What can you make with a light bulb? More than you think

Wednesday 11 March 2026, 20:10 by Frank Doorhof | 1,585 views | 0 comments

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

Some of our models become well-known actresses, others musicians, and one of them, Felisa, decided to write a comic or graphic novel. When a project like this is launched, great images are essential.

In this blog, I show you how I photographed this portrait using just one light bulb as the key light, with a little help.

During the “Alternative Light” workshop, we work with light sources that were not specifically designed for photography. The aim is to be creative with light and learn how to create strong images with minimal resources.

My idea was simple:
Felisa sits on a chair and reads her graphic novel.

For the lighting, I used one light bulb as the basis. Never underestimate the power of a single light source.

By placing the lamp close to the model, you can achieve surprisingly beautiful and dramatic results. The lamp only becomes really ugly, although this is also a matter of personal taste, when you place it further away from the model.

Up close, you make optimal use of the inverse square law, as light falls off over distance, and the omnidirectional light from the light bulb produces a surprisingly beautiful quality of light.

To open up the shadows underneath slightly, we used a Nanlite LED tube at a very low blue setting. Preferably as invisibly as possible, purely to add extra detail and reflection to the dress.

Because we use the light bulb so close to the model, the light falls off quickly. On the one hand, this creates a beautiful, sometimes creepy atmosphere, but it also means that little light reaches the background or the lower part of the model. That is why we opened this up slightly with an extra LED tube, panel or other light source.

The challenge: lighting the graphic novel

The biggest problem was, of course, lighting the graphic novel itself. The light bulb was behind the book, so hardly any light fell on it.

Normally, you would use a snoot for this, but because this was an alternative light workshop, we had to stay creative.

The solution: one of the participants held a small torch and continuously aimed it subtly at the book. Simple, effective and completely in line with the concept.

This also shows that if you think creatively enough, you can make beautiful photos with almost anything. If the beam from the torch is too wide, for example, you can take a piece of cardboard and cut a slit or another shape into it.

Modern cameras are so good at high ISO settings that noise is hardly an issue anymore. And if you do have too much noise, Lightroom's online noise reduction is a fantastic solution.

The result: one light bulb and a graphic novel. I hope you appreciate the results. With minimal resources and maximum attention to light and expression, you can create images with atmosphere, tension and character.

Angles and perspective

Although the first images are technically beautiful, they did not quite hit the right note for me. And as you have probably heard me say before: 'Change your angle.'

The alternative images may be slightly less interesting in terms of lighting, but personally I think they are stronger. Felisa's expression in particular makes them work much better as promotional images for a comic or graphic novel.

The nice thing is that the model can choose what best suits her vision, or of course simply use both.

Conclusion

Never underestimate a light source. You can take stunning photos with light sources you would not normally even consider.

Do bear noise in mind. So make sure you use a fast lens with a wide aperture, possibly a tripod, and good noise reduction in Lightroom or your favourite editing software. With the right approach, the possibilities are endless.

Would you like to buy the graphic novel? Search for Sirens of Blood and Water by Felisa.

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