There are often times when including the source of light in your scene is an important part of the story. But there’s a big difference between a light that’s seen and a light that illuminates your subject. Making it appear that a single light source does both is called motivated light.
Despite the term being more commonly associated with videography, the exact same principles apply to still photography. In this video, photographer Gavin Hoey takes you back to school for a lighting lesson on what is practical light, how a practical light becomes motivated light and finally, he shows three different examples of how to use motivated light in a portrait shoot.
Interested in learning more about portrait photography and lighting? Take a look at these guides on 42 West:
- Best Lighting Kits for Photography in 2021
- How To Shoot Golden Hour Portraits with the FlashPoint XPLOR 600
- How to Control the Lighting in Portrait Photography
- Lens in Focus: Audrey Woulard’s Favorite Nikon Portrait Lens
PRODUCTS USED:
- Olympus E-M1 Mark iii
- Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro
- Flashpoint XPLOR 300 Pro
- Olympus M.Zuiko 7-14mm f/2.8 Pro
- Glow ParaPop 28″ Softbox
- Glow S2 Round Flash S-type Bowens Mount Bracket
- Flashpoint R2 TTL Transmitter
