Using a Motivated Key Light Lesson via Jay P Morgan

Jay P Morgan (website)  shares today a new behind the scenes video about how to use your key light and a new giveaway. Don't forget to enter their February 2015 giveaway for a chance to win one of 4 iSeries 1914-8 Waterproof Cases!

Let's take a look at how we shot the primary image and then how we did the background. Using a Canon 5D Mark III with a Tamron 24-70mm lens, I shot at 1/50 of a second at f5.6 with an ISO of 320. The color balance was set at tungsten because I am using a orange gel in the lantern. The first light was the motivated key. We put a Dynalite Pencil Light in the lantern and ran the cord to the floor which will need to be removed in post. The lantern was wrapped with diffusion and full Rosco CTO, or orange gel. I stacked several layers of diffusion on the front of the Pencil Light and only one layer on the back. I want the lantern to light her face but not look too blown out on the side facing the camera.


Our second light was a deep dish beauty dish with a Dynalite Studio Head. We will move this toward the camera to get around the lantern and light her face. It will imitate our motivated light and open up the woman's face. We will now add three PhotoFlex FlexFlash strobe heads on the floor pointed up at the backdrop. All with diffusion but I am not going to put any CTO on these lights so the background will go to blue.


The final light will be a Dynalite Road Head as a rim light from camera left that will rim her body and help to separate her from the BG. This light does not have a full Rosco CTO. The blue will show up as we put smoke in the air. I also added a PhotoFlex LightPanel reflector on the camera left side to reflect some light back into her face and open up the shadows. We will use a wind machine from camera right to blow her dress and create the motion in her hair. Julene will lift her scarf and dress and drop it just as I take the shot to allow them both to catch the wind.


I love this type of fantasy portraiture – great fun to produce and put together. Using motivated lighting helps create this successful image and striping in a background adds more depth. Get out there and see what you can do with motivated key lights, whether they are lanterns, windows or street lamps. Keep those cameras rollin' and keep on clickin'.

Congratulations Jay P for your amazing video tutorial.

All text, images and video via YouTube on The Slanted Lens