Photograph by Kathie Austin

I meet many talented people on my workshops, at my seminars and on the web. During my recent lighting demo at Unique Photo in New Jersey, one of the attendees, Kathie Austin, suggested a cool lighting technique: positioning the soft box directly above the subject.

I liked her idea, and tried it when I returned home. Below is my shot using this technique.

Photograph by Rick Sammon

I asked Kathie to be a guest blogger here on my blog. So away we go!

Kathie Austin – This "low light" shoot was done in the studio with a black backdrop, short black stool, and a 24" x 32" strobe soft box. The key to the lighting effect was having my assistant stand on top of a ladder, holding the softbox parallel to the ground, as if it were the sun beating down on the model. Having the model look up into the light ensures smooth lighting across her face and body as well as nice catch lights. The model was about 3' from the backdrop. The bottom of the photos were vignetted in Photoshop. (1/250, f/8, ISO100, 50mm).

This is a great lighting effect for First Communion shots, as the lighting is very "Godly," coming from above.

Kathie Austin
NAKED EYE PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC
Capturing the Creativity in Life

Click here to learn more about Kathie.

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Thank you Kathie!

For more on the Unique Photo shoot, click here.

More guest bloggers to come.

Explore the light,

Rick

P.S. Here is the info on the softbox (in which I placed my Canon 580 EX II) that I used: