Taking pictures inside a studio is sometimes difficult because you are trying to reconstruct natural lighting artificially. Indoor lighting will cast shadows you do not want and it will reduce your editing time if you properly light the subject from the beginning. These are a few pieces of equipment that can help generate the right type of ambience in your beauty shots.
Soft Box
A soft box is literally a box attached to the outside of a lamp in order to focus the light on the subject area. The outside of the box is lined with heavy-duty black nylon and inside is either a matte white or silver to reduce the amount of light spilling out. Finally, a soft fabric covers the front of the light to diffuse passing through. This is called the baffle. They can be the primary source of light which is referred to as a Key Light or as a secondary light to reduce contrast and called a Fill Light. Soft boxes are great for fill light because they do not cast hard shadows.
Silver Panel Reflectors
The silver panel reflectors do exactly that, they reflect light back onto the subject. If you have the soft box lighting focused on one side of the model’s face, the opposite side will be dark. Having a silver reflector on that opposite side will refocus the scattered light to remove the shadows. Using silver over gold is preferred when you don’t want to have gold mirrored back. If you do not have enough reflectors at your location, they are simple to make. Add regular kitchen aluminum foil to a large piece of cardboard and you will be set.
Beauty Dish
Light from a beauty dish is not quite as soft as a soft box, but it is softer than an umbrella light. It helps sculpt the model’s face and skin texture. It emphasizes shadows on the jaw line and lights in the subject’s eyes. Make sure to use a model with almost flawless skin because using the beauty dish will bring out any blemishes or wrinkles.
Beauty photographers in NYC typically take photos of the model’s head and shoulders to accentuate their makeup and hair. These beauty shots are most commonly found in the fashion industry, like Cosmopolitan and Vogue magazines. Using the right light enhancers focuses the light in the best directions to prevent excessive shadows and make the skin more flattering.
For more information about beauty photographers in NYC, contact Vikram Pathak Photography.
