Head and Shoulders Portraits Using the OctoDome

To start, we first attached a StarFlash 650w monobloc strobe to a five-foot OctoDome via a StarFlash OctoConnector.

We knew that we wanted to create a soft light that would sculpt our model's face and prominently display her features. To accomplish this, we decided to create a "paramount lighting pattern". A "paramount lighting pattern" is attained by placing your main light directly in front of your model and up high enough to place the shadow from their nose halfway between their nose and upper lip. This is a flattering light because it creates shadows below the cheekbones and chin, which gives them more definition.

We set up our five-foot OctoDome with the StarFlash 650 at about five feet high and directly at camera position. We then tilted the light down at a 45˚ angle so it was pointing at our model's face. [figures 1 and 2]

Here is our resulting shot for this lighting set-up. [figure 3] You can see we have a small paramount lighting pattern appearing under the model's nose. You can also see the slight shadow underneath the cheekbone that this lighting set-up creates, as well as the shadow under the chin, which really helps to sculpt the model's facial features.

We liked the results from this lighting set-up, but wanted to take it to a more classic look by getting detail in the shadow area under her chin. To achieve this, you can either bring in a reflector right beneath the edge of the frame, pointed straight up to reflect light from the OctoDome, or you can use another light in the same position that you would place the reflector. We chose to add another light to have more control over the power of our fill light.

We brought in a StarFlash 300 with a small HalfDome soft box attached to it. It would be acceptable to use any soft box, but we chose the HalfDome because of its slim profile.

When setting up your light for this type of lighting, it is important that the fill light below is set to roughly the same power, or slightly less power, than the top light. If it over-powers your main light above, your model will look under-lit. This is also known as "monster lighting", which, as you may have guessed by the name, is not exactly flattering for most people.

We placed the StarFlash 300 with the small HalfDome on a floor pod (available through Photoflex as a LiteStand 2200), pointing straight up at our model. We then moved it back about a foot from the model to allow the light to point directly at her face. [figures 4 and 5]

In our final result, notice how the shadows have been softened and brightened up by bringing in the light from below. Although we eliminated the majority of the shadows with this second soft box, you still can see the light sculpting her face, as is revealed by the shadows under her cheek bones and chin. The inclusion of the second light helped soften the overall feel and give it a light, polished feel. [figure 6]

The OctoDome alone creates a beautiful, diffused light that when placed in the proper position, creates flattering light for any subject. While one light can render a great image, adding a second light to lighten up the shadow areas can really give you a professional portrait studio look.

This is a quick and efficient way to take great looking "head and shoulders" portraits. Below is a comparison of our two final shots. Figure 7 was taken with just the five foot OctoDome, while figure 8 was taken with the OctoDome and small HalfDome.