How To Create Beautiful Portraits with Clamshell Lighting

Mark’s Video TOC

• 00:00 – Intro
• 00:21 – Photoshoot Goals:Trying to Get the Best Results w/ 1 or 2 Lights & a Beauty Dish
• 01:17 – Basic Lighting Setup:Beauty Dish Setup, Light Metering, Camera Settings, BTS, Test Shots & Results
• 02:55 – Adjusting the Beauty Dish Angle:Light Feathering, Metering, Directing the Subject, BTS, Test Shot & Result
• 03:54 – A Closer Look at the Light Spill:Side by Side Comparison of the 1st two Shots > Benefits of a Grid Explained
• 04:49 – Setting Up the 2’ Octabox & Grid > Vignette Effect:Readjusting the Light Source, BTS, Test Shot & Result
• 06:38 – Which Aperture Should You Use in the Studio?Light Metering, Depth of Field & Ambient Light Interaction Explained, Adjusting Aperture Value, BTS, Test Shot & Result
• 08:33 – Fine-Tuning the Octabox > Sculpting the Light:Inverse Square Law, Light Metering, Adjusting Aperture Value, Directing the Subject, BTS, Test Shot & Result
• 10:11 – Adding a Fill Light > Clamshell Lighting:Fill Light (Softbox) Positioning, Light Metering, Camera Settings, BTS, Test Shots & Results; Alternative Setup: Reflector instead of Fill Light
• 11:43 – Shooting Session:BTS & Results
• 12:19 – Recap
• 12:40 – Outro

You’ll be surprised about the beautiful results you can achieve with the simple lighting setups discussed in this video – no matter what gear you own!

Follow along as Mark Wallace walks you through his portrait-beauty lighting process. From beauty dish and directional light via Octabox with grid to rounding things up with Clamshell Lighting by adding a second light (Softbox) to fill in the shadows.