How to Shoot Painterly Portraits with One and Two Lights?

Fascinated and inspired by the old masters' portrait paintings in the Renaissance period, I want to create moody, painterly portraits using a camera.

Style:

The images for this type of photography are dark, moody and have shaper light contrasts.

Outline:

1) One light, unfeathered

Pros: Easy to start and see the lighting patterns; bigger catchlights

Cons: Too intense and strong, missing that moody look; also lighting up the backdrop

2) One light, feathered (lighting up the subject with the edge of the softbox)

Pros: Less intense but more dramatic; not lighting up the backdrop.

Cons: Needs multiple trial-and-error to position the light correctly.

3) Two lights

-Using the 2nd light as the fill light

-Variations: change the distance of the 2nd light to fill up more/less shadows

-There are more options as where you place the fill light (but not discussed in this video; check out the online class)

-Be careful not to fully fill up the shadows, otherwise the image will not appear to be moody and painterly.

4) Using natural lights

-I didn't intend to do natural light, we have a few minutes left so it was a bonus shot.

-Add the black side of the reflector or flag the light to add more shadows (sorry that I didn't bring a reflector).

-Add the white/silver side of the reflector to remove the shadows

-Improvements: shoot in another time when the natural light is more intense; shoot in a darker interior to bring in more shadows and contrasts.

5) Learn more in the my online class: Shooting Painterly Portraits.

https://christina-s-site.thinkific.com/courses/painterly

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My equipment:

-Camera: Canon R5

-Lens: Canon 85mm F1.4 lens

-Flash: Godox AD600 (main); AD200 (fill)

-Softbox: Glow Ez Lock 48" Octabox (main); 36" (fill)

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*Photosprouts Photography Workshops* | Instructor-led Workshops in San Francisco

| Equipment provided |

Browse Instructor-led Workshops:

http://www.photosprouts.com

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*Online Workshops:

From Natural Light to Off-Camera Flash Portraiture (NEW CLASS!)

https://christina-s-school-7697.thinkific.com/courses/your-first-course

Shooting Painterly Portraits

https://christina-s-site.thinkific.com/courses/painterly

Understanding Color Gels:

https://christina-s-school-7a2c.thinkific.com/courses/colorgels

Color grading:

https://photosproutsbeginner101.thinkific.com/courses/color-grading

The Joy of Flower Photography:

https://photosproutsbeginner101.thinkific.com/courses/flower

Beginner 101 For Photography Newbies:

https://photosproutsbeginner101.thinkific.com/courses/beginner-101-photography-workshop-online

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