how to light full body portraits in front of a wall

[JohnnyL]

Hi guys, soon I'm going to photograph an event and there are going to be people coming and I want to photograph them in front of a wall / board that shows the event sponsors. This event is outdoor and will be from day to night. I have a reflective and shoot through umbrella, 2 flashes that can be shot off shoe and stands.

Could you guys recommend where i can position my flashes to give pop to the image? Instantly I think one bare bulb behind subject pointing against their backs as a backlight and another about 45 degree away of subject shot from a higher point through the reflective umbrella towards subject but I would love to hear your thoughts.

The portraits are going to be 1 or 2 people. 3 max

Thank you

 

[tirediron]

A lot depends on the degree of ambient lighting, whether the wall is slightly or highly reflective as well as the colour, but I think that you have a good starting point. I would however have the backlight aimed at the wall, and let the reflected light from that be my separation light.

 

[Big Mike]

If you have room for them to stand several feet away from the wall, then you can probably light them with standard 3/4 lighting (45 degrees). You may need another light to be your fill light though. Having a light behind them could work, but you may need something to be lighting up the background, because if you are relying on your main light (at 45 degrees) to light the backdrop as well as the people, you will be disappointed.

I mentioned the space you'll have because if they are close to the wall, any sort of side lighting will cast a shadow onto the wall, which is usually a bad look. In that case, you'll want your light right above the lens. This is where a flash bracket is a great tool (if you can't set up off-camera lighting). It keeps the flash above the lens, so that any shadows are cast directly behind the subjects, where the lens can't see them.

 

[JohnnyL]

Thanks for the input. Tirediron, i'll take your advice and point the flash at the wall instead.

Big Mike, I think I'm going to have a lot of room so I can position the people like 5 feet away from the wall. I have 2 flashes so I'm going to have my main light reflected through the umbrelaa 45degrees away. You said that I may need another fill light? Should I use my 2nd flash 45 degrees away from the subject as well so it's a left and right setup or should I have it at the back instead? I could use a diffuser to light the backdrop and get rid of any kind of shadows that might happen from my main light.

 

[Big Mike]

The fill light could be (should be) closer to the camera. It could be camera mounted if you like. If you put it at 45 degrees (opposite your main light) it may create shadows of it's own, which isn't what you want your fill light to do. By putting it on-camera (or very close to it), it ensure that the fill light gives you an even wash of light. Essentially filling the shadows created by the main light, and adding to the lit areas from the main light.

It will be up to you to set the appropriate power levels to get the ratio that you want.