oe

JCraig
Portrait
Photography

An
Lighting Guide
 Perfect Portraits

I
have been a photographer for 25
years and throughout that time I have
specialised in portrait photography.
In this guide I want to share my simple
techniques for better portraits. These
examples are taken from ‘The Portrait
Video’ and show what can be aachieved
using two, three and four Elinchrom flash units with a variety of
different accessories.

There are two elements to photography, the scientific and the artistic.
Because photography is a science it is possible to standardise your
shooting procedure so that you achieve consistent results. Although
today’s negative films (and I shoot over 90% of my work on colour
negative stock) are very flexible and forgiving, an accurately exposed
negative will always produce the best possible picture.

Unlike the human eye film is not able to see such a wide range of light
levels at the same time. In portraiture you should always aim for
well exposed highlights, without any loss of detail, and at the same
time retain as much detail as possible in the shadows. To achieve this
the contrast range of each shot must be carefully controlled. In most
of the examples shown in this guide I have tried to use a 3:1 lighting
ratio. In simple terms this is achieved by having a 1 f-stop difference
between the Main Light and the Fill Light. This makes the Main light
twice as bright as the Fill Light. The highlight areas will receive light
from both the Main Light (which will have a value of ‘2x’) as well as
the Fill Light (a value of ‘1x’) Therefore the highlight has received 3x
the level of light whilst the shadow area has only received 1x hence 3:1
ratio. This will result in an easy to print negative which retains detail
in both the highlight and shadow areas.
The other technical aspect is focusing. Although it sounds obvious,
accurate focusing has to be practised. Always put the plane of focus
on the eyes of the person you are shooting and you can’t go far
wrong.

Good lighting is very important, without light the photograph cannot

exist and it’s important that lights are placed to create a natural
looking effect. Unlike the human eye, the camera does not have the
advantage of two eyes to see in three dimensions, instead it relies on
the light and shade that the lights create to indicate depth and dimen-
sion. When lighting a portrait always try and put dimension ito the
picture, too often the subjects appear flat.

Once the science of photography is second nature you are free to

concentrate on your subject, building up a special relationship that
can be seen in the final image. When I take a portrait the subject is
always more important than the lighting. Although I shoot more than
5000 rolls of film every year the excitement of portrait photography
is for me as strong as ever.

I hope that you will find this booklet full of useful tips
and suggestions and that it inspires you to take more
and better portraits.

Good Shooting
oe
JCraig
 Umbrellas

Background

Subject

EL250
Silver
Umbrella

EL250
Translucent
Umbrella
Camera

ip
Joe’s tThe dome of thcet
bje
“Place ter in the su o-
e t
flashm and point it ce. This is traditional umbrella lighting. The two light sources
o sit ion t s o ur
p h
the lig uch
wards tely how m m are placed in front of the model and fitted with umbrellas.
u ra fro
s acc bject
h is m easure onto the su ch light To control the contrast ratio the Main Light will be one f-stop
T ea
falling easure should be
light is h unit. M eter
brighter than the Fill Light. The power of the Main Light
la s m r a
that f . Th e era fo
dep endently ds the cam all lights (bounced against the Silver Umbrella), is set one f-stop above
in ar f
d tow ffect o
pointe eck of the e n” that of the Fill Light (shooting through the translucent
c h ake
final ot is t umbrella). The camera aperture will be 1/2 f-stop above the
the sh
before
output of the Main Light by itself. If the Fill Light is f8 and
the Main Light is f11 then the camera should be set to f11.5.
 This picture has also been taken
using just two umbrellas and it
makes an exceptionally good
portrait. The Main Light is fitted
once again with a silver umbrella.
The Fill Light is fitted with a
Translucent Umbrella and placed
opposite the Main Light. This acts as
a hair light, separating the model
from the background. Finally a
silver reflector panel illuminates the
shadows to reduce the overall
contrast.

Background
EL 250
Translucent
Umbrella

Subject

Silver
Reflector
Panel

EL 250
Silver
Umbrella Camera
Umbrellas

p
Joe’s Ti working
m
“When I’ I
all room
in a sm y to take
tr
always e o f th e
g
a d v a n ta g walls.
din
surroun will spill
brellas ing the
cent um is
Translu d the room ra sure
oun . Make eu-
light ar ht lev e ls n
lig all is
overall f the w
at the colour o ave an unex-
th h !
it could picture”
tral or ct on the final
e ffe
pected

EL250
Bookcase 32˚ Honeycomb
EL250
White Wall

Subject
Translucent
Umbrella

Desk

EL250
Translucent
Umbrella
Camera

In this shot a third head, fitted with a Honeycomb

Grid is used as a Hair Light. This accentuates the
subject’s hair and helps to separate the subject from
the background. Although they are both placed on
the same side of the subject the other two lights fiited
with their umbrellas still give a Main Light and Fill
Light effect and their output levels should be set
accordingly.
 Softboxes

In these pictures the lighting is in

layers. The first layer puts light and
detail into the background by lighting
from the side. The same light also acts
as a Hair Light separating the subjects
from the background. The Main Light is
placed slightly in front of the subjects
Wall Hanging
and lights across them. This maintains
EL 250
70cm Softbox a three dimesional appearance. The
Subjects
Translucent Umbrella acts as the Fill
Light and the silver reflector panel fills
EL 250
100cm Softbox Silver the shadow area. Once again Main
Reflector
Panel Light and Fill Light are set 1 f-stop
EL250
Translucent apart. The background light is set to
Umbrella Camera
the same level as the Main Light.
 Softboxes

Background

EL 500
Subject 16˚ Honeycomb
EL 500 on floor Once again, two softboxes were used, but in this
70cm Softbox
Subject
example they were combined to act together as a
Main Light. The smaller 70cm Softbox was placed
on the floor with the larger 100cm Softbox above it.

EL 500 above
This ensures that the model nearest to the camera is
Camera
70cm Softbox evenly lit with no shadows below her chin.

Since the model in the background is out of focus

p
Joe’s Tiok for other pic- she is illuminated only by the light of the Honey-
lo t-
Always are shoo
hen you comb Grid to give a much harder, more contrasty
tures w I’ve taken two
re s
ing. He idual portrait effect. The flash units are adjusted so that the same
ind iv both
good age of
iking im level of light is falling on both models. The studio
as a str
as well r.
togethe wall to the left of the models is a lighter tone and
models
this helps to reduce the overall contrast.
 EL 250 Wall
16˚ Honeycomb

Subject
EL 250

Window
Translucent
Umbrella

EL 500
Camera 100cm
Softbox

Out of the studio and into the home. Here we wanted

to create a natural looking picture by using a 100cm
Softbox to recreate the light coming through a
window. Two other light sources were also used.
A Fill light fitted with a Translucent Umbrella helped
to lighten the shadows.

A third light was fitted with a 16˚ Honeycomb was

placed behind the subject. This light not only helps to
separate the subject from the background but also
illuminates the items on the piano which would
otherwise be in darkness.
 Light Banks

This portrait is lit with a single light

source, the Elinchrom Octa. It gives
a smooth even light which replicates
the light from a window. A silver
reflector is used just to lighten the
shadow area.

By adjusting the angle of the Octa it

is possible to lighten or darken the
background to the precise shooting
requirements. The Octa is 1.75m in
diameter, perfect for full length
portraits.
ip
Joe’s gTl e light
i n
A s of the
is one
source l i g h t s t o
t
e a s i e s ays use it
se . A lw that
u bject,
to y o su ftest and
u r
lose s so
very c light is at it Background
ay the g .
w
latterin
most f

Subject

EL 500 Silver
Octa Reflector
Lite Bank Panel

Camera
 Stone Wall

Fireplace
EL250
16˚ Honeycomb

Subjects

EL250
Square 44

EL500
Octa
Lite bank
Camera EL500
100cm
Softbox

Joe’s Ti
“Alway
p
sp
together ose people
. Every
ily clos w ants to body
e and to see a fa
see how g ether. m-
m Yo
her Dad uch this little g u can
dy just irl loves
by her
pose!”

Four lights were used to create this picture. The Main Light is an Octa
which gives a soft overall illumination. A Square 44 Reflector with
its 32˚ Honeycomb Grid was used as a Hair Light. A 100cm Softbox
acted as a Fill Light.

To get the texture onto the stonework, and to imitate the effect of the
lamp, a second 32˚ Honeycomb was fitted to a flash unit and pointed
up against the wall. This gives the whole picture a third dimension
but still looks perfectly natural.
 Using More Lights

EL250
Square 44 Reflector

EL250
Square 44
EL250 Reflector
High
Performance Column
Reflector

Subject
EL500
100cm Softbox

EL500 Camera EL250

Octa 70cm Softbox
Lite Bank

For this large set six lights and a variety of different

accessories were used. The Main Light is once again
an Octa. On the right of the set two soft light sources
were used either side of the column to give a natural Joe’s Tip
whole
“Consider lighting the
feel and to make sure the background had both jus t yo ur sub ject.
set and not
subject
texture and dimension. The Square 44 Reflector was That will leave the
nd and
free to move arou
used as a hair light and for extra effect a High ting po ssibil ities. I
give you more shoo gth , 3/4 and
Performance Reflector was shot through the screen to shoot ful l len
used this set to ri-
r shots from a va
bring out its detail. Finally a 70cm Softbox is used Head and Shoulde
ety of angle s.”
as a Fill Light and placed at the front of the set.
 Joe’s Tip
whole
“Light and pose the
the bit
body and not just
at will
you’re shooting. Th
look na tur al and
make all your poses
not contrived”
A classic High Key lighting set up. The subject has detail
EL500
but the background is pure white. The secret is to get the Square 44
EL250 EL250
background evenly lit and overexposed by no more than 1 Wide Angle Wide Angle
Reflector Reflector
f-stop. This will remove any detail, if it is too bright it
will affect the edges of the subject as the light from the
background flares forwards. These lights must be Subject

positioned accurately so that they don’t spill onto the

EL500
subject. Once the background level has been set the EL500 100cm
Octa Softbox
subject can be lit. If the background is set to f16 then the Lite Bank Camera
subject should be lit at f11 which will also be the camera
aperture. Make sure that the lights illuminating the
background are not allowed to spill light onto the subject.
 Compacts
The Standard Elinchrom compact flash
units are small, lightweight and easy to
use. They feature fast recycling and offer
exceptionally short flash durations.

Advanced Compacts
These units offer a potent combination of speed and
convenience. They have an extended power range
and are adjustable over 5 f-stops. The Elinchrom
Advanced Compacts are characterised by their fast
recycling, rapid flash durations and overall excep-
tional performance.

Micro Compact
This unit incorporates the latest advances in
electronic technology and is the most advanced
compact flash unit in the World. It has a 5 f-stop
range and the power is controlled in precise
steps of 1/10th f-stop. Full remote control and
dual voltage operation are amongst the many
features of this exciting new unit.

Studio Systems
Elinchrom produce a fine range of studio
powerpacks and Lampheads. Both the
Classic, the Combi and the advanced
Micro AS series Powerpacks are used by
top photographers the World over.
 Honeycombs
A honeycomb creates a pool of light. The
larger the degree of coverage the larger the
pool of light. Use for Hair lights in portraiture
or wherever controlled spots of light are needed.

Umbrellas
Umbrellas are the simplest way to make the light
source larger and therefore softer. Different materials
work in different ways. Silver is the most efficient
and produces a high contrast result. White creates
less contrast and can appear softer. Translucent can
be reflected or used to shoot through allowing the light
source to be placed nearer to the subject.

Softboxes
A softbox, like an umbrella produces a soft light source.
Unlike an umbrella the softbox is much more controlla-
ble. The direction of the light is more specific and it can
be used with much greater subtlety. The uniform front
diffuser also gives more acceptable reflective highlights
than an umbrella.

Light Banks
These huge softboxes create the ultimate portrait light.
Their size allows them to be used effectively for full
length shots or larger groups. The unique Elinchrom
design gives a front surface that varies by as little as 3/
10th f-stop anywhere on the surface, allowing even low
power flash units to be used effectively in the portrait
situation.
The J
oe
Craig Elinchrom Video Selection
The Portrait Video
All the images in this leaflet were
taken during the making of the Joe
Craig Portrait Video. This 60 minute
programme is a concise tour of
modern portrait photography.
Shooting in the studio, office and on
location Joe shows how to light and
pose a variety of different portraits.

Lighting for Perfect Portraits

This video shows the broad scope of the
Elinchrom flash system accessories in
the studio situation. This 30 minute
video shows the extensive range of
Elinchrom accessories and visits the
studio of leading portrait photographer
Joe Craig to learn how he lights his
award winning portraits.

The Elinchrom professional studio lighting system is available from

Elinchrom appointed stockists worldwide