Much of the art in corporate headshot photography revolves around the ability to produce a solid repeatable result in any location, at any time of day. So I thought I’d share one of my most trusted light setups.
Is it fancy? No. Does it require a lot of expensive gear? Nope.
My trusted setup is a medium umbrella with diffuser and a V Flat or reflector for fill. That’s it. Before you go crazy on all the fancy lighting equipment, work on mastering this setup first. You’ll learn a lot about lighting which will then put you in a much better position to actually understand and use any fancier setups.
Umbrella Headshot Lighting Variations
A medium umbrella is perfect for a general purpose headshot. But if you want a softer quality of light, use a bigger umbrella at the same distance to the subject.
If you want a little more contrasty or dramatic look, use a smaller umbrella.
The fill light from the V Flat (or reflector) can be tweaked quite a bit too, just by changing the distance from the subject. Move it closer (just out of frame) for more fill. Or move it farther or even remove it for a more dramatic split light look.
Not feathering the light creates a rather harsh split light look — generally not great for professional images.
Feather Your Portrait Light
You might’ve tried an umbrella before and found the light to be hard and just not very flattering. I’m guessing you didn’t feather the light. Feathering your light, or aiming it in front of the subjects face (instead of directly at the subject) makes all the difference. Only when the light can actually wrap around the face does it really start to get very flattering.
