10 EPIC LIGHTING RECIPES

SIMPLE TOOLS + INTUITIVE EDUCATION = INCREDIBLE IMAGERY

&
 &

SO...WHY'D WE TEAM UP?

We're teaming up with MagMod because we've been fans of their products
long before we ever created an official partnership. Plain and simple, MagMod
makes the best lighting modifiers we've ever used. We not only use them
professionally with Lin + Jirsa Photography clients, our A to Z education within
SLR Lounge primarily features MagMod products as well.

When it came to creating this lighting guide, it only made sense to partner
with our friends at MagMod. They're a company that designs great products
that are backed by good people that we can stand behind. Enjoy the guide!

Pye Jirsa - Educator and Co-Founder of SLR Lounge + Things.co + Visual Flow + Lin & Jirsa Photography

We're teaming up with SLR Lounge because they offer the best A to Z
education for photographers. Their workshop library is the only place we know
where you can learn everything from picking up a camera, to mastering off-
camera lighting, to running a successful photography business. We've also
seen the results of that education, many of our own MagMod Ambassadors
and educators got their foundation from SLR Lounge.

When it came to creating this lighting guide, partnering with SLR Lounge was
a no-brainer since it's the best place to master lighting and so much more.

Trevor Dayley - MagMod Community and Brand Specialist + Trevor Dayley Photography
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GETTING STARTED
01.
What's a "Lighting Recipe?"
Much like a cooking recipe, a "Lighting
Recipe" is a set of instructions that will lead
you to a particular result. They're not only a
great way to learn photography, they make
it easy to "cook up" great photos (see what
we did there?). Sorry, you're always at risk of
dad jokes with Trevor and me.
Think of these recipes as a starting place for
your creativity. Once you get the hang of
things, just like you might tweak a recipe in
the kitchen, you can adjust this lighting
recipe to suit your particular taste.
02.
What gear do I need?
Every recipe will have a specific list of gear
"ingredients." Some of those ingredients
will be optional, like your specific choice of
lighting modifier. Others will be required.
For example a two light setup will require
two off-camera flashes.
In addition to the lighting modifiers listed
in each Recipe's Ingredients, you will need
your camera, three off-camera flashes, and
a radio remote to control those flashes.
03.
Tips for beginners
To get the most from this e-book we want
you to come to the table understanding
the Exposure Triangle along with how to
control off-camera flashes in manual mode.
Because this education is beyond the
scope of this guide, we've teamed up with
SLR Lounge to create this guide because
they offer the industry's best A to Z
education that covers learning manual
mode, mastering lighting, and even
running a 6-7 figure photography business.
 MAGMOD FLASH MODIFIERS
One of the keys to lighting recipes is having flash modifiers that help you control and color your light. As we share
each of these recipes we will add information about which of these MagMod modifiers we used on our flashes. To
find out more about these modifiers, click on the images to be taken to their product pages.

MagSphere 2 MagSnoot 2 MagBox Pro Line

Instantly shapes your flash into a soft,
omni-directional bare-bulb light source
that works perfectly as an on-camera or
off-camera diffuser.
This snoots collapsible design delivers Super fast zip on diffuser,
precise control with 4 different beam integrated built in storage
patterns making it easy to put light pocket, magnet attaching
precisely where you want it. honeycomb grid, simple setup,
and an integrate gel slot make
these some of the most popular
soft boxes for photographers.

MagBounce 2
Newly redesigned bounce modifier that
has been stripped down to it simplest
and most functional form. Perfect for
group shots or for use on-camera.
ProGel
These gels were redesigned to be faster
and stronger than ever thanks to their
new embedded magnet design and
increased strength. Gelling your flash has
never been easier.

MagGrid 2
Provides you an optimized beam pattern
so you can control the light coverage and
eliminate unwanted light spill. One very
popular combo is to stack with
MagSphere 2.
MagBeam
The most versatile, unique and awesome
fresnel lens modifier ever created for
photographers. Create some unique
patterns of light with the MagBeam
paired with MagMasks.
 RECIPE LEGEND - PART I
Here's a quick little Recipe Legend that will walk you through how each
Lighting Recipe is designed and how you can get the most from this guide.
The Ingredients Card is
where you'll find the
INGREDIENTS specific gear and modifiers
that we're recommending.
LIGHTING
If something is labeled
# OF LIGHTS = 1
"optional" then it's just that.
MAIN FLASH (4-6FT)
These are our "Favorite" modifiers to
FAVORITE MODIFIERS create the looks shown within the
MAGBOUNCE receipe. But keep in mind once you've
MAGMOD GRID learned a technique, you can switch the
modifiers however you like.
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING TWO
OVERPOWERING THE SUN PART
If you want more education on
I AND II
a topic, each Lighting Recipe
will reference specific lessons
within SLR Lounge's A to Z
Content Library
The Tips Card is where we'll walk
through how each lighting
technique works, when we like to
use it, and provide additional
guidance for each Lighting Receipe.
TIPS
More often than not, when it comes to
lighting our portraits we're usually trying
to hide our light sources. But the point
of "stadium lighting" is just the opposite,
show off those lights just like you might
see behind your subject in a stadium.
We like to do this with two flashes
placed equidistant behind your subject.
Then place a third flash at the 7 o'clock
position to light your subject. However
that third light is optional since just the
two rim lights will create a unique look
in and of itself.
BONUS TIP: To control the starbust
pattern, use the Aperture on your lens. A
wider aperture will create more of a
blooming effect, where as a smaller
aperture will create a sharper starbust
pattern.
 RECIPE LEGEND - PART II
Here's a quick little Recipe Legend that will walk you through how each
Lighting Recipe is designed and how you can get the most from this guide.

This denotes flash placement.

THE SETUP The Setup "Clock" is designed
Keep in mind that this is just a
starting point. After learning the
to give you an idea of the flash concept, feel free to adjust and
12 positioning in relation to the make your own.
camera and your subject.
11 1
By default, aim the flashes at
your subject unless you see the
10 2 arrow instructing you otherwise.

The Flash symbol placed over

9 3
the 4 o'clock position means Use a gel over the flash. The
that your flash should be PROGEL colors we recommend will be
placed roughly in this spot. In
(COLOR)
listed in the sub-text.
this instance, about 45 degrees
to camera right.

Your camera position.

8 4

7 5
Your subject's position.
6
"THE ONE"
OVERPOWERING THE SUN
 TIPS THE SETUP
INGREDIENTS What happens when you turn a flash 12
light on in bright sun? Nothing right!?
Because in bright sun, you need a lot of 11 1
light in order for it to show.
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 1 So when it comes to overpowering the
MAIN FLASH (4-6FT) sun, think one over one (1/1) or full power.
10 2

After you figure out your composition,

FAVORITE MODIFIERS
darken your in-camera exposure. We like
MAGRING to start at ISO 100 (or 50 if available),
MAGBOX (2-3 FT) 1/200th for the shutter, and a closed 9 3
down aperture to darken the scene
MAGBEAM (8-12 FT)
(usually around f/7 to f/14).

WORKSHOP > LIGHTING TWO If you're using a standard flash as your

OVERPOWERING THE SUN main light, place it around 4-6 feet from 8 4
your subject. If you're softening that
PART I AND II
light (with a MagBox) bring it to around
2-3 feet away. If you'd like the flash out of
frame, use a MagBeam which will allow 7 5
you to throw a lot of light at your subject
from 8-12 feet pretty easily.
6
 IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

Don't underestimate the power of one well-placed

off-camera flash. I captured this image in Laguna
Beach, California. To darken my exposure as well
as add depth, I shot the image around 1/200th, f/11
and ISO 100.

This image was lit with a single off-camera flash

(without modifiers) directly to camera left aimed at
my female subject. I often opt for bare flash to
create a more edgy light that defines my subject
within an environmental portrait like this one.

BONUS TIP: If you need more flash power, you can

use 2x flashes with the MagRing adapter.
This was shot at midday when the sun was
directly overhead. If you look at the rock in the
distance, you can see how the sun is hitting it
on top. It was a bright cloudless day in Tucson,
Arizona.

I placed 2 AD200 flashes mounted into a

MagRing with a MagBox 24" Octa on the front
to overpower the sun. Both flashes were turned
up to full power. I then raised my aperture to
close it down, set my ISO to 100, and Shutter
Speed to 1/200th of a second (fastest sync
speed on camera). By doing all those things, I
could make it look dark outside, despite being
under the bright afternoon sun.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

"STACKING"
LIGHT STACKING FOR DEPTH
 TIPS THE SETUP
INGREDIENTS Light stacking is the key to creating
12
depth and drawing attention to a
particular area of your imagery (often 11 1
your subject's face). Here's how it works.
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 2 We like to place our main flash around 3-
MAIN FLASH (3-5FT) 5 feet from our subject using a softening 10 2
modifier like a MagBox. Again, when
ACCENT FLASH (2-4FT)
outdoors we are going to start at full
power for this light.
FAVORITE MODIFIERS
MAGBOX PRO 42" OCTA The second light will be positioned on 9 3
the same angle, but just a foot or so
MAGGRID inside of the main light as an accent
light. We like using the MagGrid for
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING THREE accent light to focus the light only on
the face. The accent light will be at a
LIGHT STACKING FOR DEPTH 8 4
lower flash power, just enough to subtly
draw your viewer's eyes towards the
brighter area of the photo.

7 5
Side note, this setup is also a popular
technique in product photography. 6
 What's unique about this setup is the depth of the
lighting pattern.

My main flash is putting a lot of light on my

subject allowing me to underexpose a bright mid-
day scene. But it's the second flash, my accent
light that's highlighting the face and drawing
attention toward my subject's expression.

BONUS TIP: My favorite setup for this look is 2x

AD200 (or equivalents) in the MagRing with the
MagBox. This gives me 400Ws worth of light with
a soft overall look. Then just inside of that main
light, I like to place a 3rd standard flash with a
grid that just highlights the subjects face. This
exact setup will need 3 lights, but it provides a
soft light that's still powerful enough to
overpower the sun should you need it.

IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

I love shooting at civil twilight - about 25
minutes after sunset. It doesn't last long, but it's
one of my favorite times to shoot since it allows
me to throw the sky into this deep rich blue.

To capture this, I used a large softbox as my

primary light source. Because it was already
dark, a standard flash was enough even with
the softbox. For my accent light I used a
second flash with a MagGrid at a low power
setting just to draw a little more attention to
her face.

Both flashes were camera left at around the 8

o'clock position.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

"RAINMAKER"
BACKLIGHTING AIR PARTICLES
 TIPS THE SETUP
INGREDIENTS Rain can be frustrating for clients but it's 12
an amazing opportunity for epic imagery.
But when shooting in the rain, share 11 1
images from the back of your camera
LIGHTING
with clients to get them excited about
# OF LIGHTS = 1 the results. Rain or bad weather are truly
MAIN FLASH (5-10FT) an opportunity to turn lemons into
10 2
lemonade.

FAVORITE MODIFIERS
The key to shooting in the rain is getting
MAGSPHERE light behind your subject that spreads
out and illuminates raindrops, mist, or 9 3
even fog in the air. We love using the
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING THREE
MagSphere on our flash to help with that
BACKLIGHTING FOR RAIN AND even spread of light.
AIR PARTICLES
To protect your gear in the rain, keep a 8 4
Ziploc bag in your gear bag that you can
pull out and slip over the top of your flash.
It protects the equipment without
affecting the light output. Atmosphere 7 5
Aerosol is also a great tool to create
fog/air particles when needed.
6
One of my favorite ways to add an extra kiss of
awesome to your rainy day portraits is to have your
subjects use a white umbrella. If they don't have
one, your shoot-through umbrella will work fine.

The beauty of the umbrella is that it will catch light

from your backlight and send it down to wrap
around your subject's faces.

BONUS TIP: In this image we're only using the one

backlight as shown in the recipe. But if you want
to add to the light wrapping effect of the
umbrella, add a second flash just behind your
subjects pointed up at the umbrella.

IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

 This shot started out as Stadium Lighting
which we will cover shortly. But I decided that I
didn't want the flashes visible in the frame. I
moved the flashes to the edges of the scene
just to illuminate the light rain fall.

The key here is that the principle is identical,

create a backlight to illuminate the snow/rain
or any other atmospheric particles.

The two lights were placed at 10 and 2 o'clock

providing an edge light on my clients while
lighting up the rain. If you look close you'll
notice closer to the light how more particles of
the rain mist are lit up. I included this example
here to show how rain is more apparent the
closer it is to your light source.
IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY
 IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

Same principle, different scene. If you've ever seen

the Lin + Jirsa signature hairspray shot, it's using
the exact same Lighting Recipe.

Put down a backlight and you'll light up any air

particles, including those from hair spray.

BONUS TIP: To exaggerate this look, we like

closing the curtains so the background is
naturally darker than the illuminated particles.
Also, so you don't actually mess up your client's
hair, have a MUA or a bridesmaid spray the
hairspray just behind the bride. From your angle,
the viewer won't be able to tell that it's not
actually landing on the bride's hair.
"CROSS LIGHT"
2-POINT CROSS LIGHTING
 TIPS THE SETUP
INGREDIENTS Cross lighting is a beautifully simple two
light setup that you can even pull off
12
with a single flash. 11 1
LIGHTING The goal is to use one light for your
# OF LIGHTS = 2 subject with a second light to highlight

MAIN FLASH (5-10FT) and carve them your subjects out of the 10 2
scene.
SUN/SECOND FLASH (10+FT)
With a cross lighting setup, each light
FAVORITE MODIFIERS comes from an opposite angle on the
clock. Your second light source can be a 9 3
MAGBOX
flash, but it can also just be the setting
MAGGRID sun or a reflector bouncing light back to
MAGGRID + MAGSPHERE your subjects. Although using a flash will
give you more options and control.

WORKSHOP > LIGHTING THREE The safest, most common position of

8 4
TWO-LIGHT FRONT AND BACK lights is 5 + 11 o'clock or 7 + 1 o'clock. But
CLASSIC (CROSS LIGHT) get creative and have fun with cross-
lighting. Once set, you can move around
the circle and get a variety of different
7 5
looks. Often times our favorite image is 6
one that we didn't initially plan for.
 IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA
While I only used a single flash, this was indeed a
cross lighting setup.

I captured this image in Hawaii and to darken my

exposure as well as add depth, I shot the image
around 1/200th, f/11 and ISO 100.

This image was lit with a single off-camera flash

(without modifiers) directly to camera right aimed
at the bride.

From there, I carefully positioned the bride's back

to be angled against the sun. This allows the sun
to become my second light which accentuates her
back, dress, and veil.
 The venue is a gorgeous setting with tall trees
lining the backside; you can see them on the
IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY right side of the frame. The problem is they
block the sky during sunset. So I brought the
couple outside the venue to this empty lot next
door, where I had a clear sunset view.

I placed a MagBox at 4 o'clock, asked them to

look toward it, and placed a second flash with a
MagSphere at 10 o'clock. You can see the
difference it made it bringing light to her hair
and shoulder. Without it, that side would have
been in the shadows.
I had a MagBox just outside the frame for this
one, very close to them. It was at 8 o'clock. The
second light had a MagBounce on it positioned
at 2 o'clock. It is very subtle, but if you look at
how the light on his shoulders helps to carve
him out of the background. Sometimes those
tiny differences help your subjects pop and
make the photo.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

 PARTNER DISCOUNTS
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 "STADIUM"
3-POINT STARBURST LIGHTING

INGREDIENTS
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 2 MIN / 3 MAX
LEFT FLASH (5-15FT)
RIGHT FLASH (5-15FT)
MAIN FLASH (3-5FT OPTIONAL)
FAVORITE MODIFIERS
MAGGRID
MAGMOD PROGELS
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING THREE
THREE-POINT STARBURST
LIGHTING PART I AND II
TIPS THE SETUP
More often than not, when it comes to
12
lighting our portraits we're usually trying
to hide our light sources. But the point 11 1
of "Stadium Lighting" is the opposite,
show off those lights just like you might
see behind your subject in a stadium.
10 2
We like to do this with two flashes
placed equidistant behind your subject.
Then place a third flash at the 7 o'clock
position to light your subject.
9 3
The third light is optional since just the
two rim lights will create a unique look
in and of itself. However if you would like,
add a third light at either the 5 or 7
o'clock position to light your subject.
8 4
To control the starburst pattern, use the
Aperture on your lens. A wider aperture
will create more of a blooming effect,
7 5
where as a smaller aperture will create a
sharper starbust pattern. 6
If you're going to use Starburst Lighting with your
subject looking into the camera as shown here, I'd
highly recommend you use a third light to light
your subject.

Here I'm using a 3rd flash boomed directly over my

subjects head with a MagBox to create a soft main
light to light his face.

BONUS TIP: When I'm not lighting my subject's

face, I'm not going to have them look directly into
the camera. Instead I'll turn my subjects to offer
their profile to the camera allowing the two
backlights to accentuate my subject's form.

IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

 IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

This is the same Stadium Light Recipe but with

the flashes framed just outside of the image.

I put MagMod gels on the front of my flashes to

pull off the color flares. I then shot a few photos
with the flashes visible and then took a few
steps forward to get the flash right on the edge
of my frame.

The light on her face was natural sunlight. We

were shooting in the shade under a barn cover
with daylight behind me.
Usually, I wouldn't place my light stands so far
back, but I was trying to blend them into the
background. When editing out light stands
from a photo, I like to make it as easy as
possible.

In this situation, because the background was

so busy, I knew it would be a lot of work, so
opting to move them back and turn up the IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY
power on my flashes was the decision I went
with. The happy accident is that it added some
nice shadows on the short wall behind them,
creating great leading lines for the couple.
 "RAINBOW"
BROADWAY STAGE LIGHTING
 TIPS THE SETUP
INGREDIENTS We usually place the lights at 4/8, and 12
typically to get started will put the lights
at the same power and distance 11 1
(approximately 5-8 feet away from
LIGHTING
subjects).
# OF LIGHTS = 2
LEFT FLASH (5-8FT) Once we have that baseline shot, you
10 2
RIGHT FLASH (5-8FT) can decide how you want to adjust the
power of your flashes for more interest
in your photos. This can be done in two
FAVORITE MODIFIERS ways. One, you can change the power of
MAGBOUNCE one side; for example, make it half the 9 3
power of the other.
MAGSPHERE
The other option is to move one flash in
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING THREE closer and pull the other further away.
TWO-LIGHT PIN WITH AMBIENT Because of the inverse square law, 8 4
changing the distance of your light to
SHUTTER DRAG
the subject will affect the amount of
light hitting your subject.
7 5
This is a go-to two-lighting setup that
we like to use at sunset.
6
One of the tell tail signs of rainbow lighting is
the two shadows coming off your subjects. If
you look in the grass, you can see those. So that
those shadows are not distracting to the image,
I like to lower my position to the ground.

In this shot, both of my flashes are just outside

the camera frame, so I didn't have to edit them
out, and they each had a MagGrid+MagSphere
combo.

When I placed the couple in the shot, I wanted

to make good and sure the space behind them
was also free of any palm trees. So don't forget
to find that clean space; it can make or break
the shot.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

 When shooting large group shots I love using
the rainbow lighting setup with MagBounce
modifiers on each of my flashes. This helps me
to get a solid spread of light across everyone.

The benefit of the Rainbow setup is that the

flash on each side will eliminate harsh shadows.
IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY This makes it a great lighting setup for large
group shots like this one.

BONUS TIP: Raise your light stands as high as

they can go and feather your light towards the
back. Here my light stands were fully extended
to 13 feet.
I'm including this image because this shutter drag
is utilizing Rainbow lighting with a slight
modification.

Not only am I dragging the shutter at 1/5" of a

second to get blur on the cars driving by, I've
pulled the subjects forward a little. Instead of the
lights being at 4 and 8 o'clock in relation to the
lights, pulling them forward brings the lights to
the 2 and 10 o'clock position.

From there, a MagGrid was placed onto each light

to focus the light, then I had each subject look
toward the flash placed on their side.

IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

"SKY ON FIRE"
GELLING FOR CREATIVE EFFECT
 TIPS THE SETUP
INGREDIENTS Gels are your cure to a boring sky. We 12
have the cure for knowing what each gel
will do to your scene. Start with any 11 1
lighting pattern you like.
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 1 You can adjust your White Balance in
MAIN FLASH (5-8FT) camera or in post if you're shooting raw.
10 2
The easiest way to remember what a gel
is doing is to think, "How will I correct for
FAVORITE MODIFIERS
the color I'm adding to my subject."
MAGMOD PROGELS
MAGBOX CORRECTION GELS CTO = Orange light on your subject is 9 3
corrected by cooling the temperature,
turning the entire scene more blue.
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING TWO PROGEL
CTO | CTB | CTG
THREE FAVORITE GELS FOR CTB = Blue light on your subject is
AMBIENT/SKY MANIPULATION corrected by warming the temperature, 8 4
turning the entire scene more orange.

CTG = Green light on your subject is

corrected by adding magenta, turning 7 5
the entire scene more purple.
6
Here I'm using a CTO gel on my main flash
positioned at 4 o'clock.

Because I'm adding orange to my subject, I have

to correct for that by cooling the in-camera White
Balance to around 3600K to 3800K.

This adjustment corrects for the orange light on

my subject, but it also shifts the rest of the scene
into a deep blue.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

This is the same image and composition, but this
time I'm using a CTB gel on my main flash
positioned at 4 o'clock.

Because I'm adding blue to my subject, I have to

correct for that by warming the in-camera White
Balance to around 8000K to 9000K.

This adjustment corrects for the blue light on my

subject, but it also shifts the rest of the scene into
a warm orange tone.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

"EXPLOSION"
BACKGROUND LIGHTING PT. I

INGREDIENTS
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 1
FLASH (1-2FT BEHIND SUBJECT)
FAVORITE MODIFIERS
MAGBOUNCE
MAGSPHERE
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING TWO
WRAPPING BACKGROUND
LIGHT FOR SILHOUETTES
TIPS THE SETUP
Position the light right behind your 12
subject just like you would with a rim
light, but this time rather than point the 11 1
light towards them, point it toward the
background.
You will want to turn the power up on 10 2
your flash, usually to half or even full
power depending on the scene.
Sometimes we will add a second flash to
make the effect even more significant.
9 3
This an excellent lighting recipe to use in
a bridal suite when the room is
disheveled behind the bride. Great shot
to show clients on the back of your
camera at the night's end. They will head 8 4
home talking about their photographer
pulling off magic in the camera.
Also, this Lighting Recipe is a fantastic 7 5
way to create silhouettes nearly
anywhere. 6
Shot in the evening, All I'm doing here is aiming a
single flash at a concrete wall directly behind my
clients.

My aperture is wide at around f/2, I'm shooting at

around 1/200th and ISO 400. From here, I'm
blasting the flash at full power off the concrete
wall allows it to open up and wrap around my
subjects.

This is one of those lighting patterns that will

create something amazing in the most mundane
of locations.

IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

This was shot in the bridal suite and behind her,
the room, which was more like a big meeting
space, was pretty unorganized. So I laid a flash
on the ground with a MagBounce and turned it
to full power. Then, I pointed that light away
from her and toward the mess.

I had a second light resting on top of an

armoire with a MagSphere pointed toward her
so I could get a little more light on her face. Her
face was a little too dark and in the shadows
without this second light.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

For this senior portrait her mom had asked if we

can get a few pictures of her playing at the piano
as she is a talented pianist.

The piano was located in the corner of the house

and around it hung on the wall were some
distracting elements. I decided to get rid of those
by creating the explosion of light behind her. To do
this I put one flash on the ground and another
rested on the piano. Both were turned up high.

By doing this I was able to turn everything behind

her white and bring all the attention to her rather
than have the viewers eyes distracted by the once
busy background.
"HIGHLIGHT"
BACKGROUND LIGHTING PT. II

INGREDIENTS
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 1
FLASH (1-2FT BEHIND SUBJECT)
FAVORITE MODIFIERS
MAGBOUNCE
MAGSPHERE
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING TWO
BACKGROUND LIGHT FOR
SILHOUETTES PT II
TIPS THE SETUP
Our eyes are drawn to three primary 12
things in photographs, brightness,
contrast and sharpness. This lighting 11 1
recipe is a subtle way to direct the
viewers eyes right where you want it by
adding a touch of light behind your
subjects. It's very easy to do. 10 2
Like the Explosion recipe you will want
to point your flash away from your
subjects, and place it behind them.
However, for this one rather than 9 3
turning it up to full power, you will want
to just enough flash for a highlight.
It's this subtle touch of light that will
draw your viewers eyes into your 8 4
subjects.
Make sure when doing this to have your
clients interacting with each other, as 7 5
this isn't the type of look at the camera
and smile type of shot. 6
 IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

Here I'm mixing a few techniques that you've

already learned. I'm using the background light,
but it's set to a lower power than what we might
do for the "Explosion" Recipe.

The light is directly behind the couple and aimed

at the wall at maybe 1/4 power. But the trick here
is that I've also added a MagMod CTO to the light
which allows me to shift the entire scene blue with
an in-camera White Balance of around 4000K.

The result is an image where the graffiti turns blue

and the brightest area of the image features a
warm kiss from the couple.
 I captured this image in the Sequoia National Park.
The final image is actually a panoramic stitch that
ended up being more than 100 megapixels and
meant for a giant wall art print.

Thing is, I didn't want my couple to get lost in the

grandeur of the scene. So to bring attention to
them, I placed a Profoto B10 (a 200Ws flash) right
behind them and aimed it at the tree.

Because I was shooting with a closed aperture, I'm

using the flash at around 1/2 power which put just
enough light on the tree without blowing it out.
The result is this natural vignette effect that draws
the viewer right into the highlight behind the
couple placed at the base of the tree.

IMAGE BY LIN + JIRSA

"FIREWORKS"
BRING THE MAGIC

INGREDIENTS
LIGHTING
# OF LIGHTS = 1 TO 2+
FLASH (1-2FT BEHIND SUBJECT)
MAIN FLASH (5-10FT)
FAVORITE MODIFIERS
MAGBEAM
MAGMASKS
MAGSPHERE + MAGGRID
MAGBOX + GRID
WORKSHOP > LIGHTING FOUR
CREATING LIGHTING PATTERNS
WITH GO-BETWEEN-OBJECTS
TIPS THE SETUP
Fireworks is not the easiest of recipes to
do but it always ends up being a client 12
favorite. It requires a few minutes to
setup, so use it for portrait sessions until
11 1
you can pull it off quick enough for a
wedding.
10 2
For the pattern, use the MagBeam with
a wide angle MB lens and one of the
MagMasks on the flash behind them.
Play with the MagMasks and gels for a
near infinite variety of looks.
9 3
Once you're happy with the pattern on
the wall, add a main light for your
subjects.
The trick here is to make sure this light 8 4
doesn't bleed into the other light you
just created and cancel it out. Our
favorite way of doing this is by placing
the light higher while using the MagGrid 7 5
or MagGrid + Sphere combination. 6
On the next page I show behind the scenes and
will break down the setup there where you can
see it all visually.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

The guy in this shot is holding one of my flashes
at his hip in his left hand. On that flash is the
MagBeam with a MagMask and a Red gel.
That's what is creating that cool lighting
pattern on the cement wall behind them.

Now to put light on them I have my flash at

about 10ft high angled down towards them
with a MagSphere + MagGrid. This combo helps
me to focus the light on them.

Note how their shadow casts down because of

the height of my flash. If I didn't raise it as much
then the shadow would be on the wall effecting
the light design. Also by using the MagGrid it
helps to keep my light from spilling into the red
light.

IMAGE BY TREVOR DAYLEY

 LEARN MORE
OK, so what now!? Below are links to grab your MagMod gear or to jump into SLR Lounge Education at a discount.
But there's more! MagMod and SLR Lounge have two incredible Facebook Groups that are completely FREE to join
and a great place for ongoing education and feedback. It's also the best place where you can directly connect with
Trevor and Pye who are active in both groups. Click the links below to join!

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