One-Light Portrait Photography Setup - Free Online Course
Shooting simple: If you’re just starting out in photography or using a strobe or flash for the first time, there are many benefits of just using one light. You might be surprised by just how versatile a single light source can be.

Every good portrait starts with one single light — it’s the most important light in all of your lighting setups. One light can give you both dramatic, shadowy photos as well as bright, cleanly lit images

When adding any reflector for fill, you have enough creative options in terms of lighting that you could go an entire lifetime with nothing more and still fill a diverse and varied portfolio. Technically the reflector is a second light source, but in this collection, we refer to it as a reflector.

It doesn’t matter if you employ a simple speedlight or use a studio strobe (monolight). It’s how you modify and place your light source for getting the different results (moods & looks). Explore what you can do with these simple setups and how you can evolve from there once you’re confident.

In this course you get a rundown about:

  1. Working on a budget
  2. Beginner setups & small spaces
  3. Using various (cheap) light modifiers
  4. How to get different looks from the same subject
  5. How to combine lighting, posing & message
  6. Using 1-light for commercial work

Curated Duration: 3 h 35 min

Do: #SuccessfulPhotography
Be: #ISO1200team

Contributing Instructors
Photographer & Educator | Website

Manhattan-based Photographer, Educator and Lighting Guru. I don't talk, I shoot.. ok and I talk a bunch, mostly about my experience in the industry and random pop culture references. You might know me from the videos I have made over the years for Adorama and more brands than I can even remember.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Eli Infante is a Westcott Top Pro and native-born resident of the Rio Grande Valley who draws most of his inspiration for photography from unique South Texas landscapes and historical structures. When he is not out shooting utilizing the gorgeous South Texas sunset as his background, you can find him educating hungry young minds at a charter school teaching none other than, you guessed it, photography! On top of being an educator for over a decade, Eli shares his skills and talents with all other eager photographers via YouTube and even in-person workshops. You may be asking yourself, “Where does he get the energy to do all this stuff?”. Well, for Eli, any time spent being able to teach and learn new skills as a photographer is not only his vocation but his ultimate recreation.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Emily Teague is an editorial & commercial photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her style of photography is greatly influenced by her photojournalism, travels, color, and love for creating visual narratives.

She balances her passion for creating stories with telling the stories of others through her work with non-profits and NGOs. Her work has taken her to over 30 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and West Africa.

Emily is currently available for commercial & editorial bookings, as well as commissioned work from organizations worldwide.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Felix Kunze is an editorial and commercial portrait photographer. Felix was born in Berlin, grew up in the UK and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Having worked with the top fashion & portrait photographers on earth and through his own wealth of experience, Felix is known for his expert use of artificial light, Felix’s The Lighting Series has transformed the lighting of thousands of photographers around the world.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Hannah is an award winning professional portrait photographer, who shoots everything from corporate headshots to families and celebrities. She also runs a successful high street photography business in the UK and twice won the Young Business Person award. Hannah is involved in many UK speaking engagements for Profoto and runs her own workshops.

Photographer & Educator at The Slanted Lens | Website

Jay P. Morgan has been working as a Commercial Photographer and Film Director in the Los Angeles area for more than 20 years developing an impressive list of clients from Paramount to McDonald's. Jay P.'s experience with elaborate set design and extensive lighting are key to the success of his illustrative work.

Photographer & Educator at Readylight Media | Website

Jeff Carpenter is a commercial portrait and headshot photographer, educator, and owner of Readylight Media, a visual media and marketing agency based outside of Nashville, TN. He started his photography career in 2010, shortly after college where he was required to take a photography class in order to graduate. Being a predominantly self-taught photographer, he developed a passion for educating in a way that was simple and easy to understand. His main goal as an educator is to teach the fundamentals of photography and lighting, allowing photographers to absorb information and apply it to their style of shooting.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Jeff Rojas is an American photographer and author based in New York City. His primary body of work is advertising and editorial photography that has been published in both Elle and Esquire. Jeff also frequents as a photography instructor. His teaching experience includes platforms like CreativeLive, WPPI, the Photo Plus Expo, Imaging USA, and APA.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Jiggie Alejandrino is a portrait and wedding photographer from the Philippines.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Joe Edelman's career has spans five decades, from his start as an award-winning newspaper photojournalist to his work today photographing a diverse selection of people. Joe, an Olympus Visionary, teaches the HOWS and WHYS behind great photographs and shares the thought-process that a professional photographer uses to approach his work. Joe motivates and educates new and experienced photographers all over the world.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Mark Wallace is a photographer, educator, and solo world traveler. In 2014, Mark left the U.S. to embark on a worldwide adventure. In 2016 he decided to give up planes, trains, and automobiles and is now exploring the world on his motorcycle. Mark has created hundreds of photography tutorials sponsored by Snapfactory and Adorama. His most popular series are Digital Photography One on One and Exploring Photography, in addition to his best-selling lighting classes on CreativeLive.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Miguel is a beauty & portrait photographer currently residing in New Jersey. Starting his photography business in 2012, Miguel has traveled the world photographing interesting faces as well as teaching photography at conferences like WPPI, Photo Plus, Shutterfest, and many more. He’s appeared on Creative Live, Adorama TV, and currently releases videos weekly on his YouTube channel. Miguel has been recognized as a Sony Artisan Of Imagery, as well as a Profoto Legend Of Light.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Tommy is a portrait, travel and wedding photographer based in Kent UK. Over the last couple of years, Tommy worked with a range of different brands, road-testing and reviewing all kinds of gear; including camera bodies, camera lenses, backdrops, lighting setups, and lighting modifiers.

Photographer & Educator | Website

Award-winning author & photographer Tony Northrup has published more than 30 educational books. Professional photographer, Chelsea Northrup, started photography in high school using film cameras, and went on to study film photography at Connecticut College. Her work as both a photographer and model has been published world-wide in just about every digital and print format, including book, magazine, and CD covers.

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