Flash photography tip: Avoid dark legs beneath a well-lit portrait

Thursday 28 September 2023, 15:51 by Elja Trum | 3,034 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Are you photographing your model full-length, from head to toe? Then the upper body may be well lit, while the legs are too dark. This is because you usually position the flash high and aim it at the upper body to get a well-lit face.

Isabelle - f/9, 1/160s, 100 ISO @ 50mm
The further away from the light source, the more light fall-off. That light fall-off causes the difference in exposure.

There are several possible solutions. A larger softbox can solve the problem, for example. Ideally, the softbox should be as large as your model. You can then place it right next to your model and use wonderfully soft light.

Another solution is to place the light further away from your model, but don't forget to increase the flash power. The smaller the difference in distance the light has to travel from your flash to the face and from the flash to the feet, the smaller the difference in light intensity. An extra flash to light the legs is of course another option.

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