Lighting a Large Photograph

Outdoor Photo

• 1

  Arrive at the sight of the photo shoot at sunrise or two hours before sunset. This assumes a one hour set-up time. The best time to use the ambient light of the sun is the hour after sunrise or the hour before sunset. At these times the rays of the sun are nearly horizontal to the ground at the eye level of any human subjects.

• 2

  Place the subject in the area you wish to photograph. To accentuate the lighting without creating striking or overpowering shadows set the brightest of your three lighting fixtures directly behind the subject.

• 3

  Add the medium powered light as a second back light at a 45-degree angle to the subject. This will soften the harsh backlight and eliminate any shadows that were artificially created.

• 4

  Place the weakest light at a 30- to 45-degree angle to the front of the subject. This light may be placed at a slightly lower height than the first two.

• 5

  Adjust the lighting to achieve your desired effect. Dramatic images can be achieved by placing lights at angles closer to 90-degrees to the subject. Adjusting the height of the light may also help. A low lighting source focused upward at the face of a subject creates an ominous look while a light from high above can create a racooning effect that casts a shadow from the brow ridge over the eyes of the figure.

Indoor Photo

• 6

  Set up the lighting in the same fashion and angles as for the outdoor photo. This time you will not have the ambient sunlight to aid you.

• 7

  Fill the back of your photo space with a white sheet held taut with a backdrop armature.

• 8

  Place your subject in the photograph area.

• 9

  Set up your tripod so the camera lens is at the same height as the neck of the subject.

• 10

  Turn on the flash and disable the automatic setting with a manual override. The flash will be used as a "fill flash" to brighten the face of the subject. This can be done in the outdoor setting as well, although it is not as prominent.