So often someone will take the time to light the talent to look great but forget to light the background and give the image some depth:
One method is to use a Cucoloris. Some will refer to it as a cookie cutter:
As you can see in the above image the light source with a standard 7″ reflector never changes in size. It is about 6′ away from the Cucoloris. Looking at the image below you can see it creates a defined shadowed texture onto the seamless:
Now I’ll bring the light source closer to the Cucoloris. The light is now about 3′ away:
Look at the photo below, and you will see the shadowed texture is beginning to soften:
Now I’ll move the light source about 1′ from the Cucoloris:
Look at the image below, and see how soft the shadow texture is now.
Did you notice that I never moved the Cucoloris closer to the seamless? I did; however, raise or lower and rotate the Cucoloris to control the placement of the shadowed texture onto the seamless. This is all subjective to how you like the look. When you don’t have a Cucoloris, you can always use other items to create a shadowed texture onto your seamless or wall. I have actually used branches in the past. Think outside the box. Apply some lighting theory, and go create some shadowed textures to enhance your images.
Thank you for your time and reading my post.
That’s a wrap, fade to black.
Tell your story with the second annual Visual Storytelling Conference!
Experience four days of interactive, online training sessions featuring a range of educational content with experienced photographers and content creators. This free event kicks off with a series of technical boot camps to build essential skills, followed by live, online sessions on photography, video, business and social media. Join live from March 10-13, 2022!