One Light Three Ways

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We all seem to start with the same one light set up. The Aputure 120D or equivalent, a giant ass soft box (ass soft box) and a light stand. We made a video breaking down three ways you can use your one light for different looks in our latest video.

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Light: Aputure 120D II

Stand: 10' Air-Cushioned Light Stand (Would recommend the 13’ for this set up)

Modifire: Neewer Hexadecagon Softbox

Reflector: 5-in-1 Reflector

Clam Shell Lighting

This is one of my go-to lighting set-ups for portraits and headshots. The light is very even and flattering which makes it an all around fantastic option. Remove the reflector for a more moody and dramatic light.

2. Faux Ring Light

Ring lights are such a niche product, they can be so amazing and dynamic for a number of situations but it’s not typically your first light (unless you are making content about make-up). You can recreate that classic ring light look by placing the camera directly in front of a large light source shooting directly at the subject.

3. Reflector + Kicker

This one is a more dramatic set-up and can work great in some instances, but doesn’t work on all faces and subjects. A kicker is a type of accent light that is off axis from the camera. If we place a light behind the subject, we can use a reflector to bounce that light back onto the subject creating a fill light without a second light source. Reflectors are cheap to pick up but if you have a piece of white foam core at home, that works too!