Photography News issue 26

Photography News Issue 26 absolutephoto.com

Technique 36

Lighting academy Twin light techniques Using two lights doubles not just your power, but also your creative options. Here are three easy lighting looks you can achieve with two flash heads and two softboxes

Words & pictures by Kingsley Singleton

Two flash units allow you to throw more light onto the subject

Left Softboxes create flattering, diffused light, but being directional in nature they still produce some shadows (see below). To cut these down even further, use a second softbox placed opposite the first. Be careful to match the lighting ratio so that you’re not underlighting the subject, and remember that going from one light to two on the subject will mean altering the power or exposure settings to make sure you don’t overexpose.

While it’s possible to achieve superb lighting effects with a single studio flash head alone, or twinned with a reflector, options expand massively when you start working with two heads. Not only do two flash units allow you to throw more light onto the subject, banishing shadows and letting you create very flattering, even looks, they also provide extra control; so even the minor accents of light used in low- key effects are more adaptable than when just a reflector is used, with lighting power easily set to different levels to change the contrast ratio, and more easily directed, too. What’s more, triggering two lights shouldn’t be any more difficult than one; you just need an additional wireless receiver, or, if your flash head has one, use the second light’s slave function, so it will fire when it detects the first. In the following techniques we’ll be using two lights, each fitted with an 85cm octa softbox, as well as a reflector when required. It’s a setup you can start using straight out of the box, as most manufacturers provide twin‑head kits that include softboxes, stands and cables. Clamshell lighting This is one of the most flattering looks you can get from a two-light setup, which is why it’s commonly used onmodels for cover shoots

and advertising, where a shadowless, low- contrast look is required. The clamshell name comes from the positioning of the lights; one sits above the subject and the other below, like the two parts of a shell (although they can sit at either side too). With the light softened by the softboxes’ diffusers, it wraps around the subject to create broad and even illumination. Of course, with the light below you’ll probably need to frame up closer to the subject, so you don’t get it in the shot. We used a seated position, mounting the top light on a stand and laying the second on the floor, so it naturally angled upwards. Both ’boxes were set up at the same distance to the model, Harri. As always, the power and the lighting ratio are just as important as the positioning, and with two lights on the subject, you need to watch that you’re not accidentally overpowering them. Likewise, the lights must be well balanced in output, so that the lighting from below isn’t stronger, which tends to look poor. To avoid the latter, set the lights to the same power or have the lower light at a slightly lower power before taking a reading with your flash meter or a test shot; if you meter using just the first light, then add the second, you’ll over-expose as the light overlaps. With the top light at quarter power, and the bottom one 1/3 stop below it, we metered at f/14, ISO 200.

Toomuch power

Top light only