Inexpensive and creative backgrounds.

Please keep in mind, all the lighting diagrams I’ve shared are simply starting points. You need to make adjustments and decisions based on your subject and what you want out of the shot.

The main light source was the Elinchrom 53″ octabox with both diffusion panels in place. The sequin material was placed on the background stand about 6-7 feet from Denise. The second light has a 7″ reflector and a 20 degree grid in place. I pointed this until the light was skimming across the fabric. It took several test shots to get the light where I wanted it on the fabric. Experiment and see how you can change things up.

A small reflector was used for additional fill to camera right.

The strobes did not fire, this was shot entirely with the modeling lights. I wanted a very shallow depth of field and this is how the bokeh was achieved in the image. I had to bump up the ISO to 500 and it was shot @ F/1.8 with the 85mm. Again, you will have to make adjustments according to your setup.

What’s nice about the sequin material is it is very inexpensive. I think I paid about $5 a yard and two yards has proven for me, to be more than enough to create nice head shots.

Here is a link if you are in the market for the sequin material.

Camera Settings

Manual Mode
1/80 th a sec
ISO 500
F/1.8