Vertical Portraits with Just One Light

[Asher Kelman]

I had an unexpected call for a portrait today and had only one light working. I used 50 W/S shining into an 8ft vertical V of white styrofoam (two panels of 8ftx2 ft hinged to form a V) and the reflected light comes baqck through a large white umbrella. The umbrella is above and 45 degrees to subjects and to one side and the other side is another vertical V of white styrofoam card to reflect light back from the other side of the subjects who stand in from to white seamless.



http://www.openphotographyforums.com/2007_OPF_AK/Asher_Kelman_2007/_MG_0738_TRO_600.jpg

Asher Kelman: Portrait for Trio competition 5D Mark 1, Lumedyne 50 Watt Secs, f5.6, ISO 400 No Retouch



This is part of a set of images I'll prepare. I thought I'd share the image as processed from Phase One's Capture One software. The main work to be done is whitening background, no big deal.

Asher

[Asher Kelman]

So, where are your portraits with just one light?

[Walt Conley]

Does it count if the "one light" is the sun? Taken on 35mm Kodak Tmax 100, scanned from a print. This was taken of a friend at the entrance of a castle door above Cologne Germany. The day had a light overcast providing a perfect half-sphere light source. Although in the scanned image, the face is a little hotter than I would like, the overall picture came out as I imagined highlighting her blonde hair against the dark background while showing soft shadows in the fold of her leather jacket.
http://www.pbase.com/wconley/image/92515983/original.jpg

[Rachel Foster]

I like this image a lot, Walt. Even though the exposure is a bit bright ("hot") it still is a wonderful pose and feel.

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Walt,

Does it count if the "one light" is the sun? Taken on 35mm Kodak Tmax 100, scanned from a print. This was taken of a friend at the entrance of a castle door above Cologne Germany. The day had a light overcast providing a perfect half-sphere light source. Although in the scanned image, the face is a little hotter than I would like, the overall picture came out as I imagined highlighting her blonde hair against the dark background while showing soft shadows in the fold of her leather jacket.
Indeed, the face is a little blown out, but the dark jacket against the dark background works amazingly well - a better-than-textbook example of "shadow detail".

And of course a way cute subject.

[Damien Paul]

These are very nice pictures - I don't know if it just me, but with one light, it seems more natural and relaxed. If the sun is counted as one light, i will try and dig out one of my own.