How to shoot Painterly Portraits with 1 and 2 lights?

Why do this?
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.

***
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)

***

*Photosprouts Photography Workshops* | Instructor-led Workshops in San Francisco
| Equipment provided |
Browse Instructor-led Workshops:

*Social Media:

*Online Workshops:

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

Shooting Painterly Portraits

Understanding Color Gels:

Color grading:

The Joy of Flower Photography:

Beginner 101 For Photography Newbies:

***