Online Studio Portrait Lighting Class Giveaway!

5/22/2014 ISO 1200 Magazine 0 Comments

Want to know how to get the perfect shot—from fun senior photos to professional business profiles—every time? Find out with instruction from pro Kirk Tuck, who has photographed Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger and President Bill Clinton.

Enter for your chance win Kirk's online Craftsy class Studio Portrait Lighting here (a $59.99 value!) —an exclusive offer for ISO 1200 readers!

Plus, enjoy six tips for capturing the superior in-studio portraits that will set your work apart:

Dress your clients for success:

Advise your clients to wear something comfortable, and preferably stick to solid colors.

Consider creating a Pinterest board ahead of time with clothing ideas so your clients can see what options look best and will photograph well.

Build extra time into your schedule:

Getting your subject in the right frame of mind can take a little bit of time. Make sure that you aren’t rushing it, and give your subject time to get used to the setup, the environment and having you there.

Overcommunicate:

Communication will lead to trust, and if your client trusts you, your photos will turn out significantly better. It's important to let your subject know exactly what they need to do. Be specific with where they should place their hands, head and so on. Let them know which foot to put their weight on, to stand up straight, when it’s OK to smile or look solemn, and when to look at the camera or into the distance. Unclear instructions will just make them frustrated or embarrassed and make them tense up.

Brighten your images using white foam core:

Bring a main light in at a 45-degree angle from your subject, because that's the direction where the pleasing sunlight in nature comes from. And, set it about 45 degrees off angle to your camera which will help light your subject's face. To bring up the shadows on the opposite side, use a piece of white foam core to reflect the light back and gently brighten up your subject's other side. You can get it anywhere and it's inexpensive. It's a big source and it's really soft, so it fills in more detail in your shadow areas and keeps your photos from being too dark.

Choose between short lighting and broad lighting patterns:

Short lighting is when the side of your subject's face is turned away from the camera, and is better lit than the side of the face closest to the camera. It's great for making faces look more slender.

Broad Lighting is when the side of the face closest to the camera is better lit, which is a great fit if your subject's face is very narrow already or if you want to visually minimize areas that are not as photogenic.

Achieve soft, directional light with a go-to setup:

Set a really, really big diffuser over on one side of your subject, with a black wall on the other side to accentuate the shadows. This setup will create light that can be soft and directional at the same time.

Now that you have a few new ideas for inspiration, take the next step when you enter for your chance to win Kirk Tuck's online Craftsy class Studio Portrait Lighting! Enjoy learning at your pace, with unlimited access to your class anytime, anywhere.

How do you direct your subjects to capture the exact look you’re aiming for?

One winner will be randomly selected on May 22, 2014 at midnight MT. This has been a sponsored post kindly brought to us by Craftsy.