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Thanks for stopping by. I'm Michael Corsentino, a lifestyle photographer based in beautiful Sonoma County California. Stylish, fun, creative and relaxed images are what my work is all about. Check out the drop down menus above for links to my weddings, engagements, portraits, album designs, resources, photography tips & web sites.
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Happy 4th of July people! I hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday weekend. Last week when I posted the pet portrait session of Otis the pug I promised a behind-the-scenes post describing the studio lighting setup I used, so here it is.
There are a ton of different ways to light any given subject. The setup I used here is just what worked for me in this situation and not necessarily the only way to do it or the way to do it in every scenario. The type of lighting used and the pattern of light I choose for this session were based on the specific needs for this session and the look I wanted for my pet portraits. Every session will vary and have different requirements so flexibility is key. I look at determining the right lighting solution for each new situation, studio or location, like solving a fun puzzle . Each new session is a new challenge with new obstacles to overcome. That’s the cool part, because each obstacle overcome and lighting problem solved is a new lighting trick to put in your lighting bag of tricks. |
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I’ve seen lots of pet portraits, many lit from one side with a reflector on the other side. Nothing wrong with that but I wanted to try something a little different with Otis. Rather than creating the dramatic and sculpting light that side lighting can produce I decided to go for a more wrap-around lighting pattern typically used in beauty or glamour photography. It’s called Butterfly Lighting and it’s created by placing a light source, angled and, directly above the subjects face and a reflector directly below the subjects face. (see diagram). Based on his height I knew I’d able to use the white sweep I was photographing him on as a reflector to fill in the shadows from below. I also knew his height wouldn’t present any problems with full figure shots as well. Keeping the light and subject close to the back of the white sweep allowed me to light them both using one light.
Otis and his mom Rebecca on set. |
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The thing to remember is that the larger your light source (light modifier) and the closer it is to your subject the softer the quality of light will be. I used a Westcott Spiderlite TD6 & 36”x48” softbox with a white interior and removed the interior and front diffusion panels to maximize light output.
I choose a continuos light source, Westcott’s Spiderlite TD6, for several reasons. The first being the incredibly soft light it produces even at full power and without any diffusion material in front of it. Using continuos lights like Westcott’s Spiderlite is also great when working with pets, children, babies, maternity, actually any kind of session where you want a less intrusive light source. And by intrusive I mean compared to big popping, studio strobes that can be intimidating or distracting for some subjects. The other really cool thing about Westcott’s Spiderlite is not having to wait for it to recycle.
This means you can shoot uninterrupted and catch those fleeting moments without worrying about your flash keeping up. The added benefit is that your subjects end up being less aware of the lights and consequently more relaxed. No big flashes pop pop popping in their faces every two seconds. |
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| I hope this been informative and maybe even inspired you to try it yourself. Let me know what you come up with and thanks for stopping by. |
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