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Why Godox Spotlight is in my top 5 best lighting modifiers of all time

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Salacious article title aside, this lighting modifier from Godox is amazing and yes, it really is in my top 5 (maybe top 3) best lighting modifiers of all time… but why?

I’ve been shooting in the studio for over 20 years and during that time, I’d like to think I’ve worked with a huge range of modifiers. No, my opinions on certain modifiers don’t always align with everybody else’s, but I do like to give strong reasoning as to why I love or hate certain light shapers and as I discuss the Godox Spotlight here, I aim to do just that, as although this is arguably one of the best modifiers I’ve ever used, that does come with some very strong caveats.

Learn 9 DIY portrait lighting hacks in 90 seconds

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If your portraits are feeling a little bland or uninteresting lately, maybe it’s time to spice them up with some new portrait lighting hacks! The intricate dance of light and shadow is what give depth and form to your portrait. Light is what ultimately gives your portrait life, and it’s not something you can just “fix in Photoshop” later.

So here are 9 Portrait Light Hacks in 90 Seconds to get your creative juices flowing. Hopefully these DIY light modifiers will inspire you to create some beautiful portraiture and get creative with your lighting.

Feeling stale? Try Pye Jirsa’s unconventional 2 light set-up to create magical portraits

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It’s easy to get a little stuck in a rut when it comes to studio lighting, particularly with portraits. The human face can only be lit in a flattering way in so many ways. Or can it?

Who says a key light must always be placed in front of the subject? Could it possibly be used to backlight your subject instead? Why yes, of course. Pye Jirsa shows you exactly how to achieve this unconventional yet beautiful lighting setup in this excellent video.

How to get beautiful golden sunlight for perfect portraits even on cloudy days

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The city I live in boasts 300 days of sunshine a year. Except on days when I have a photoshoot booked and need sunshine, it seems! So what to do when you’ve got a client and you want beautiful golden hour light, but the weather just won’t cooperate? You fake it of course!

That’s the beautiful thing about learning to shoot with any kind of light. You aren’t beholden to the whims of metrology. In this video, Lindsay Adler walks us through her setup to create a very natural-looking golden light for her portrait shot.

How to create a vibrant portrait using simple full cover gelled lighting

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Controlling gelled lights can be tricky. We all struggle with washed-out or even muddy colours occasionally and the core reason for this, is your coloured lights overlapping and mixing.

The golden rule of coloured light is: you can only add a gel to a shadow.

The reason I repeatedly say this, is because coloured light doesn’t mix like regular colours. When we mix paints, the more colours you add, the closer you get to a muddy brown colour. Cast your mind back to preschool and you’ll know what I mean.

Lighting setup: Textured fashion lighting with coloured gels

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I spent many, many years working in a busy studio that focused on quantity over quality. As photographers working there, we did our best to push back against this where we could, but sometimes you only had 20-30 minutes with a client to achieve a handful of different looks and sadly this invariably led to you often reverting to the simplistic, yet professional looking white background shots out of necessity.

It was ultimately the repetitive nature of this white background work that spawned my gelled lighting that many of you know today. It really was a simple case of ‘shoot something different or go mad!’.

Here is how to fix five most common studio portrait lighting mistakes

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If you’re just starting out with studio portrait photography, that’s really exciting! Still, things can get a little overwhelming since there’s a lot to learn. In this video, Kayleigh June guides you through five common mistakes beginners make when shooting portraits with studio lights. And more importantly – she helps you learn how to avoid them.

Use this simple two-light setup for gorgeous and consistent portrait lighting

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When shooting portraits in a studio with artificial lighting, the possibilities are endless. But if you’re looking for something simple, beginner-friendly, yet very effective, look no further. In this video, Manny Ortiz shows you one of his favorite beauty lighting setups. It uses two lights, a single light stand, and gives you beautiful and consistent lighting in every shot.

Ring light: You’re using it wrong

At some point during the history of the influencer, the ring light became an accessory de rigueur, fueled by the availability of cheap Chinese-made devices. The original ring light was invented for dentistry by Lester A. Dine in 1952 because of its ability to cast an even light with diffuse shadows in a confined space. An ideal solution for photographing teeth and gums.

The same concept can be found in make-up mirrors, which surround a magnifying mirror with a ring of light. This combination provides a pleasing contrast to overhead lighting that tends to exaggerate lines, wrinkles, and sunken eyes. The advantage of a circular design is that the subject is equidistant from the light source, providing even illumination.

Lighting setup: Classic editorial portrait lighting

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There will always be ‘classics’ in any industry. Sure these classics may not turn heads or make the headlines and they may even take a dip in popularity for a while, but these ‘classics’ will always be a timeless safe bet.

Fashion has its ‘little black dress’ and ‘tan trench coat’, cooking has its lasagne, burger, pizza, and many, many more. They’re always going to be winners in most peoples eyes and they’re as popular today as they were years ago, plus they will undoubtedly be popular for many years to come.

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