Owen - Boudoir lighting: simple techniques for dramatic photography

Copyright 2015 by Robin Owen.

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Associate Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder

Business Manager: Adam Richards

Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-757-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014933303

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The authors and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Contents

Foreword

M y goal for this book is to show you that lighting setups dont need to be complicated to achieve amazing results. I usually use one light for my boudoir and portrait sessions, and thats enough to create stunning images. I hope that the book gives you a few unique ideas and inspires you to use your imagination and challenge yourself. Feel free to reach out to me through Facebook at www.facebook.com/RobinOwen or on my web site www.theboudieschool.com. I look forward to meeting many of you in the future.

Best of Luck,

Robin

I dont have a lot of lighting equipment in my studio. This forces me to think outside of the box when I want to try something different. It is not unusual for me to pick up random objects, such as fabric or colored glass, and shine light through them to see what effect they give me.

One day, I was standing in the laundry room, folding clothes, when I noticed the patterned cut-out of my plastic laundry basket. I picked up the basket, walked over to the studio, and started experimenting. I dug out an old video light, turned it on, and shined the light through it. When I saw the amazing pattern the basket created on the wall, I knew I had to use it! I have several different colored walls in the studio, but I preferred the richness of the purple wall for this shoot.

The first thing I had to do was find a way to mount the basket in front of the light. I didnt have an assistant to help me hold it and I couldnt let the basket touch the video light because it was too hot and the plastic would melt. Through trial and error, I discovered that if I ran the pole of a light stand through the cutout holes, the basket would stay in place. I carefully positioned my model Carrie so that the light would shine on her eyes.

I first experimented with an LED light panel but found the light was too dim to give me a defined shadow. The Lowel Pro video light, with a set of barn doors attached to control the spread of light, was bright enough to create the shadow pattern I was looking for. My settings were f/2.8 and second at ISO 2500.