The Flash Photography Field Guide

A Soft Light Portrait

If you look at a well-lit portrait that was clearly shot using multiple lights, it’s easy to feel confused about where to begin to replicate the look. It may sound obvious, but for best results, build up light-by-light until you have the desired effect. Each light will have some effect on the others, so by building up one at a time, you can isolate any problem areas and go some way to solving them.

Don’t be afraid to change things around—you don’t always get it right first time, as this series of photographs proves. These images were shot in front of a plain black wall using only three flashes. The ambient light was from overhead tungsten bulbs that were warm-colored and not very flattering, so the exposure was set at 1/125 ...