3 Go-To Lighting Setups For High-Volume Headshots

3 Go-To Lighting Setups for High-
Volume Headshots
May 2, 2013
3 Go-To Lighting Setups for High-Volume Headshots with Gary

Hughes
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For 10 years, my wife, Julie, and I have made headshots the primary
focus of our business, Hughes Fioretti Photography. As a matter of
fact, my first paying gig as a photographer was shooting headshots
of doctors at a medical convention, packed into a tiny corner of a
trade show booth. Back then I didnʼt quite understand the impact
https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

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that type of situation would have on my methods of lighting. Every
technique I developed over the next decade was based around
learning to shoot a great, professional portrait quickly and in just
about any location.
Iʼve since refined the process, and have found that most of my
lighting for high-volume headshots can be categorized into three
main techniques.
Lighting Setup 1: The Light Tunnel
By far the most versatile and useful of my go-to setups, the light
tunnel has the distinct advantage of being accomplished with only
one light. More often than not, when on location, my team and I use
nothing but speedlights to get the job done. This enables us to be
compact, very mobile, flexible and fast. Almost nothing is more
valuable to big corporate clients than efficiency, and this
configuration offers exactly that.
I begin with one light with a small to medium-size modifier. Any

strobe you have will be fine. The light and modifier I use most often
in this situation is a Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite and a Speedbox 70
from XP PhotoGear. Whatever you use, this is your main light. With
the subject seated (which makes shooting volume much easier),
position your light about armʼs length from the subject and angled
directly across the face, perpendicular to the direction of the face.
This allows the soft light from the edge of the modifier to illuminate
the face evenly on both sides of the nose while providing soft,
directional light. The bottom edge of the modifier should be about
level with the corner of the subjectʼs eye. This position creates the
right direction of light, slightly down and from the side. Watch the
shadow of the nose to make sure it isnʼt angling up. This is how you

Page 2 of 6
know if the light is too low. Make sure the shadow of the nose is
angling down, somewhere close to 45 degrees.
Next, use a reflector on the opposite side of the subject, directly

opposite your light but angled slightly toward the face. I recommend
white reflectors for beginners. They do a great job and reduce the
risk of overfilling with light. Overfilling occurs when the reflector is
too close, if a material is very reflective or both. This makes the fill
light brighter than the main light, which breaks down the lighting
pattern, creating undesirable results. Use the distance of the
reflector to control the depth of the shadows. Itʼs a very simple way
to give an image more or less contrast, also known as lighting ratio.
Finally, add a reflector (white for beginners) underneath the face, a

bit below chest level. This adds some beautiful fill light from
underneath, reducing shadows under the eyes and providing a nice
highlight in the bottom of the iris. If you place the subject close
enough to a simple seamless paper, canvas or muslin, you will find
that the light coming from your strobe and reflectors can give a
satisfactory amount of illumination for the background. If you need a
little more separation from the background, you can easily add a
second light to the ground behind the subject.
The benefits include being able to work in tight spaces and the use
of minimal equipment, to achieve a traditional look.
Lighting Setup 2: The Flying Saucer
Out of my main setups for volume headshots, the flying saucer has
the biggest wow factor because of its unconventional look in the
world of professional portraits and because of the way the setup
looks in person. The flying saucer can be a bit of a spectacle. To
achieve it, I suspend a very large modifier (like the 8-foot Large

Page 3 of 6
OctoDome from Photoflex) from a boom arm in a clamshell
configuration. It has drawn more than a few strange looks from
clients and photographers, but the results speak for themselves.
Using a boom arm properly is an advanced technical proposition in

any situation, let alone in a high-volume setting. It requires careful
attention to detail and the correct support equipment to
counterbalance the weight of the light. Practice using a boom
extensively before using it with a client.
A clamshell setup, also known as beauty or butterfly lighting, is

usually executed by suspending a small modifier, like a beauty dish,
from a boom arm directly in front of and above the subject. A
reflector or a second light source is added underneath the subject to
fill in the inevitable harsh shadows from the small modifier. Beauty
lighting is one of the most commonly used techniques in commercial
portraiture, but only recently has it started to make its way to
professional portraiture. A small light source like a beauty dish can
cause harsh shadows on the face of a subject, and without proper
fill, it can make your average person look ghoulish.
I used this technique many times before rotating it into my

professional portraits on a regular basis if the subject would be
flattered by it. Eventually I increased the size of the light source to
the biggest one I could find. I discovered that the same configuration
that is so harsh when using a smaller source becomes a look that
makes almost everyone look great when that source is much, much
bigger.
Angle the main light 15 degrees or so up, and suspend it so the lower
end is at the head height of the subject but closer to the camera.
Place the higher edge above the subject but about 6 to 10 inches

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from the tip of the nose. The bulk of the light from the modifier will
end up hitting the ground unless you place a reflector underneath
the face of the subject at just under chest height. This scoops up
that light and bounces it back up, filling the shadows and resulting in
a beautiful soft light that wraps around the face of the subject with
subtle shadows under the nose, cheekbones and chin.
Beware of hanging the light over the head of the subject, which can
result in the loss of the catchlights and dark pockets for eyes. Every
subject has a different face shapes that receives light differently. A
more prominent brow could make it more difficult to get the light in
the eyes, so some adjustment might need to be done. Almost any
background will work for this setup. Mostly I use a black or dark gray
background and add either a hair light or a light on the background
to get adequate separation.
With this pattern you get stylish, modern results that stand out from
most professional headshots. Itʼs just difficult to set up properly with
the boom, and requires lots of space.
Lighting Setup 3: The Bounce Fill
Itʼs no secret that I spend a lot of time shooting in offices and

boardrooms. Sometimes they are huge, with floor-to-ceiling north-
facing windows, and sometimes they are about the size of a broom
closet. When I need to shoot a lot of people in a tight space quickly
or move to different places around an office with almost no setup
and breakdown time, my Speedlites come out and bounce fill saves

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the day. With one flash on camera and one off, I have created some
of my favorite corporate images. As a bonus, shooting with TTL-
capable lights like a Speedlite allows you to balance flash with the
outdoors for some great backgrounds.
Using a Speedlite, a small modifier (my Speedbox 70 from XP

PhotoGear works well here) and a stand as my main light, I can
create exactly the look I want by filling in the shadows with a flash on
camera. In most cases, itʼs possible to bounce the on-camera light
off a wall behind me or a ceiling above me, but when thatʼs not
possible, I soften the light with a small modifier. I keep a Rogue
FlashBender in my case for situations like this. Itʼs also possible to
use any bounce card or white construction paper. I have used this
setup more times than I can remember, and I am always surprised by
how great the results are with such a simple approach. The bounce
fill is by far the most portable and fastest setup in my arsenal.
The setup is portable, fast and easy, and requires very little space. A
downside is that the Speedlite runs on AA batteries and has slow
recycle times.
One of the best parts of shooting for a living is that we are constantly
learning new techniques. When it comes to high-volume corporate
headshots, itʼs important to remember that efficiency is the name of
the game.
Itʼs easy to get so wrapped up in gear and technology that you

overlook the simplest way to get the job done well. Gather all the
information, formulate a plan, be flexible and execute some great
headshots.
Choosing the Best Off-Camera Lighting for Your Budget

Page 6 of 6

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What are the three main lighting setups discussed?

What are the three main lighting setups discussed?

What is lighting setup 1 called and its main components?

What is lighting setup 1 called and its main components?

3 Go-To Lighting Setups for High-

3 Go-To Lighting Setups for High-Volume Headshots with Gary

Want more information on this article? Get access to video

https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

Lighting Setup 1: The Light Tunnel

I begin with one light with a small to medium-size modifier. Any

https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

Next, use a reflector on the opposite side of the subject, directly

Finally, add a reflector (white for beginners) underneath the face, a

Lighting Setup 2: The Flying Saucer

https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

Using a boom arm properly is an advanced technical proposition in

A clamshell setup, also known as beauty or butterfly lighting, is

I used this technique many times before rotating it into my

https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

Lighting Setup 3: The Bounce Fill

Itʼs no secret that I spend a lot of time shooting in offices and

https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

Using a Speedlite, a small modifier (my Speedbox 70 from XP

Itʼs easy to get so wrapped up in gear and technology that you

Choosing the Best Off-Camera Lighting for Your Budget

https://behindtheshutter.com/3-go-to-lighting-setups-for-high-volume-headshots/ 2017/08/29, 18A15

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