Lights, Camera... Nude!: A Guide to Lighting the Female Nude for Photography Read Online Free PDF

the snoot.
     
    The background remains somewhat dark due to the limits placed on the lights by the flags, grid, and snoot.
     
    Model Zone: The model’s zone for free movement is somewhat restricted by the light with the snoot. If the model moves too much, this light will need to be adjusted to keep it lighting her leg. The beauty dish may also need to be aimed to keep it on her face and prevent excessive overlap with the side lighting. The light pattern from the softbox will be slightly more forgiving due to the modifier’s size and the angle of this light.
     

 
     
     
     
    Lighting Diagram 8: Beauty dish, softbox, snoot
     
     
     

Boom Spot

     
    Photo 47: Boom spot
     
    Model: Lexi W.
     
     
     
    Lighting Setup# 9 Category: Studio Skill: Moderate Light Kit:4 Heads:2+ Model Zone: Medium
     
     
     

     
     
     
    For these images, only two light sources are required.
     
    Light #1 : A boom arm holds the light above and behind the model, aimed at her hair and angled slightly toward the camera. A grid and barn doors on the overhead light prevents the light from spilling onto the background or hitting the camera lens.
     
    Light #2 : A large diffuser (a large sheet of translucent fabric) is placed to the left and slightly in front of the model. The light heads are aimed through the fabric. Diffusion material is available through photographic suppliers, or a sheet of fabric like this can be purchased at a fabric store. Fabric is easier to set up than a softbox, but the light is not as soft. You can optionally put additional light heads behind the fabric (in this case I actually used three lights totaling 450 watt seconds).
     
    Reflector #3 : A 48-inch collapsible reflector slightly fills in the shadows by reflecting light from the softbox. Because the reflector is not directly opposite the light it reflects only a limited amount of light into the shadow areas.
     
    Photo 46: Overhead light on boom spot
     
     
     

     
    Photo 48: Large diffuser and boom spot
     
    Model: Lexi W.
     
     
     
     
     
    Lighting Diagram 9: Diffuser, boom spot
     
     
     
    DIY Tip: Rectangular panel reflectors and diffusers can be made by stretching fabric over PVC pipe frames. I have used 8-foot square, DIY frame clamped to a nearby surface, or with PVC T-joints as feet.
     
     
     

Low-Key Light

     
    Lighting Setup# 10 Category: Low-key Skill: Moderate Light Kit:4 Heads:4 Model Zone: Medium
     
    Relatively little light falls on the background because all the lights are restricted in their angle and are directed at the model. By adjusting the aim of the backlights the scene can be adapted to light some props; in this example an ironing board and iron.
     
    Photo 49: Low key with ironing board
     
    Model: Lauren K.
     

 
     
    Photo 50: Low-key
     
    Model: Lauren K.
     
    Light #1 : The main light, is modified with a 22-inch beauty dish, fixed with a grid and mounted on a boom arm for easy adjustment. The beauty dish is approximately four-feet from the model’s face, and slightly higher than her head, angled downward.
     
    Light #2 : A 17-inch by 54-inch strip-light soft-box provides a fair amount of fill light. The strip-light is placed with its bottom edge as close to the ground as possible in order to light the lower part of the body and avoid burned out highlights caused by excessive overlap between the main light and the fill light. Decreasing the power of the fill light would increase the contrast and further the low-key effect.
     
    Lights # 3 & # 4 There are two backlights: a low one pointed at the legs, and a high one at the hair. Each backlight is fitted with a sock diffuser and a honeycomb grid on top of it. The diffuser softens the light, while the grid restricts the path of the light to a narrow beam.
     
    M odel Z one : For this setup, the model zone is small. The model can’t move very far and stay in the lit areas because the background lights are grid-spots aimed specifically at the thigh and hair.
     

     
    Lighting