How can I light a portrait with a black background and soft light only on the face?
Asked 8/6/2015
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2 answers
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I want to recreate a portrait style with a completely black background, very soft light concentrated on the face, sharp eyes, and the rest of the image falling off gently. I’m a beginner with studio lighting and I’m working on a budget.
What kind of lighting setup would achieve this look? In particular, how do you keep the background black while lighting the face softly, and what modifiers or flags help control spill? Also, can the same approach work for smaller subjects like toys or figures?
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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I'm Brian Ingram (the one who took this image). I'll make it easy for everyone :)
Shot with medium format film camera (hence, the shallow depth of field and the imperfection(s) at the bottom of the image, which I always like).
A large Elinchrom shoot-thru umbrella was attached to a boom arm directly above my head.
Backdrop was a large piece of heavy (16 oz.) black duvetyne fabric, which totally absorbs light and makes the background go completely black. Any light spill from an umbrella is sucked up by the duvetyne.
Two black V-Flats (a.k.a. black cards) were placed extremely close to each side of her face, which served as "negative fill" and controlled the light from the umbrella even more.
You can see more in my Instagram, Facebook, or on my website (which hasn't been updated in several months).
Originally by user41873. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user41873
11y ago
0
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Yes. This look is mainly about controlled, soft top light plus a light-absorbing background.
Based on the photographer’s own description, the setup was:
- one large soft light above the subject (a large shoot-through umbrella on a boom)
- a black duvetyne backdrop to absorb spill and stay fully black
- two black V-flats/black cards very close to the sides of the face for negative fill, which narrows and deepens the light on the face
You can also use a large softbox above and slightly in front of the subject; a softbox may make it easier than an umbrella to keep light off the background. The catchlight and soft shadow edges indicate a single large, soft source from above.
For sharp eyes and softer falloff elsewhere, use a wide aperture and focus carefully on the eyes. Post-processing sharpening/contrast can help the facial detail pop.
Yes, the same principle works for small objects or toys: use a relatively large soft source close to the subject, black background material, and black cards near the subject to control spill and add negative fill.
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