The one light portrait setup for monolights and speedlights is classic, simple, and effective. My lighting gear consisted of a single 500 w/s monolight and a large 5′ x 8′ foot Ripstop Nylon Diffusion Panel. For the subject background I used a 8′ x 10′ foot black fabric. No retouching for anything, just processed the RAW file in CaptureOne Pro using basic levels and white balance adjustments.
Classic One Light Portraiture with Monohead and Ripstop Nylon Diffusion Panel
The image above, is one of my first jobs in St. Louis after relocating from Seattle. The Clayton School District needed to update the images of the ViBravo String Ensemble sectional coaches for their new website. For this shoot, I decided to use a dark background to compliment the formal concert wardrobe. Scheduling all four sectional coaches to be available the same day added to the pressure 
I had a little more than one hour to setup, shoot 4 people, and pack before the room would be used for another rehearsal. To top it off, the final images had to be ready the next day for the web designer as the ViBravo String Ensemble would begin touring in Chicago two days later.
Using the panels now for 20 years, I am still pleasantly surprised each time of how good the light quality looks. I did a quick lightmeter reading on the subject and background…shot an image…and I was ready to go. My initial concern was that I might have a large glaring white reflection on the viola from the diffusion panel, fortunately this did not occur, just a nice and clean highlight on the edges of the viola. The RAW file has plenty of room in the shadow and highlight details…just perfect dynamic range
One Light Portrait Setup and Diagram for Monolights and Speedlights
The monolight is about 4 feet from the Ripstop Nylon Panel, just filing the 5 foot width of the frame. The Ripstop Nylon Panel is about 8 feet from the subject for an even lighting pattern…head to waist on subject. This is one of the many reasons to use a light meter, the meter is accurate to 1/10th of a stop and will let you know exactly where the light fall-off is. The same thing applies to the background brightness. By metering the light falling on the black fabric I knew that I had a bit of separation between the subjects dark concert formal dress and the background. There is nothing worse than having a head and hands floating in black space!
Try the one light portrait setup for your next portrait shoot. The lighting gear cost is minimal and works very well for the Strobist Speedlight photographer. I would suggest using one of the more powerful Nikon SB800/900 or Canon’s equivalent. Or use two smaller speedlights in sync. For monolights, I recommend something in the 200 – 400 w/s range at minimum. My exposure data is F/8 @ 1/250 sec although F/5.6 would have been more than enough depth-of-field. I don’t want the background fabric texture in focus, just the subject!!
My camera gear consisted of a Nikon D7ooo with a fast FX (full-frame) 50mm prime lens which is a perfect 75mm portrait lens on Nikon’s DX format bodies.
One Light Portrait Lighting Diagram for Monolights and Speedlights w/Ripstop Nylon Panel
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23 Comments
At last !, I think I am addicted to your posts !
Thank you very much
Thank you Jacques,
Will try to write a few more portrait articles this week
You have an exceptional knowledge of lighting. Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you Vladimir
Photo school taught us how to differentiate the different light qualities, specular or diffused, and when to use one or the other. But assisting top LA fashion photographers in 1990 really showed me how simple lighting can be. Glad you liked the article
Thorsten
Hi Thorsten,
I would like to try this very effiçcient setup with just one Ripstop Nylon Panel, but my model have black hair.
According to yo, how should I adjust my setup to avoid the “floating head effect” ?
If you do not have a lightmeter, take a test shot and view the image on a laptop…..or better, shoot tethered. Newer DSLR cameras have good lcd’s so you might be able to see the hair/background separation.
Thanks Thorsten,
I own a flashmeter : according to you, how many approxymatively stops brighter the subject must be, comparing to the background in order to have a reasonable hair/background separation ?
Lets assume that the subject is wearing the same black shirt/dress color as the background black color, then 1 stop brighter on the subject is just about right for a nice separation.
Again MANY thanks Thorsten,
You couldn’t imagine how secure I feel with your great and cool advices
I feel that photographers will discover the nylon and satin panels offer quite a bit of leeway on lighting setups. The nature of the way the light feathers from the panels just seems to “correct” any errors and it is difficult to screw up.
A softbox may easier to setup and transport….but knowing how to properly feather a softbox is rarely if ever discussed on forums and workshops…..from what I have experienced. Most folks are taught to point a softbox at the subject and that is “right because everyone else is doing it”. The first photographer I assisted in Los Angeles ALWAYS feathered the softbox and then add a 4′ x 8′ foamcore fill card. I showed him my single panel setup in the studio …. and he switched to panels because he didn’t need the foamcore any longer and the skintones looked smoother and softer
One can get many different light qualities from a panel that a softbox could never do. For instance, placing 2 or more speedlights…..just inches away from the panel will allow the photographer to create dramatic highlights just where he/she wants. Maybe one speedlight at the subjects head position and a second speedlight at the knees. Don’t try this with monoheads if the modeling light is on….you will burn the fabric!!!
And finally…experiment and shoot often to develop your personal style
I own myself 2 softboxes A 30″ x 60″ and a smaller 24″ X 24,” and a 64″ PCB umbrella and many DIY PVC diffusion panel.
I prefer a lot shooting with the panel, I like the smooth rendering of the skin (especially of coloured people skin).
Anyway I have to try to place the panel at 10′ from the model to see how even ihe model is lit.
I suppose it would render a sensation of more contrast and more harsherness than if the panel is placed 2′ from the model.
Correct
I have found, when testing lighting setups back in the film days and before PhotoShop existed, that an even light source provided a much smoother contrast range. Today we can adjust shadow and highlight ratios easily in PS and in RAW.
Try it yourself in a simple test shot. Have someone sit right next to a large window and then take a second shot with the person sitting 10-12 feet away from the same window. Compare the two shots side by side without any contrast adjustments.
Trust me I will test this week end !
Thank you for all Thorsten
I let you know that I shall scrutinize your blog every day, waiting (impatiently) for your next post
Cheers
You are very welcome
I will try to write another article before the weekend. This is a busy time of the year for me with Black Friday and Christmas around the corner. Currently have 4 weeks of catalog shoots back-to-back between now and December 15th
The only way I will get all this shot and processed in time is with panel lighting……….. because I don’t have to fix lighting errors in post production. I shoot tethered to a big calibrated monitor with Capture One Pro and adjust the light properly for the first image, feathering the panel with black cloths as needed. Then I set white-balance and color and contrast, saturation and exposure…saving this as a preset in Capture One Pro. Now every image that arrives from the camera goes into a “hot folder” and is processed automatically while we continue shooting without interruptions.
Capture One also has a nifty free app for the iPad that sends the adjusted RAW image directly to the iPad wirelessly for the art director or client or makeup/styling crew to see. Now I don’t have to stop shooting or have someone standing over my shoulder checking my work, LOL.
This workflow also works great for the busy portrait studio….if one has an iPad and Capture One
I don’t know if Lightroom has an app that would do this…maybe. Or just have the client look at the monitor.
Cheers to you…….. and back to retouching stray clothing threads from last weeks clothing shoot for me, LOL.
I believe short portrait lighting would be better in this case because it slims the subject
Sorry for not approving the comment sooner, been busy as heck with catalog shoots and no end in sight
Yes, I agree, short lighting does provide a slimming effect. But let me tell you why I didn’t do a “short lighting” effect with the panel…..and maybe that will explain my setup further in 5 critical points.
1) This was a series of 4 portraits of 4 different instructors and we needed continuity from person to person. 2) I knew I had to photograph each instructor with an instrument, but I did not know beforehand how big each instrument would be! 3) Time was of the essence as the shooting room was only available for about 1 hour before the next class. Just having all instructors available the same day and time was a scheduling issue as well. 4) HAD I done short lighting on the featured instructor, I would have lost detail in the viola and it would have been very dark!. Yes, sometimes this looks cool…but it was not a risk I was willing to take at that time. 5) I had 15 minutes to create one lighting setup that would work for 4 instructors, regardless of pose, instrument size, and having never seen them in person.
These editorial last minute shoots are not always shot in a perfect environment, and sometimes we just have to pick our poison and cover our ass. Personally, I love the image of her and I wouldn’t change a thing. I did play around with a “dodge and burn mask layer” for a bit….but thru it away because the “straight out of the camera image” looked cleaner and more authentic….at least to me
Also, I should say that I am not a big fan of contrasty lighting. Call me old fashion, but I like my 12 stops of dynamic range with detail too die for….IMHO. I get a kick out of seeing what I can pull out of a Nikon DX or Canon 5D MK2 sensor without resorting to “F%$#ing it up in Photoshop post, LOL.
But yes, as you pointed out, short lighting is certainly a viable option in this scenario and something we should all try at least once. To do this with the nylon panel is easy. Simply place the panel ABOUT 90 degrees to either side of the camera and move the monohead 6-12 inches from the panel for a very tight circle of light. Contrast is controlled by moving the monohead closer or further from the panel….closer is more specular….further away is more diffused….simple as that.
Thank you for your comment as it was well founded and informative. Knowing what to do and when is what we call being experienced.
Back to cropping images for me…..yours truly….Thorsten
Hi from the UK,
Love to read about your experiences, it all very useful.
I noticed your are now using a D7000, I was hoping to upgrade from my D200. I was just wondering how are you getting on with the D7000?
Thanks Again!
Rgds,
Marc.
Hi Marc,
Yes, I am very happy with the D7000 as my D2x was getting a bit long in the tooth. Maybe next year I will explore the D800 with 36MP, but 95% of my work ends up on the internet for online catalogs. I like not having to worry about shooting at ISO 400-800 as it looks about the same as the D2x shooting at 100 ISO, lol.
The D7000 autofocus takes a little getting used to….and I usually just leave it on auto or 39 point….it just locks in on the face or eyes and good to go.
RAW files are just buttery smooth and great dynamic range…a bit higher than the 5DMK2. Get a Nikon battery grip as the body is just too tiny to hold with medium hands for any length of time.
Cheers,
Thorsten
Hi,
Thanks for that.
I did try the d7000 in the shop and it did feel small in my hands. May be that is something I will get used to? I would love the d700 or 800 but budget may dictate.
Shooting at 800 or 1600 ISO is what interests me the most.
Do you think the d7000 would be capable of shooting kids and dogs on a beach in winter with the conditions that location can bring?
Thanks again,
Marc.
After using a pro body like the D2x, anything without a battery grip just doesn’t feel comfortable to me. Or just attaching a zoom lens, which makes a small camera feel unbalanced for all day shoots.
I can’t speak for 1600 ISO, but the grain quality at 800, it is much more like film. The D2x looked gritty at 400 and above…not pretty like the Panasonic GH2 or Canon 5DMK2. In fact, the Panasonic GH2 looks just beautiful at 3200 ISO…a dreamy grain quality for both stills and video. I would suggest that you bring a SD card to your camera store and shoot a few pics at the ISO’s that interest you and process the images with your RAW converter and settings.
The D7000 has pretty good weather sealing and the newer AF-S lenses offer an “ass gasket” according to Ken Rockwell. My only concern would be extended cold weather battery life. The D7000 battery grip comes with a AA battery holder and one could switch out with warm batteries. Maybe keep on lithium battery warm in your pocket and switch out as they cool off and become sluggish.
My suspicion is that today’s prosumer cameras are as tough or more than yesterdays pro camera bodies. I shot the old D2x in a dripping 50% humidity Oregon rainforest with an older unsealed AF-D lens without any issues….water was dripping off the camera and lens for an hour, LOL. For shooting at a misty beach, use common sense and bring a cloth to wipe the camera off every 10 minutes. Hopefully the parents and kids will tire before the camera will
I don’t baby my gear and it has always performed as expected and more. Buy the good stuff and you only cry once…as the saying goes
Thorsten, great post as always and most importantly, fabulous image. I’m always amazed at the results you get from your rip stock panel(s). I carry around a variety of large Octa’s and agree that feathering is the trick with large soft boxes — problem is that it takes a little bit more trial and error. I need to build a panel and give it a go. I was wondering if you ever tried a Calumet 42 x78 light panel with their translucent material as an alternative to the rip stock. Any feedback would be appreciated and thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge with your fellow photographers.
Hi Paul,
The Calumet 42 x78 light panel with their translucent material would work just as well. Larson Lighting also has them but their price of $330 is insane…mine cost about $50 each to make in material.
Feathering is indeed the key, especially with softboxes. I found that by feathering and bouncing them into reflectors, the light quality improved dramatically. I learned feathering in the big LA fashion studios…not in photo school, lol.
Hi,
I have been meaning to get back here and thank you for your insight into the d7000.
If I stick with studio lighting the d7000 would very good. If I go down the outdoor route then I’m thinking d700/d800 etc.
Thanks for you help, look forward to more of your posts.
Rgds,
Marc.