sure it's a real problem here, but it's generally unflattering.

Light is from an extreme angle from her right. Not necessarily bad, but it leaves most of her face dark, especially the eyes. Her chin, one cheek and parts of her hair and top are bright, but the rest of her face is relatively dark. The part of her hair that is lit would look nice contrasted against a darker, plainer background, but it gets lost in the background a bit.

You are in fact throwing more light on the background than on your subject's face.

Probably the light is too bright as well, if you compare the highlights on her right cheek vs the left. Maybe dial down the power a bit. Would probably be more flattering with less contrast and angle.

In addition, there are a lot of lines and textures in the background (columns and door) that distract the eye. They are bright and have strong lines. Unless the subject of your image is the door, then I'd frame it much tighter and remove all that distraction.

My eye gets drawn to the right half of the image, to the small carved square in the middle of the door, the vertical column at the right, the texture in the corner on the left side of the image and the lines of the panels on the door.

I think your composition is not very well thought out. She is haphazardly positioned with a distracting background. But I know this is mainly a test of your flash. The lighting would probably be ok on a tighter shot with dark, plain background.

I would raise the light up, put it on a stand. Move it to 45 degrees off the camera axis or less, not so much from the side. Dial down the power. Move her away from the door so that the door is less in focus and less light is thrown onto the door.

Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user4191

11y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

The main issue is flash placement. Because the light is very low, it lights the underside of the face, which is unusual and often unflattering for portraits. The flash is also coming from a very extreme side angle, so too much of the face—especially the eyes—falls into shadow.

It also looks like the background is getting more light than the subject’s face, which reduces subject separation. The bright highlights on one cheek, chin, hair, and clothing suggest the flash may be a bit too strong or too direct relative to the rest of the scene.

For a better result, try:

  • Raising the light so it comes from above face level.
  • Moving it less far to the side for more even facial lighting.
  • Aiming or feathering it so the face gets more light than the background.
  • Reducing flash power or increasing diffusion if highlights are too hot.
  • Watching the eyes: they usually need some light/catchlight to feel alive.
  • Using a simpler or darker background if you want the lit hair edge to stand out more.

The side lighting itself isn’t necessarily bad—it can be dramatic—but in this shot the balance favors the background and highlights more than the face.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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