Using this method just adds insta-drama.
All you need to achieve this look is just two speedlights and a willing model. And a camera, of course.
When you’re taking a picture like this, you don’t need to include the two speedlights in it like I did. I just really liked the flares I had gotten from the lights, and I thought that it added an almost celebrity vibe to the photo–like paparazzi flashes.
You want to get the right angle with the speedlights so you get most of the highlighting just around the edges of your subject. If the lights are too far forward, you can still get great shots, but that’s not what we’re going for. 🙂
The lights are now highlighting the front of her t-shirt, as well as the side of her face and throat. Remember to keep your settings on your camera compatible with the speedlights. Which means keeping your shutterspeed at around 1/60 to 1/250 of a second. That way you can avoid the black bar that you can get in your photos.
Even though the background of these photos is black, this was actually taken in a well-lit area. It was an enormous barn with windows all around, so it seems crazy that a black background can be achieved from something like this. To get that black background, tweak your aperture and shutter speed so when you take a test shot, you only get a black photo. That way, when you incorporate your lights, you still get a black background.
Lisa being a goof
Happy photographing!
