For this full-length portrait, we decided to photograph Carrie, a local college soccer player. We used the Photoflex ProDuty Backdrop Support Kit to set up a black seamless backdrop on which Carrie would be standing.

Setting up the Main Light
First, we positioned a StarFlash 650 with Medium LiteDome fairly high and at about a 45 degree angle to the subject (figure 1). We wanted to achieve soft and even illumination on her face and upper torso and to create some shadows on the right side of the body to maintain a sense of depth in the shot.

In the first result (figure 2), we can see that the Medium LiteDome worked great to illuminate the model from the waist up with a diffused, soft light. However, the Medium LiteDome is not large enough to spread the light all the way down to her feet. As a result, the light falls off dramatically from the waist down.

Stacking Soft Boxes
Next, we added another StarFlash 650 with Medium LiteDome mounted on a floor stand (LiteStand 2200) and positioned it directly underneath the main light used in the previous shot (figure 3). By doing this we were able to actually double the height of the main light.

Stacking soft boxes in this way is a common practice, especially for photographers who are on a tight budget. As you can see in this result, this technique enabled us to light the model evenly from head to toe (figure 4).

Using a Reflector
With our main light configuration dialed in, we were now able to experiment with some additional lighting tools to further enhance this portrait. For the following shot we positioned a 39"x72" LitePanel with silver fabric to the right and slightly behind the model (figure 5).

This produced a nice rim light around the right edge of the model, helping to separate her shadowed side from the dark background (figure 6).

Next, we decided to take a different approach. We repositioned the LitePanel to the right and in front of Carrie (figure 7). We wanted to reflect light into the shadow areas to make the lighting more even and a bit less dramatic. Of course, this is a matter of personal preference, but here we wanted to reduce the contrast in the shot and make sure that we could see good detail in the shadows.

In this result (figure 8), Carrie is evenly illuminated and the silver LitePanel fabric has added a considerable amount of fill light to the shadows.

Lighting the Background
Finally, we wanted to do something about the black background. Up to this point Carrie has been surrounded with an almost pure black. We wanted to create more depth and dimension in the shot by adding some light to the background. To do this we used a StarFlash 300 with a 43-inch silver umbrella. The umbrella was positioned to the right of the seamless backdrop aimed towards the center of the background (figure 9).

In the result (figure 10) we can see what a huge difference lighting the background had made. In this shot, Carrie is no longer floating on black. There is a greater sense of depth and separation between her and the background. Notice that since the umbrella has a fairly wide spread of light, some light illuminated the model's right edge. This produced a slight rim light which, in our opinion, helped to enhance the shot.

Also, adding light to the background effectively reduced the contrast between Carrie's bright white shirt and the dark background. This made it much easier to maintain good detail in the brightest areas of her jersey.

As an alternative to the example above, we decided to use the wide light spread of the umbrella to our advantage by aiming the umbrella at the model instead of at the background (figure 11).

Just as we had hoped, the umbrella created a beautiful rim light on the model and some of the light still reached the background, thereby creating a more dramatic result (figure 12).

In conclusion, lighting a full-length portrait in the studio need not be difficult or expensive. As you can see in this example, two relatively small soft boxes can be easily combined to create a large bank of light. In fact, this three light setup is perhaps one of the most versatile for small studio and location photographers, because it lends itself to a large variety of applications.

From tabletop product photography to headshots to full length portraits, this kit is truly ideal for amateur and pro photographers alike.