Using one light + reflector to create a rich red stylized portrait

If you follow my work you know I love shooting red, it’s truly my favorite color. I like doing a lot of monochromatic red and red shoots where every aspect contains a bit of color.

For this shoot I used a single soft light source, v-flat and Savage primary red background. I experimented with using a harder light source at first, but preferred the softer look.

I brought the light closer to soften her skin and at a high angle to carve out her cheekbones and jawline.

I added the v-flat because there wound up being a dark shadow on the side of her face which this corrected. If you don’t have a v-flat any white surface, or even a reflector will do the trick.

Using one light, you have to be really deliberate about how you position it. In my case, I needed enough light to bounce into the v-flat and fill in the shadows on her face as well as spill on to the background so it wasn’t too dark.

5:09 - Straight out of camera

Now it was time to analyze the photo. My eye was drawn to a few areas that I found distracting and knew I’d have to correct in post — such as the highlight on the flower and darkening down the red of the table she is leaning on.

7:35 - Color grade

8:25 - Retouched / final

There wasn’t a ton of retouching done here, just some color grading and some skin correction, contrast etc. All very simple to do to get the final result.

I wound up with the selected shot because of how my eye was drawn to it. My eye first would land on the flower headpiece, then travel down her arm, back up and to her face with how it was lit. This provided a bit of a circular pathway back to her face that I found appealing and helped balance the photo visually.

10:26 — These were other images I were considering.

👇 Drop a comment below or any questions!

📸 Camera Settings:

👉 1/200th
👉 F/8
👉 ISO 200

💡 Gear Used:

✅ Canon EOS R5: https://adorama.rfvk.net/JxzdE
✅ Canon 24-105mm: https://adorama.rfvk.net/Rk5Qy
✅ Profoto D2: https://adorama.rfvk.net/qvB7y
✅ Profoto Deep White Umbrella XL: https://adorama.rfvk.net/mVQaD
✅ Profoto Deep White Umbrella Diffuser: https://adorama.rfvk.net/PJRDj
✅ V-flat world reflector: https://adorama.rfvk.net/djdBq
✅ Profoto air remote: https://adorama.rfvk.net/W3o5G
✅ Savage Seamless Primary Red background: https://adorama.rfvk.net/V371R
✅ Avenger D600 boom arm: https://adorama.rfvk.net/XRdAG
✅ Savage c-stand: https://adorama.rfvk.net/J1ZW2
✅ Tethertools tether cable: https://adorama.rfvk.net/avr5q

🔥 For more one light inspiration check out my class One Light Artistry: https://lindsayadler.photo/onelight

✋ Be sure to check out my posing hands guide as well for a ton of posing inspiration! https://lindsayadler.photo/posinghands

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