4 Lighting Hacks for Fashion Shoots

Here are 4 great tips for fashion photographers and videographers looking to light effective portraits. In this 3-minute video by Aputure, cameraman Kazu Okuda shares his expertise on how to work well with studio lighting.

Hack 1: Frontal Key Light First

For fashion, you’re selling the product and the person. So leave the side lighting and backlighting to the cinematic shooters. Make sure to establish your key light first and light the model properly before adding any “frills”.

Hack 2: Light for a Centralized Area

Actions are spontaneous, and models won’t necessarily “hit their marks” every time. Close your aperture down one-stop lower, giving a deeper depth of field and more room for error and movement.

Hack 3: Know the Attitude of Your Shoot

Think about the emotion you’re trying to convey on your shoot. A “happy shoot” should have brighter, lighter colors. Something more “grungey” should have more contrast, but not be too dark it looks sad and dark.

Hack 4: Eye Light / Catch Light

Think about the catch light in your model’s eye. More contrast and more lights mean less obvious catch lights. Think about carrying a small LED light you can stick onto the top of your camera, causing enough of a glint in the eye to bring the catch light back.

Check out the full video above for more detail on each of these handy hacks.

(via Aputure via ISO 1200)