Edwardian Shoot

I did a shoot recently for the combined purpose of showing off makeup for a makeup artist and showing off an outfit for a costume hire company.

The above image was one of the outdoor shots. You'll note how the model stands out well from the background. There are three main reasons for this as far as lighting is concerned - contrast ratio, light quality/direction and colour temperature.

The first, contrast ratio, is actually held quite fine. It looks greater than it is because the background of steps is dark and grey, while the model is brightly dressed, but in reality, the exposure difference isn't that great. This gives a softness to the overall feel of the image.

The second, light quality and direction, is created simply by an average sized brolly to camera right (reasonably contrasty because it isn't too big, but softer than direct flash), held by a light stand and supported by a voice activated light stand to stop it falling down the stairs. Just slightly above the level of the model's face, such that you have fall off down the model, but it is a fairly even light to show off the outfit (important when that's a reason for the shoot!)

The third, colour temperature is created by a warm gel on the flash fired at the brolly. Only 1/4 CTO in this case, but the difference makes the model pop with a little warmth.

On their own these techniques can give a reasonable image, but bringing them together helps give that little extra bit of pop!