Shooting an evenly lit portrait in backlight is a bit of a challenge. Photographer Daniel Ceapă has created a wonderful, balanced portrait in conditions like this using a two lights setup. He has shared his image and some BTS shots with DIYP, along with a detailed explanation how he took the photo. So, all of you searching for knowledge and inspiration in OCF portrait shooting, this will certainly be a valuable resource.
Camera settings and equipment
For this image, Daniel used his Canon 5D Mark IV. As the lights were very close to the model and he wanted a wider field of view, h paired the camera with a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II lens at 24mm.
As I mentioned, he used a 2 lights setup. The key light was a Godox AD600BM in an Elinchrom Rotalux 100cm, at 2-2.3m high on the camera right. For the fill light, Daniel used Godox AD600BM in a Dynaphos softbox umbrella 105cm, at around 1m high on the camera left.
The camera settings: were as follows: 1/400, f/2.8 and ISO 160. In order to take the shot, Daniel had to stay down, on his chest (like a sniper), to project the model onto the sunset sky.
Finding the location
What’s interesting about this show is that it was just a test shot while Daniel was location scouting for a future shoot. He didn’t know the place before, but it turned out to be a great location:
Sometimes you just have to drive and look around, trying to find a place that suits your needs.
So, once again, spotting locations while driving turns out to be a successful formula.
Here’s the final shot:
And another shot from the same set:
About the Artist
Daniel Ceapă is a Romanian photographer, currently living in Brasov, Romania. Although he’s been into photography for about 5 years, he likes to think of himself as a beginner, an enthusiastic learner, a portrait and fashion photography lover, who enjoys shooting weddings as well. If you’d like to see more of his work, visit his website, like his Facebook page and give him a follow on Flickr and Instagram.
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