Lindsay Adler
Lindsay Adler is a fashion photographer, educator, and author based in New York City. You can follow her work and see her photography on her website, lindsayadlerphotography.com, or on Instagram @lindsayadler_photo.
You can get creative with lighting using props from the dollar store! In this video, I’ll show you how I use a combination of hard light, cheap props, and shadows for striking results.
When I make a trip to the local dollar store, I am frequently looking for items I can use to cast unusual patterns on my subject. I look for things like strainers, vases, baskets, translucent platters, you name it! The idea is that the object must allow some light to pass through it in order to potentially cast an intriguing shadow.
The next part of the equation is hard light! For this, you can either use natural light (direct sunlight) or artificial light (studio strobe, speed light, or flashlight). The key is that the light is small and far away from the subject, creating the hardest shadow edges possible. For this video, I use a single strobe (a Profoto D2 with zoom reflector) far away from my subject for very crisp shadows and hard light.
The final ingredient is to bring your prop close to the subject. The closer it is to the subject, the more defined the shadow edges will be!
It’s all about experimenting with simple inexpensive tools that are reimagined in a creative way!
Want to learn more about creative lighting that you can incorporate in your photography? Check out these guides on 42 West:
- Flash Photography Tips: How to Get Better Lighting with Camera Flashes
- Best Lighting Kits for Photography in 2021
- Key Lights, Fill Lights, Hair Lights and More: Different Lighting Uses For Studio Strobes
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