Photographers talk about lighting at all times – how to shape it, soften it, bounce it – but we do not talk enough about how the light can tell a story. It does not just illuminate a scene; It sets an emotional tone and creates the story.
I like to think about the lighting as a soundtrack of a picture. You know how, in a film, you can understand that something is going to be scary on the basis of music? Light in a picture does the same thing. This is one of the most powerful visual devices we have to set the mood.
I believe that photos are to tell stories. So I love ideological photography. It begins with the same idea – sometimes as an abstract as a feeling – and from there, you can build a whole world around it. Every creative decision – from cupboard to lighting – is a tool to support that concept. Nothing is random. The audience must work together to make the audience feel something.
In a recent ideological portrait shoot, we used the lighting to tell the story and help the concept to life. My creative partner (and husband), David, and I built a set, which featured a floating bench, which was 32 inches away from the ground. This was just more that when our model sat on it, her legs were in danger and could not touch the floor.
This expansion became a seed for our story: the complex relationship between trust and fear – how difficult it can be to let the tension between the two, and to go to control, even when you know that you need. Prakash played a major role in communicating that feeling.
To match the vulnerability of the concept, we used moody, cinematic lighting – some softened yet dramatic that still allows shadow to shade, highlighting the structure of the set and the feeling of the model.
To complement the set design, we wanted to make a soft, angelic feel. David used an LED light panel- Nanlite Pavosalim 60 C With a grid – to focus directly on light on the subject. This setup did not just illuminate the model; It also put beautiful gradients on the walls, created a dramatic environment.
We also used Nanlite FC 120CBare-bubbly, with a pair V-Flats To control the fill. The white side served as a bounce to soften the light, while the black side provided negative filler to add depth and vice versa. These are small touch that created a big difference in the final result, which can lead to both moody and ether at the same time.
This setup gave us full control over the tenderness and direction of light, aligning us with emotional beats of the story.
As we went through the shoot, I directed the model through a sequence of pose that gradually produced emotional stress. We were sitting with her peacefully on the bench, then more uncertain, moved to off-balance pose-her fingers were holding the edge, her body slipped forward, and finally, landed on her floor. Every currency followed an emotional arc, and the lighting helped bring that arc into life.
I loved how all the elements of this shoot came together to tell a story – from dark purple color palette to moody lighting and expressive poding. The story came through actually.
A close watch to watch the back and forth the video be sure to ensure how we lit and directed the shoot from beginning to end.
