5 Studio lighting techniques for fashion photography

Welcome, everyone, to an in-studio episode where I'll show you some of my favorite lighting setups for shooting on a white Cyclorama, or cyc! What is a cyc? It's used to conceal the corner where the wall meets the floor, creating the illusion of an endless background. This effect can also be achieved with rolls of colored or white seamless paper. Cycs are almost always painted white, which simplifies lighting but can also make it appear flat. Mastering how to shoot on a white cyc is crucial for your success as a photographer. White cycs are commonly used for fashion, products, jewelry, and video, so you'll likely find yourself shooting on one at some point. We'll be using Profoto lights, but you can use any lights to achieve the same effects.

• 1 “Soft Front Light Double Black Cards”

  • 1 Light with 48" Soft-box

  • 1 Silver Reflector

  • 2 Black V-Cards

The black v-cards subtract light from the sides of the model and this creates more of an edge and separation from the backdrop.

The soft box is placed above the models jaw line to create a jaw shadow. This creates separation from the jaw and the neck. The silver catch card is placed on the ground to bounce the key light back up into the models under eye and to also give the eyes a little sparkle.

RESULTS:

• 2 “Fashion E-commerce” (commercial look)

  • 1 Light with 48" Soft-box

  • 1 Light with Beauty Dish/Small Soft-box

  • 1 Light with Honey Comb Grid

  • 1 Silver Reflector

This set-up is similar to the 1st set up but we are going to introduce more light direction and texture. Our key light is now off center to camera left and it's paired with a smaller/harder light source. The smaller light is placed there to create texture in the fabric of the clothes. Finally we have the hair light on the shadow side of the model and the spill off is controlled with 40 degree honeycomb grid.

RESULTS:

• 3 “High Contrast Beauty Dish” (High Key)

  • 1 Light with Beauty Dish

  • 1 Silver Reflector

This is one of my favorite lighting styles and it's great for athletic photography, fashion, beauty and glamour. This lighting is very good at hiding skin imperfections and it brings out the colors of the clothing. Super simple set up as well!

RESULTS:

RESULTS:

• 4  “Double Bounce -45” (Low Key)

  • 2 Lights

  • 2 V-Cards

  • 1 Silver Reflector

    
    

    This lighting set-up is super soft, directional back/side lighting. This is considered a low-key lighting set-up due to it's dimly lite style. Back-lighting is a fantastic way to create mood, drama and it pairs well with lingerie or sexy attire.

    RESULTS:

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    
    

• 5 “High Fashion”

• (Editorial Look)

  • 2 Lights (BEAUTY DISH IS KEY)

  • 2 BLACK V-Cards

  • 1 Silver Reflector

  • 1 BLACK FLAG

    This lighting set-up is almost identical to the 2nd set-up but a couple of small details changes everything. The smaller source beauty dish is the key light now and the large soft-box is fill. This means the power output from the small light is greater than the large soft-box. This lighting ratio is super important to achieving this look.

    RESULTS: