Checkerboard Lighting with One Light | Inside Fashion and Beauty Photography with Lindsay Adler

Checkerboard lighting gets its name from the juxtaposition of highlight and shadow in the image. To put it simply, the highlight side of the face is against the darker side of the background and then the shadow side of the face is against the brighter side of the background. In other words, light against dark, and dark against light!

This technique can be done subtly to create a bit of depth, separation, and contrast in an image, or can be very dramatic to create something more bold and graphic.

This type of look has been used for many decades by many of the masters of photography, most notably it was a favorite technique of Irving Penn. His carefully sculpted portraiture often used a version of this visual contrast. While he typically used a single light source and blocking light, this look can be achieved using hard or soft light and even multiple light sources.

Step 1: Begin by using a light-toned background. You will need to be able to create both highlight and shadow on a single background, so using something like dark grey or black will not work. Aim for light grey, white, or a lightly textured canvas. In this example, I used the Savage Universal Super White seamless paper background.

Step 2: To achieve the checkerboard effect you must begin by creating distinct areas of highlight and shadow on the face. In other words, flat light won’t work! Move your main light source off to the side to create shadows on the face.

In this example, I used the Profoto D2 with a Magnum Reflector (hard light modifier) and moved the light into a Rembrandt light position. This creates a distinct triangle highlight under the eye on the shadow side of the face (here camera right). The choice of a hard light modifier creates shadows that are more defined (both on the subject’s face and the background).

Step 3: Now that there are defined highlight areas and shadow areas you now can begin to play with shadows in the background.

If you are using a single light source you can begin by trying to feather the light. In other words, you can point the light across the frame (away from the background) as you attempt to make the background appear darker on the left side of the frame in order to be a stark contrast to the face on the left.

This, can be more challenging to control. For that reason, in this setup, I chose to add a flag into the shot to selectively block the light. A flag is anything that can be used to block the light; you could use a V-Flat, a piece of cinefoil, or even a piece of cardboard if you must— you whatever you have on hand! I used a Matthews 24x36 black flag to block light from the left side of the frame (held up by a C-stand and knuckle).

I carefully positioned the flag to cast a shadow on the background directly behind the subject for a more defined shadow. Because my main light source was a hard light modifier, this makes the shadow transitions even more abrupt.

Remember that the closer you bring the flag (or thing blocking light) to the background, the more defined the shadow edges will be. As you move it away from the background and closer to the light source, the softer the edge will be.

Step 4: As you capture the image, remember that slight movements in camera angle, perspective, and subject’s pose may throw off the alignment of your checkerboard lighting, so keep an eye on it!

You can see in the video that the shoot was captured in a very small footprint and using minimal gear. In fact, a bare bulb and a piece of cardboard could do the trick in a pinch! While the results could be done in black and white or color, by choosing to process in high contrast black and white I am able to create a graphic and timeless result.

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✘ PRODUCTS USED:

Canon R5
https://adorama.rfvk.net/JxzdE

Canon RF 24-105mm 4.0
https://adorama.rfvk.net/q74XY

Profoto D2
https://adorama.rfvk.net/qvB7y

Profoto Magnum Reflector
https://adorama.rfvk.net/mvmbO

Savage Universal Super White
https://adorama.rfvk.net/e2R6z

Matthews 24x36" flag
https://adorama.rfvk.net/RoyA7

Avenger C-Stand
https://adorama.rfvk.net/2rV2bA

#portraitphotography #lightingtutorial #adorama

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Lindsay Adler
http://learnwithlindsay.com

Samuel Bouret
  / samuelbouret  

Makeup: Joanne Gair
Hair: Linh Nguyen
Styling: Raytell Bridges

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THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING!