Most aspiring photographers know that to be a truly great photographer, one must fully grasp the art of lighting. You can have the greatest equipment, authentic props, and the most cooperative subjects, but without great lighting your pictures will never be superb. That being said, what better way to highlight mankind’s most prized possession (the young child) than through the prism of perfect lighting! To get an idea for what this constitutes, I contacted several Atlanta professionals for their experienced opinion.

Mary Trenkle Portriat

Mary Trenkle Portriat

What is ideal lighting? An insight from portrait artist, Mary Trenkle, at Mary Trenkle Originals sums it up best- “As a portrait artist, I’d say it is extremely important to have [light] on a subject. While painting babies, it’s even more crucial because it brings out the softness and suppleness of the skin tones without casting harsh shadows. Proper lighting also accentuates the piece’s key points, such as the twinkle in the eye and the silkiness of the hair. These things bring a portrait to life.” She also noted that most of her work is done from an actual photo; ideally with great lighting. [Editor Note: We recently featured the artist technique of producing a hand painted portrait from a digital photo on My Baby Photos!] Even without ideal lighting in the original photo, some amazing results can be achieved.

After speaking to Mary, I wanted to find out a few tips for understanding and harnessing better lighting. Next, I spoke to Jen Schliestett of Photojenik Photography. “I used to be intimidated by flash photography – using only natural light” Jen told me. “Unfortunately, the sun can create disastrous shadows. This is especially true for a baby’s facial features.” Jen’s tip for us was to continue using your flash even on sunny days. “An overexposed flash; however, can create an opposite problem. This can cause the skin to look white and colorless. In cases like this, you may need to point the flash at an indirect angle to subtly light the area.”

Photojenik Photography

Photojenik Photography

Lastly, I had the privilege of consulting photographer Michelle Haley. Michelle had great insight on the subject of achieving flawless high key. This is one of the most difficult studio lighting techniques to master – the clean white background. “The key to achieving a beautiful high key setup is careful metering and light position” Michelle says.

Michelle Haley

Michelle Haley Demonstrating High Key Studio Lighting

“You should have three strobes, a seamless white background, (I use paper and a reflector for this setup) and white tile-board for the floor. The tile-board is highly reflective white on one side and particle board on the other. This reflects light nicely and ensures that the floor underneath your subject remains white as opposed to gray and shadowy. The board is simply placed on top of the rolled down paper, with 5-6 feet from the drop to the subject.”

More Studio Lighting using High Key Setup

More Studio Lighting using High Key Setup

In the diagram below, you can see that two background lights are aimed at the backdrop (approximately 12-18″ from the drop itself). “Angle these lights (down) slightly for sitting babies/children. The main light is to one side of the subject, and a reflector is positioned opposite the main.” This effectively bounces light onto the subject’s shadowy side. “Light modifiers can vary, but I would recommend a softbox or softlighter as the main light. In order to prevent spill, shoot-through umbrellas or barn doors for the backdrop lights will work perfectly.”

Seamless Backdrop

Seamless Backdrop

As you can tell, Atlanta’s artists have a thing or two to teach the rest of us. Thanks to all of the above for their insight on the subject. If you employ the aforementioned advice, you will certainly up your photography game, and have either a comprehensive product to offer your clients or fabulously memorable photos yourself.

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