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Shoot with studio flash

Using a studio flash set-up gives you total control of lighting. As well as being able to control the strength and direction of light, you can also control its quality, which means that you can make it as soft or as hard as you want. A softbox is ideal: use it with a white diffuser in place and you can create a soft, matte application of light; remove it to reveal the inner silver panels and you have a crisper, sharper effect with far more contrast. Once you have created the perfect balance, adjusting the power allows you full control of depth of field, as your working aperture is determined by the flash output. This versatility means you can play with form, shape, line and tone at will, like a painter arranging shapes on a canvas.

SHAPE AND FORM

Two lights were used for this shot, although only one illuminated the subject – this was a softbox, which bathed the model in soft light. The second light, with a barndoor attachment, aimed controlled, directional light into tin foil, which reflected on to a mottled cloth backdrop to give dappled reflections. The subtle lighting has allowed the photographer to accentuate shape and form, while tastefully concealing details and casting the subject’s face in shadow. This has the effect of depersonalizing the image and placing emphasis on the model’s shape and form. The final image was converted to monochrome and given a sepia tone.

Canon EOS-1DS, 28–70mm f/2.8 lens, 1/125 sec at f/8, ISO 100.