Setting the Key Light

The 3 foot OctoDome nxt is the best choice for our lesson. This portrait specific light modifier creates soft wrapping light that makes any subject look great. The three foot boxes are ideal for portraits from headshots to 3/4 length.

To get started on our lighting solution, we set up two OctoDome nxt's with octoconnectors, then attached our Starlites. This assembly was placed on Photoflex 2218 LiteStands and the first one, which would be our key light, was set roughly to camera left.

To power the Starlites, simply plug them in and turn them on.

We were then ready for our model. We called her out to the set, and positioned her about 3 feet away from the background so we could control the light on our subject and background separately. We then posed her and checked the light pattern.

There are a number of ways that the OctoDome can be positioned, but in the best position, the center of OctoDome should be at eye-level with the model, and should be as close as you can get it without it being visible in the camera frame.

Common setup problems include setting up the OctoDome too far from the model and setting the OctoDome too low. If you set up the OctoDome too far from the model (figure 1), the soft, wrapping quality of the OctoDome will be progressively diminished the farther away from the model it is set. The resulting images will have higher contrast and harder shadows (figure 2).

If the OctoDome is set too low (figure 3), the shadow cast by the nose will fall high on the cheek, creating a distorting representation of your model.

Also, when only using two lights, it is important to properly light the hair. Setting the light too low will not allow the hair to be properly highlighted (figure 4).

A combination of these small oversights can make a considerable change in the result.

A properly set up OctoDome should be centered at eye level with the model, as close as you can get it without it being in the frame, and at an angle of about 45^o off the camera from the model (figure 5). The results will maximize the soft, wrapping quality of the light, minimizing shadows, and should also add a little highlight to the hair (figure 6).

This lighting progression can be more easily understood when compared to the final result. The left result in the comparison below is the light setup too far, the center result is the light set up too low, the right result is the light positioned correctly for this lesson (Figure 7).

Using Grids for Directional Control of Light

We installed “Grids” to the front of our OctoDome nxt "main light" in order to control the light on the background. The OctoDome nxt has a wide light coverage angle, and the purpose of the grids is to narrow that angle down, to keep the light just on the subject, and not let it hit the background. The grids attach to the OctoDome with the sewn-on Velcro® that lines the perimeter of the grids. The soft box has the receiving Velcro strip sewn-on the inner rim.

To attach the grids, line up one corner of the grids with one corner of the soft box, then press into place along rim of the box (figure 8).

Figure 9 shows you our set-up without the grids on the main light and figure 10 shows you how the light spread was reduced once the grids were attached to the main light.

With just the OctoDome lighting the model, you can easily see the difference.

Figure 11 is a result without grids, and figure 12 is a result with the grids attached.

Notice that due to the narrower light spread, the background has gone dark, and the shadows on the face have slightly increased.

Introducing a Fill Reflector

While demonstrating our two light kits, we are often asked why we don't just use a reflector as our fill.

Reflectors need to be positioned in such a way that they "reflect" the main light back at the subject as fill light. If there is not enough light from the main for the reflector to catch, the light needed to fill in your shadows on the subject won't be there. This can restrict your shots if you want to try a wider variety of lighting set-ups.

To illustrate this point, we set up a 42" white/soft gold LiteDisc reflector in the normal "main light, fill light" position.

Figure 13 shows the basic set up. The OctoDome nxt main doesn't have any grids attached, and we are using the white side of the LiteDisc to get a natural fill reflecton from the main.

We positioned the reflector to bounce the light from the main into the left side of our model's face to "fill" in the shadows and make the portrait look more naturally lit.

To maximize the LiteDisc's output, we moved the reflector in as close as possible to the model without being able to see it in the camera frame.

Figure 14 is a result of our main and reflector fill set-up and it's great.

However, we would like to make the portrait more dramatic. Taking the light off the background is an excellent way to go about this, and adding grids is an excellent way to go about that.

In figure 15, we have, once again, added the grids to our OctoDome and left the reflector in the same position as the previous set-up.

As you can see, due to the grids, the narrower angle of the light coming from the OctoDome prevents much of the light from hitting the LiteDisc.

The reflector is no longer effective in producing the fill light that we want for our portrait.

In this set-up, we moved the reflector farther back, until it was in a position to catch more light from the main and bounce it into our subject.

While the result is improved, we still don't have the light in the shadows on the face that we are looking for.

The results of the lighting set-up progression will show you how adding the grids to the OctoDome has made using reflectors for fill lighting more difficult and restricting. We would like to be able to control which shadows we would like to fill, and we want to determine the brightness of our fill light.

Lastly, we would like to be able to control the light hitting the background.

Introducing a Fill Light

Now, we are going to set up a lighting progression that demonstrates the capabilities of using two light sources. We can set up these sources independently from each other and change the brightness, angle, and put the grids on or off if we want. This give us a lot more freedom and variety to our options.

We'll begin by setting up an OctoDome nxt without grids as our main light.

As a reminder, a properly set up OctoDome should be centered at eye level with the model, as close as you can get it without it being in the frame, and at an angle of about 45^o off the camera from the model (figures 20 and 21). The results will maximize the soft, wrapping quality of the light, minimizing shadows, and should also add a little highlight to the hair (figure 22).

We then added a second OctoDome nxt as our fill light (Figure 23).

The second light immediately gives us back much of the control we had lost when using a LiteDisc, Figure 24 shows just what you can expect from an OctoDome fill light.

With our fill light on the set, we posed our model into position and fine-tuned the reflector's position and shot our next result image.

The following two shots are a comparison between the first stage with only the OctoDome (figure 25), and the second stage, in which we added a fill light (figure 26), both without grids.

Our results (figure 26) show the light ratio under control. We have detail on the shadow side of the subject and more sense of three dimensions. We have also gained a brightness in the eyes we were lacking in the first results image (figure 25).

We could easily stop at this point and have a classic portrait any one would love. Yet by gaining more separation between the model and the background, we could do even better.

To take this shot to the next level and add unmatched control to our lighting, we began by adding grids to our main light (figures 27 and 28).

By adding the grids to only the main light, we got results (figure 29) that were a middle ground between the basic setup without grids, and the same setup with grids on both lights.

Our results had mild shadows and still retained good highlights in the hair and eyes, and the background was only darkened slightly.

Once we had experimented with having grids on only the main light, we added grids to the fill light as well (figure 30).

Figure 31 shows our results from shooting without grids on either lights, and figure 32 shows our results with grids on both lights.

Figure 33 is a shot progression from no grids on either lights, then grids on the main light only, then grids on both lights.

With all the elements in place, we gave the model the freedom to pose away and we shot until we got what we wanted. The following figures are a selection of the final shots (figures 34 - 37).

Notice how the darker background has provided a very nice separation from our well-lit model. The combination of a large softbox for soft lighting and grids for directional light control has resulted in a very flattering portrait light.

This lighting solution used only two powered lights and still achieved great results.

Expanding the Two Light Setup

Now, we are going to set up a lighting progression that demonstrates even more of the capabilities of using two light sources. We can set up these sources independently from each other and change the brightness, angle, and put the grids on or off if we want. This give us a lot more freedom and variety to our options.

We'll begin by, once again, setting up an OctoDome nxt without grids as our main light.

As a reminder, a properly set up OctoDome should be centered at eye level with the model, as close as you can get it without it being in the frame, and at an angle of about 45^o off the camera from the model (figures 38 and 39).

The results will maximize the soft, wrapping quality of the light, minimizing shadows, and should also add a little highlight to the hair (figure 40).

We then set up the second OctoDome higher up and behind the model.

Figure 42 shows a result with just the main light, without grids. Figure 43 shows a result with both the main and fill lights, both without grids.

The addition of the fill light positioned above and slightly behind the model means the fill light acts as more of a hair or separation light, which gives us nice highlights on the hair and shoulder.

We then added grids to the main light (figure 44). This gave us a high contrast shot with a slightly darkened background (figure 45).

We then completed the set up by adding grids to the fill light as well (figure 46).

Figure 47 shows a result from this setup. We were very happy with it, as we had finally achieved a dramatic shot with a dark background cleanly separated from the highlighted model.

Once we had our lighting system set up how we wanted we shot a few more pictures, some of which are shown below (figures 48 and 49).

Figures 50 and 51 show a shot progression of all our setups:

• Main light only (no grids)
• Main light (no grids) and reflector fill
• Main light (no grids) and fill light (no grids)
• Main light (with grids) and fill light (with grids)
• Main light (no grids) and repositioned fill/hair light (no grids)
• Main light (with grids) and repositioned fill/hair light (with grids)

This OctoDome nxt two-light portrait combination provides a quality and versatility that would be welcome in any studio. The OctoDome soft boxes provide a beautifully soft, wrapping light that is perfect for lighting portraits. The grids offer a directional control of light output and ease of use that any photographer would be happy to have.