In this shoot we used the Elinchrom Snoot with a honeycomb grid attached to the front. This snoot is attached to an ElinchromBXRi 500 Studio Flash head. For hair light and fill light we used a simple 1mX1.5M white foam board. We shoot on the Sony A900 Full-Frame camera using the Sigma 300mm F2.8 lens and Elinchrom Skyport to trigger our studio flash.
Since we are shooting two models in this photoshoot it was important to set up the lighting to be evenly distributed on both subjects. In order to achieve this we used the Elinchrom Snoot aimed in between our two subjects. To guarantee even lighting we also set up a foam board beside the BXRi500 to act as a bounce to help fill softer areas of the face. Now we have the basic lighting set up but we faced a problem at this point. Using the snoot alone would cause the image to have an extremely bright and harsh spot on our subjects and would cause over exposure rather than the soft lighting we wish to achieve. By placing the Elinchrom Snoot Honeycomb we are able to control the light and reduce the strength of the direct light.
Another key element of this photoshoot lighting is the hair light, although subtle,it is a key factor to help separate the subject from our background. To achieve this subtle effect we have used a clamp to attach a foam board to a light stand and raised it over the height of our subjects at a 45 degree angle to our models hair. This allows light from the snoot to get caught and bounce back to the hair. Remember dark hair absorbs light so the bounce cannot be too far from the subject or the effect will be lost.
While the models were placed facing the Elinchrom BXRi500 with Snoot and Honeycomb the Sony a900 was placed at 45 degrees from the subject. The models were told to stare slightly past and above the studio flash. The camera was set to capture the image slightly under exposed thus giving us the beautiful lighting and extremely dark studio background.
This photo beautifully showcases two loving sisters.
